Why in life you need to pick your battles

Yesterday I was in a supermarket and there was this guy with his pants down to his ankles (you know the ridiculous “style”). He was acting strange to say the least. He started to make porno noises. “Aaaah” “oooh” and so on. One of the men in the store decided to confront him and nearly got his head kicked in before the store security guard intervened! The porn guy was clearly not right in the head and I am sure his performance in the supermarket was not an isolated incident! This got me thinking about something I tell people I mentor. In life, you need to pick your battles. Sure, it’s good to stand up to wrong and have principles but that comes with the caveat of “picking your battles” and taking a deep breath before acting (or not acting - or acting in a different way). Do you remember the story of this guy in Marbella? He caught some sicko filming his young daughter and beat him to a pulp. Turns out the guy WAS a sicko and he was right to protect his daughter. However, he went to prison for a long time. How is he going to protect his daughter from prison? He made the right choice at the time to most. But did he? Could it have been handled differently for a better outcome? Or the story of the tall, strong martial arts expert who was a bouncer. One day he was driving with his girlfriend and he gets into a confrontation with an older guy by a motorway lay-by. Within seconds the older guy stabs and kills him. Turns out the old guy was one of Britain’s all time biggest criminals. So whether in business, relationships or life generally, it is probably a good idea to remember that you can’t handle everyone. There is always someone bigger, crazier, smarter, more mental (literally) and with less to lose than you. You don’t need to live life in fear; far from it. However do remember that those who make it to an old age or make it to the top, make calculated smarter (than others) decisions in line with their longer life goals. If in doubt, take a pause. If in doubt, think what would someone you admire and respect do. If in doubt, think what would someone like me do. If in doubt, think what would an older and wiser person do.