What is the meaning of "Pick Your Battles"?

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“Pick Your Battles” ensures that if one is going to spend a considerable amount of time and resources in fighting for a certain issue, it should be worth it. Hence choosing the battles you wish to invest your effort in becomes important. There’s no point in sweating on the small stuff.

What is the origin of the saying "Pick Your Battles"?

The term “Pick Your Battles” may probably be referring to a military strategy where it would be a wise thing to pick and choose the battles. Fighting a war simultaneously on more than one front would make it difficult to secure either front. The basic idea being that when the troops are spread out, it is difficult to achieve success. The best way would be to mobilize the forces at a strategic point to ensure success and then move on to deal with the next issue.

Why is "Pick Your battles" considered a phrase of Wisdom?

“Pick Your Battles” implies that one should know when to fight for a cause and when to let go and accept the situation. The simple reason is that, fighting for ever sundry cause may label one as a rebel and accepting every thing as it is may seem submissive. So knowing to “Pick Your Battles” is the key. Some may choose to pick battles that deal with issues of injustice. Others may pick battles when they are sure that they’re on the correct side of law. Many may not like to pick battles in which they have very slim chances of winning. One way to “Pick Your Battles” is to decide if the issue is worth the battle. Think about the possible outcome of the fight and if your stand remains the same then its worth fighting that battle.

How to "Pick Your Battles"?

Parenting may involve dealing with a number of issues about a particular child. This may stress out parents completely more so if they have to deal with unruly children. The best strategy in such a situation is to “Pick Your Battles”. It may not be possible to address every issue of the problematic behavior at one go. Instead pick up the most urgent issue which you feel requires more attention. For example, the parent may first focus on the child’s tendency to lie for every small reason. Once this issue is dealt with, the parent can tackle other problems on the basis of priority.

Why is it necessary to "Pick Your Battles"?

It is necessary to “Pick Your Battles” wisely as it is humanly not possible to fight for every issue you feel strongly about. Doing so may just muddle you up and you may not succeed in any of them. In day to day situations people are faced with a number of issues which are important and have to be resolved immediately. In such cases it may not be easy to “Pick Your Battles”. Seeking outside help and delegating tasks would make more sense in such a situation. Many world leaders are distinguished from the common lot by their ability to pick battles and fighting for the serious issues rather than accepting things submissively.  

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