Are you facing a situation so distressing that your pulse is increasing and you cannot think about something else? You don't have to move to every battlefield, you don't have to dance at every wedding!

Life is too short to waste your time and waste your energy with little things. Focus on the things who really matter: family, friends, health, fun, … Concentrate on the most important things, the ones that give you the biggest benefits, and the battles where you have a high chance of success. Let the rest go.

How do I know if something is worth fighting for?
Every situation is different, so assess it on a case-by-case basis.

Identifying the problem
What is it really that annoys me at the moment? What caused the issue? What did I expect differently? What is the impact on my life?

Rate the problem
How long is it going to bother me?

• 5 min, 5 weeks/months, 5 years?
• In general, most problems we face don’t deserve our attention.

What is the impact?

• for my role
• for my team
• my company

Weigh effort vs. benefit
Does the effort outweigh the potential benefits?

Do your homework in order to prepare the battle

• Take the time to research what goals your enemy wants to achieve and why.
• What’s going on in your enemy’s mind?
• Things are not always as they appear at first sight on the surface.
• What the true motivation of your enemy?
• The secret to success is having a strategy, wait for the perfect time and know when to move (to counter your enemy's plan).
• Prepare a win-win-scenario where both parties will be happy.

Fight in a calm state with high consciousness

• Handle the situation in the most professional way in order to avoid what you are going to regret afterwards
• Talk about your observations
• Consider diverse perspectives
• Stay constructive and make the conflict the enemy - not the other person
• Work towards a proposal where both parties benefit from

Celebrating the victory

• Thank your opponent and stay humble.
• Take a note which part of your strategy was game-changing and put it into your lessons learned.

Cut your losses

• You cannot win every battle: If you recognise you are unable to win or the effort to win does not outweigh the benefit any longer, cut your losses. Life is too short to fight a situation where you recognise that any additional energy/time is wasted energy/time. Then move on.
• Love it, leave it, change it. If you cannot change the situation, look for the benefits. What are the advantages? Love them. If you think there are no good sides and you are unable to live with it, leave the situation, project, company.

Focus on the most important things in life, let the rest go.