Jack got me a book for Christmas The Cub Fan's Guide To Happiness. It's written by George Ellis, author of a web site called The Heckler, so I expected it to be amusing, which has proved to be true so far. What was unexpected was the occasional pearl of real life wisdom.
"Winning really isn't the only thing. It's a bonus."
How often is our stress rooted in the desire to be right, when there are often many forms of right? Earlier this week I was asked at work to evaluate the cost of an option. When I presented my write-up, it was originally rejected. Did my stress level rise? Yep. I'd mentally strayed from merely presenting a cost, to advocating for a position, and there's a stark difference between thinking "this is what it is" and "this is what it should be." This wasn't a conversation about life or death (well, it was about life insurance, so sort of, but...), it was about a harmless fact! Oh, I did press back, making sure that I understood why the other position was taken so that I could get the most information possible. And it took me some long hours to re-craft my write-up. Learning by doing in that fashion is a great educational tool for me. And if at the end of the day I agree with the decision-makers? Bonus!
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