"Life is full of opportunities for us to take on battles. There are times when it is important for us to go to battle; Take a stance for causes that we believe in; stand up for what is right. Those times are mountains worth dying on. There are other mountains that are not worth the battle. Some disagreements and conflicts simply are not worth the fight. Maybe the issue is not that significant, not an issue of moral charictor or integrity. Maybe the risks of battle far out weigh the rewards of victory. Whatever the case, life requires us to wisely select the battles we choose to fight. If you go through life without standing up for anything you will feel empty and regretful. On the other hand, if you choose to fight every single little issue that comes along, you will be in constant battle and probably won't experience many victories on the real important issues.

Choose your battles carefully; some issues just are not the mountain to die on."

Every firehouse, every organization, every group of people will have issues. If you put more that two people together (and oftentimes it only takes two) there will be disagreements, misstated opinions, rude or thoughtless words or actions. Be aware of these issues and protect yourself. Don't allow others opinions of you or your deeds drive the way that you feel or how you handle yourself. Be You. People will come and people will go. The only person that you will nerver escape is yourself. Be true to yourself. Do what feels right and do it to the best of your ability. Each one of us has a unique way to contribute to a situation. Make your mark and defend your actions. Stand up for what you believe in. The only way that you will establish yourself as a truly important part of anything is to make your opinions known and stand by them. This is not to say that everything should go your way. Know when the fight is futile. Learn to recognize when you cannot win. Choose your battles carefully!

L