Do I Want to Be Happy or Do I Want to Be Right?
A portfolio career means regularly partnering with an assortment of people in different capacities. Work with enough people over time and you are bound to not care for every one of them. While we can never control how the people around us act, we can always control if and how we react to those people.
One of the wisest things I’ve ever heard came from a friend who once told me “I find it fascinating that I no longer have to attend every argument I’m invited to.”
This simple one-liner had a profound impact on me. The bottom line is I have a choice to make in any situation: Do I want to be happy or do I want to be right?
I tend to get annoyed by people who always seem to feel the need to get in the last word in a disagreement. (Side note: This is because my ego frequently feels the need to also get in the last word!) But continuing an even slightly contentious conversation for another gratuitous back and forth never leaves me or anyone feeling better.
We have all been in an ensemble or on a project with two people who regularly choose to be right in each other's direction. Even if neither one of them ever turns that energy towards you personally, there is a good chance you won’t want to work with either of them again. You will also be far less likely to recommend them to anyone in the future.
Choosing to be happy enables you and everyone else to focus on doing the important work in front of you rather than needlessly wasting energy on managing personalities.
