I’m sure you’ve heard that before, or something like it. The idea is that the intensity of your pursuit should never exceed the value of the corresponding reward. More simply, don’t waste time fighting battles that don’t matter in the overall scheme of things. But let’s get to a few practical applications of this advice.

-I want to avoid defending myself to people who don’t care to understand me, and don’t have my best interest at heart. I’ll likely never change their opinion about me, and even if I do, what have I gained?

-I’m learning to care less about being right all the time. All of us who are addicted to the drug of being right know to well how much emotional energy and mental bandwidth is expended in the process, and how short lived the high actually is.

-I’m trying to prune more of the fruitless activity out of my life. I want to spend the bulk of my time doing things that enable me for my calling, fulfill my calling, and refresh me for my calling. I want to leave the other stuff alone.

I’m sure you can think of many more implications of this idea.
Bottom line: Make sure there’s a pot of gold at the end of any rainbow you’re currently chasing. If there isn’t, you’ve got better things to do.

Biblical reference: Matthew 7:6