November 2
Their Idea Is Better
We have spent hours working out a proposal. Then someone makes a simpler suggestion that solves a problem ours leaves untouched. We recognize its value almost immediately. We also feel reluctant to say so. It seems unfair that our careful effort might be set aside by a thought that took someone else only a moment to express.
Our effort has not necessarily been wasted. It may have clarified the problem enough for a better answer to become visible. Concept Nine describes leaders willing to discard cherished plans when better ones appear. That willingness asks us to care about the work even when progress reduces our ownership of it. We can explain what the new idea improves and credit the person who offered it. The disappointment may linger a while. Nothing requires us to wait until every feeling becomes generous before we help the better proposal receive a fair hearing.
What useful idea am I resisting because I have already invested in my own?
The hours I spent do not have to decide the outcome.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concept IX.