I am sad to report that many of our former brothers and sisters are no longer among us, because they failed to understand the difference between fight and flight. As we witness or hear about various occurrences transpiring during the course of our life time, we often analyze them and determine how we would have handled the situation. We often hear some say, if that had been me, I would have done, such and such. It is very easy to play Monday morning quarterback in the comfort of your living room when you don’t have a 300 pound tackle chasing you.

Sometimes, we allow our pride and reputation to get the better of us. It is very difficult to refuse most any type of challenge when you are called out in the presence of your friends. For example, someone may challenge you to a game of one-on-one in basketball. In your heart, you know the person is much better than you, and will rip you to treads. All of those in your circle know your basketball skills, and think the challenger wouldn't stand a chance. However, your associates have never seen the challenger play, but you have.

Your reputation is the only leverage that will allow you to refuse the challenge. The challenger continues to call you out, and even calls you a coward for not accepting his challenge. Life is strange, albeit your friends are aware of your skills, due to the challenger’s insistence, someone will begin to doubt you and urge you to accept the challenge.

You find yourself in a no win situation, if you accept you will lose, and if you don’t accept you lose. How did it come to this in the first place, you ask yourself? Then you think of all the times you have won money playing one-on-one basketball. You were so proficient in your play that no one wanted to play against you.

While attending a summer camp, you met and played the challenger. He beat you so badly, you were glad none of your friends were there to witness the event. You had no way of knowing he would later transfer to your school. You also knew, in the fall he would join the basketball team, the team that you owned. Moreover, you knew when he joined the team, he would upstage you and your ego would not be able to handle that.

You tell yourself that you should have just played ball and kept your shut. You should have allowed your skills to do all the talking. Confronted with this situation, you decide to take flight; you go to the office and apply for a transfer.