Quote: Discernment in What Not to Work on Is Wisdom

William James: "The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." The other quote I like that has applicability to the above is, "Wisdom comes from experience and experience comes from making mistakes." Emergency managers, like others, have more to do than resources available.

The William James quote above is right on the money. Since you can’t do everything, choosing what to work on does require discernment, and sometimes, a little bit of luck. There are so many different types of hazards; you might be working on the most likely disaster scenario and then you get caught short with a low-frequency, high-impact event.

If you want to feel totally comfortable about your job, emergency management might not be the career path for you.