The Many Faces of Conflict

It seems like there is a lot of conflict in the world today. When we read a newspaper or listen to the news we learn about some upbeat stories. But more often we learn about war, political upheaval, natural disasters, genocide, famine, disease - the negative things that are happening.

In our personal lives we also experience conflict. We try to focus on the things that go right, but there are situations that challenge us.   This could be a difference of opinion with your boss or colleagues, a confrontation with a total stranger or dealing with a child who is acting difficult. We can experience disappointment, frustration, anger, even defeat as though we've just lost.

What if these feelings were there to help make a shift in your thinking? Often it takes us to feel uncomfortable or fed up to want to make a change. Is it possible that these feelings are there to serve you - to help you move forward in an area of your life?

There are different ways to react to conflict:

•  If you force the situation, things will escalate

•  When you resist what's happening, it will persist - occurring again and again

•  Present a different perspective and hope to make your point

•  Acknowledge the conflict, ask what lesson is to be learned and be open to the outcome - knowing that it will help you move forward in your life

As I wrote this ezine, I experienced a lot of conflict on how best to present this information. It was very ironic feeling conflicted while writing about conflict! (Reminding me of the writings of Jorge Luis Borges.) Then I chose to acknowledge the feelings and remained open to how this would come together. It was a lesson on letting go of the outcome and trusting that the end result would be as it should be.