Conflicted by Conflict

Throughout the week I snap screenshots of book pages, articles, and social media posts to remind myself of topics I want to explore in my blog.

If I were true to the overriding themes of this week’s photo roll, I might be writing about how you should make it a habit to harness joy from your passions (in my case, watching college basketball). Or, maybe I’d be writing about how a daily, disciplined approach to a craft can lead you to soar to surprisingly beautiful heights (my daughter’s ballet recital).

But, buried in my photos was a screenshot of a post from Dr. Nicole LePera about conflict, and that’s what I wanted to share with you today.

It feels like we most often think about conflict as a negative phenomenon. Based on the news and per our own life experience, we know that conflict mishandled can lead to some pretty difficult outcomes.

Still, how often do we consider what exactly conflict is?

And, how often do we approach conflict as an opportunity for growth?

LePera reminds us that “Conflict is simply two different perspectives colliding. It happens consistently in relationships and is part of human nature.”

Conflict is an inevitable part of our lives. Thus, it feels important to consider how we are accustomed to experiencing it. We learned how to deal with conflict as children through observing the people around us. Has that rendered us conflict-averse, conflict-eager, or just conflicted in general?

What if for a moment we gave a fresh consideration to conflict? What if we considered that it can, in fact, be good?

Would you agree that conflict can serve to improve our relationships if we navigate it with respect, intention, and care?

Consider today’s message a shoutout to the inevitable thing and teacher that is conflict.

The issue with conflict is not that we have it. It’s how well we navigate it that determines its impact.

What would be possible if you were more conflict-skilled?

In love and inevitability,

Molly