Open Your Mind:

What Is Conflict?

We are often taught to avoid conflict because it is bad. This is not always true and avoiding a conflict is not the only and often not the best strategy for improving our lives. We will explore strategies for dealing with conflicts later, here begin to redefine the meaning of conflicts so you can change their results.

The results of conflicts are often good. Conflicts can help people change the behaviors that are damaging relationships, help you understand each other on a deeper level, and make you aware of problems you never saw before. You can and will now learn how to get productive results and to diminish destructive results of conflicts in you life. Being interested enough to explore communication skills is the first step in developing them.

Begin to see conflicts as opportunities to learn how to change yourself, influence others, and change your life. Conflicts within you and conflicts around you become lessons teaching you to see solutions rather than problems.

Why Conflicts Happen

We feel or see conflicts when someone, some words, actions, some event, or even our own inner thoughts threaten what we think we should believe or the way we think/want things to be. When events are not as we want or feel should be, we often feel the pain of fear, anger, and confusion. One generally auto-reacts rather than logically choosing responses to these events. Automatic reactions are trained into us from past experiences and beliefs. These generally make the situation worse. How do learn to choose reactions for the best results rather than helplessly react to conflicts? Applying awareness, understanding, and new knowledge will give you the wisdom to use the power of communication skills to change your life.