Conflict is Opportunity

Tom Crum has a saying that ‘when a thief sees a saint, he sees only his pockets.’ I suspect that once you identify with the basics of Tom’s Magic of Conflict approach that you see it in everything.

The Magic of Conflict approach teaches that conflict is opportunity. One of the myths of conflict is that it is negative. The truth is that it is not the conflict that is negative but how we choose to deal with the conflict that can be positive or negative. A good example is an oyster and a grain of sand. The oyster turns the irritating grain of sand into a pearl.

So, this morning I was reading an article on active.com by Danny Dreyer, author of ChiRunning. The topic of the article was advice for runners when they have a bad run. And, there it was --- the same idea of conflict as opportunity applied to running. Here is what Danny wrote:

To begin with, put this thought into your head: "There is no such thing as a bad run." If things aren't going exactly how you'd like them to go, when you're out on your run, it usually means that you have an opportunity to learn something new. Struggle is the food from which change is made, and the best time to make the most of a struggle is when it's right in front of your face.

Now, I know that might sound a bit simplistic. But, too often we're led to believe that struggling is a bad thing, or that we struggle because we're doing something wrong.

I disagree. I look at struggle as an opportunity to grow. True struggle happens when you can sense what is not working for you and you're willing to take the appropriate action to correct the situation. Those who accomplish change are willing to engage the struggle.

So, here’s a thought. Take that moment today when something does not go the way you had hoped and play a bit with changing your frame of reference. Look for the opportunity, it is there. A few deep breaths, as in Three Deep Breaths, would help a lot in this process. Best of luck! We would love to hear how it goes.

Judy Warner