Conflict Can Be An Opportunity For Growth

One of the most overlooked opportunities for positive change is conflict.  We miss the great things about conflict because for one...it has a pretty bad wrap.  And let’s face it, there are all kinds of negative connotations for it.  Words like -  “confrontation"; “clash”; “disruption”; “struggle”; “strife”; “combat”; “fray”.  None of those words really paint the picture that you’re having a good day, right?  

Countless books have been written about how to prevent conflict; about how to manage it; about what steps to take to resolve conflict when it does occur.  And all of these things are very important, but there’s much more to conflict than what’s on the surface; than simply addressing what happened. Consider this..

Conflict has the potential to facilitate much needed change and fundamental growth because the very presence of conflict let’s us know that something isn’t as it should be; it let’s us know where changes and improvements need to be made...improvements that are probably long overdue.  And if we’re being honest, most of us don’t pay attention to underlying issues or problems until they make their way to the surface...until they have a direct impact on something.  And when issues make their way to the surface, we’re forced to do something about it.

So, when does conflict become an opportunity for growth; when does it become a positive occurrence? Conflict becomes a positive event when we shift our focus from simply addressing what happened, to finding purpose in the conflict itself.  In other words, when we we make conflict useful or constructive it ceases to be a negative event.  Instead of just trying to fix what happened, we use what happened as a platform for growth...for positive change.