There are so many positive strategies and processes to use in managing conflict effectively. And sometimes it’s very important to know how to avoid the pitfalls.
You will enhance your success in finding heart peace if you stay aware of the energies that are the indicators and outcomes of conflict. These energies begin with small contrasts that come from mismatched expectations among people. And there are some mistakes you can avoid making if you know about them before they come up. Read More
Understanding your choices is essential in managing conflict. And, yes, there is always more than one choice! You just have to decide what consequence you will live with. This helps you resolve your own inner conflict. And just as important is the strategy of providing choices for others when you are in conflict.
The narrowing of choice is not motivating. It is the expansion of choice or the opportunity to decide that motivates an individual to go beyond feeling victimized. And in businesses or organizations, it allows an individual to go beyond minimal competence. Read More
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew: 5:23-25)
Managing conflict and finding reconciliation sometimes means admitting you are wrong or acknowledging that you have hurt or harmed some other part of life. This verse of Scripture simply and lovingly instructs us about what is most important. We may be seeking to get right with God – the Spirit of God that is somehow much higher than where we are. And this ignores the principle that God is present everywhere – and standing by everyone, if they will just choose it. Read More
The biggest obstacle to effective conflict management may just be your own history! You and the others in your relationships all have a past when it comes to communicating, building relationships and managing conflicts.
Your patterns of behavior are built on your perceptions of what is happening to you and how others are relating to you. And most of us have our own best interests in mind when we are negotiating our way through expectations that are not being met. This colors how we see others and what we project onto them when we sense those contrasts and tangled energies that we call conflict. Read More
Stepping Up Spiritually is a basic element of being on any Path of expanded consciousness.
It is really for each of us to interpret what being my brother’s keeper means in our daily lives.
Fortunately, it is one of those phrases that needs little in the way of basic explanation. It is
the unexpected events in life that provide opportunity for us to truly put it to work. Tomorrow,
a neighbor may fall down the steps and need physical assistance. Hurrying on the way to work,
you may encounter a small child all alone and crying, and this may require you to take charge – to
move into action on behalf of someone else.
Maybe you notice a friend or family member who is behaving differently than normal, someone who is
withdrawn or depressed. If they are not making a fuss that you need to deal with, will you ignore
the change of behavior or will you care – ask – and listen?
To take action and be your brother’s keeper, you must feel something. You have a certain level of
empathy for the plight of others and you have the courage to act on it. Read More
Conflict happens in relationships. And the tension it brings is opportunity knocking at the door.
We actually learn more by listening than we do by talking! When we are experiencing contrast or conflict with others, we are usually trying our best to persuade them to our point of view. And that means we just keep talking – hoping the others will see the light of our position.
What happens if you shift your strategy and start listening – really listening? There are many benefits for you if you will apply this one very important communication tool in resolving conflicts. Read More
Karma, or cosmic justice, puts everyone into conditions where they can either learn or atone for something. Helena Roerich
Is Karma fair? In Biblical terms, karma is reaping what you sow. As it turns out, that word “karma” has karma of its own. It sometimes has bad press because some people only think of karma as something bad coming back to punish them. It is really just the principle of cause and effect but it is not merely limited to an act like slapping someone and getting slapped back.
Karma is also the sum total of all we have done and all that has been done to us. It is not merely one action and reaction. It is the totality of our experience from the beginning of our existence. To understand karma, it helps for you to acknowledge that you are not just a body with a spirit inside of it; you are a soul—a spirit wearing many different bodies throughout time.
Karma helps us to understand why bad things happen to good people just as it demonstrates how good things happen to all people. It is one answer to our eternal questions about divine justice – about what is and is not fair. Read More