Conflict isn't the problem.
You and your partner need to have a hard conversation.
Itās been coming for a while. Youāve started resenting them. Their actions, even nice ones, seem ill-intentioned. You avoid time alone. You say nothingās changed - but you know that something is wrong.
What can you do?
Conflicts can seem impossible. It feels like bringing up the issue will only make it worse. You donāt want to change the person, but you do want them to change; you donāt want to hurt them, but not speaking up hurts more. Is it any wonder that almost 50% of marriages in the US end in divorce?* Or that more than 1/3 of workers are somewhat or not at all satisfied with their relationships at work?**
If you struggle with conflict, believe me, youāre not alone. My husband Geof and I used to fight each other all the time. In fact - we still do! But, after lots of practice and training, we fight better. More efficiently, more lovingly, and with less pain. Weāve learned to fight together, rather than apart.
In most relationships, conflict isnāt the problem. Not knowing how to have conflict is. Every connection, personal or professional, has difference. If addressed right, this is where novelty, creativity, and joy come from. If never addressed, or addressed with fear, this is where things fall apart.
Our Art of Difficult Conversations courses teach you the most important skills for having tough conversations without breaking relationships.
In this ADC series, weāll walk through The Five Boss Battles of Difficult Conversations and how to address each of them. Weāll give you links to courses, manuals, and tools that can help you learn each skill.
Weāll help you learn to Fight Better - Together.
If you want to start applying conflict tools right away, you can jump to our flagship on-demand course and get more than 50 videos, quizzes, tools, and demonstrations on how to have tough talks. Or, join us live online for the content plus expert-led practice labs.
Weāll see you in a few days for Boss Battle 1ā¦Getting to the Table.
To better fights,
Sara and Geof
*https://www.wf-lawyers.com/divorce-statistics-and-facts/
**https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/30/how-americans-view-their-jobs/
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