Most disputes don’t really matter in your life. Work on the ones that do matter — the ones involving loved ones, important colleagues, valued others — and walk away from or quickly resolve the rest.
For the ones that don’t really matter (will you remember and care about them tomorrow? in a week? in six months?), keep it simple, stop your histrionics, find something simple like rock, paper, scissors, and get on with living life. Simple, unimportant disputes deserve simple, easy methods for getting it done and moving on.
wow, that's a cute sign. conflict management at its simplest.
Simple, and bang on, Tammy. Perhaps this (a la rock, paper, scissors) could be the start of a wave of appropriate options & solutions, taught in conflict resolution courses (excluding your own, of course!), and enacted in all kinds of contexts. Hmmm.
Emily, I love how simple and fun the sign is. Why must conflict resolution evoke difficult and unpleasant, right?
Ben, I think you're spot on, too. I'd like to see more conflict resolution processes and teaching that focuses on simple, elegant methods for disputes that aren't so complex they need complex approaches.
Great tip, Tammy. We're so obsessed with being right…simple tricks like this can interrupt our pattern, and help us just move on.
Great piece!
I work with people with chronic pain conditions.
I guess I'm going to use this in one ofrm or another when we talk about how they can deal/cope with their symptoms.
Matthias, tell me more about how you might use this — I'm curious about your comment!