However, there are many other reasons for wanting to resolve
our inner conflicts. When we have any form of inner conflict the
results are:
❏ We operate at less than our true potential so we reduce our
effectiveness in whatever work or play we are engaged in.
❏ We use energy to manage the conflict within and so we have
less energy and ability to concentrate on what is happening
around us; we are less able to listen fully to others.
❏ If we have a goal then we shut down the filters that are able
to recognize the opportunities in line with that goal, and so
hamper our progress toward it.
❏ The stress or whatever symptom we experience starts to
become a habitual feeling—we get comfortable with that
and it becomes more difficult to get out of the rut.
❏ Other people start to shut us out—we get excluded from
work opportunities, we are avoided, and we are not
consulted on issues that matter.
In contrast:
❏ When we are in a state where we are at harmony with
ourselves and are without conflict, we are in a state when we
have potentially our maximum influence on the people and
the world around us.
❏ The state of alignment or coherence is the only state in
which we can manage ourselves through the complexities
and ever-changing circumstances of life.
By resolving conflict within we influence the conflict we
experience around us. There were several clues in the list of
types of conflict you may have experienced. For example,
“Decisions when a part of you wants to act and move forward
and a part of you—say a concern or a fear—is holding you
back.” I refer to ‘parts’ of ourselves and this is a useful and
powerful way of thinking about this. We are not literally in
parts, but by considering the differing desires in this way we
RESOLVING CONFLICT: PARTS INTEGRATION 329