Think about a novel or movie that you found engaging. Why was it so? Conflict. Conflict makes a story interesting, it moves the story forward, engages the reader/viewer, causes the protagonist to stretch, grow, and take risks. Adversity is good—as long as you move through it to the other side.   There are many types of adversity. Check the ones you’re dealing with now:

Human vs. Human
Human vs. Society
Human vs. Self
Human vs. Nature
Human vs. Universal Force/God/Higher Self

The GREAT news is that the only problem you’ll ever have is YOU. The BETTER news is that YOU have all the solutions too. What you think and feel creates your world. Here are some tools for moving through each one:

Human vs. Human:  When struggling with others it helps to do some self-inquiry followed by a two-step process.

Self-Inquiry:  Why am I struggling with this person? Is that the real reason? What’s the benefit for me to cling to that reason? Can I let that reason go?

Two-step process:
1. Equalize yourself with the other: see the two of you as equal, neither one is above/below, good/bad, right/wrong, better/worse. Feels better, doesn’t it?

2. Exchange yourself with the other: consider how you might react in their situation, with their point of view, their potentially limiting beliefs. Increases compassion a little, doesn’t it?

Human vs. Society: When struggling with society and societal mores and conditioning, it helps to do some self-inquiry followed by a two-step process.

Self-Inquiry: Why am I struggling with society? Is that the real reason? What’s the benefit for me to cling to that reason? Can I let that reason go?

Two-step process:
1. Equalize yourself with society: see both society and you as equal, neither one is above/below, good/bad, right/wrong, better/worse. Feels better, doesn’t it?

2. Exchange yourself with the other: consider how you might react in society’s situation, with its prevalent point of view and potentially limiting beliefs. Increases compassion a little, doesn’t it?

Human vs. Self: When struggling with yourself, it helps to do some self-inquiry followed by a two-step process.

Self-Inquiry: Why am I struggling with myself? Is that the real reason? What’s the benefit for me to cling to that reason? Can I let that reason go?

Two-step process:
1. Equalize yourself: see the parts of yourself that are in conflict as equal, neither one is above/below, good/bad, right/wrong, better/worse. Feels better, doesn’t it?

2. Exchange yourself with the other part of yourself: consider how you might react were you to change places with the part of yourself you’re struggling with, consider its prevalent point of view and potentially limiting beliefs. Increases compassion a little, doesn’t it?

Human vs. Nature: When struggling with nature, it helps to do some self-inquiry followed by a two-step process.

Self-Inquiry: Why am I struggling with nature? Is that the real reason? What’s the benefit for me to cling to that reason? Can I let that reason go?

Two-step process:
1. Equalize yourself with nature: see both nature and yourself as equal, neither one is above/below, good/bad, right/wrong, better/worse. Feels better, doesn’t it

2. Exchange yourself with nature: consider how you might react in nature’s situation, with its need to preserve itself and its force that humans sometimes cannot understand. Increases compassion a little, doesn’t it?

Human vs. God/Universal Force/Higher Self (insert your preferred term here): When struggling with God, it helps to do some self-inquiry followed by a two-step process.

Self-Inquiry: Why am I struggling with God? Is that the real reason? What’s the benefit for me to cling to that reason? Can I let that reason go?

Two-step process:
1. Equalize yourself with God: see both of you as equal, neither one is above/below, good/bad, right/wrong, better/worse. Feels better, doesn’t it?

2. Exchange yourself with the other: consider how you might react in God’s situation, this may be a stretch, but give it a shot! Increases compassion a little, doesn’t it?

Remember: The GREAT news is that the only problem you’ll ever have is YOU. The BETTER news is that  YOU have all the solutions too. What you think and feel creates your world.

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