Conflict and a Naked Butt

 I have a problem with people who think conflict is bad. I'm not going to sit here and advocate that we all go be confrontational people, but in my experience, if our lives are free of conflict we are floating in a sea of mediocrity, refusing to pipe up about what we feel is right in terms of the universe.

I am kind of a force of nature. My blog title, the one that everyone fell in love with two years ago and I had to resurrect due to popular demand is a testament to that. It's a well known fact that I ain't the sweetest peppermint in the candy jar. But I make no apologies.

I have few regrets in my life, and I think my defining characteristic is also my favorite one about myself. I don't typically keep my mouth shut or push anything to the back of my mind that bothers me. I comment, usually loudly and publicly about just how it is that I think the universe isn't wielding justice at a particular moment. This has gotten me into trouble, it has made a lot of people intimidated of me (this I have recently discovered and was initially mortified.) But I'm okay with it.

I typically go with my gut, and quickly. I'm not easily swayed by others. I'm incredibly tolerant of beliefs, lifestyles etc, but I am absolutely intolerant of ignorance, laziness and disrespect. Hey, to each their own, but no one ever got anywhere by sitting on their ass, refusing to do any work and telling everyone else what was the right and wrong thing to do.

I recently went to the education career fair at Emporia State. I'm graduating in less than 6 months. Cue hyperventilation. I had never before interviewed for a professional job, and I interviewed for 9 that day. With little preparation and excessive perspiration, I barreled through it and was incredibly well-recieved.

I have my theory about this. You see, many other students there were better prepared, more seasoned at interviewing and knew exactly what their battle plan was for the day. But I am unwavering. I make decisions and I answer questions with decisiveness, unafraid of whether they will be well-received or not. I felt a great rapport with most of my prospective employers.

Conflict is good for us. It teaches us where our limits our, what we really believe, and how far we are willing to go for it. It teaches us to stand our grand and not be stomped over in the face of adversity. Without conflict, we cannot grow. In our personal and professional lives, we cannot overcome if we have not struggled.

I'm not a conflict-monger, but I am a fighter, and I have learned that you've got to find the people in your life that share your same vibrations. That through the nasty crap, you are on the same level. You're able to recognize at times that you're just being a straight up jerk. But when you have people in your life who know you and know how you operate, this isn't something that becomes a huge problem. You get through conflict by learning how you operate in times of it, then you recognize it and for God's sake, use it to your advantage.

This picture is completely irrelevant, but so necessary to share: