Swallowing Your Pride In Disagreements

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We All Have Disagreements

Disagreements - we all have them, and we’re all bound to deal with them throughout our lives. No matter what your relationship type is, when you get close enough to someone, you’re bound to disagree with them at some point. Disagreements can be as small as what to have for dinner to as big as if investing into a new home is worth it. No matter the disagreement, though, the way we choose to approach it is critical to how healthy our relationship with that person will be.

Need To Be Right

One of the most significant struggles I have seen within disagreements of my own is that I always feel the need to be right. This is not something I do consciously, but it is a driving force for why so many of my disputes have lasted longer than needed. From witnessing others arguments and hearing other’s stories as well, I have come to discover that this is not just a personal struggle - it’s universal. 

Swallowing Your Pride

When it comes to disagreeing with others, I feel so often we choose our pride over our relationship; we value being right over keeping that person in our lives. The issue is, though, not every disagreement needs a resolution. Sometimes, we must accept that the disagreement may just be a matter of differences, and rather than trying to sway the other person’s views, try to instead understand where they are coming from. When it comes to larger disagreements, though, such as making a big move or purchase, we may be required to swallow even more of our pride and really sit down and communicate intentionally to the other person to understand why they stand where they do. It’s one thing to disagree on what to eat for dinner, and another to disagree on spending a large sum of money.

Despite these disagreements being vastly different in topic and scale, it is still important to remember that disagreements don’t have to be competitions - they can be building blocks for your relationship since they offer learning opportunities to both parties. Disagreements are also great opportunities for growth, as how you both handle conflict grows your trust in one another.

Love And Intention

Not always seeing eye-to-eye in any type of relationship is normal. At the end of the day, though, it isn’t what we disagree on that defines our relationships, it’s the choices we make and the love and intention we put behind our actions. We can choose to show up and be present, to love when it’s hard, and to stick with them even when the path gets rocky, or we can put at risk losing the ones we love the most.