The Journey to The Power in Thee
Growing up in a large family of very different people, as a teenager I could hear heated verbal altercations echoing throughout the house every evening. I often felt trapped between the choices of engaging in conversation with my family members and likely entering into conflict with them, or avoiding them to "keep the peace" only to watch as we grew apart. I was desperate for a peaceful living environment and thriving relationships with my family members, and at age 19 I made a decision that has since transformed the direction and quality of my life. I enrolled in a dispute resolution course in the opening semester of my Junior year. I entered the class parched and thirsty for solutions, and quickly set to turning my home into a practice field to discover what worked and what didn't. Before the third month of the semester was over, the nightly scream fests that were taking place in my home between other family members had been reduced to several nights a week at most, and for me they had ended entirely. This immediate and drastic result taught me two things:
1. In less than three months life changing dispute resolution skills can be learned and applied, and deliver their desired results.
2. These skills are contagious and spread to the people around us.
Following that semester I continued studying and applying dispute resolution skills until I graduated from Boise State University with a Bachelor's in Communication and a Certificate in Dispute Resolution with a Mediation Emphasis. Since then I have continued the study of resolving and transforming conflict at home and work, and have witnessed the impact of these skills in a wide array of environments. Whether in The United States Marine Corps, companies and non-profit organizations, or in my own family and relationships I have consistently found two things to always remain:
1. In less than three months life changing dispute resolution skills can be learned and applied, and deliver their desired results.
2. These skills are contagious and spread to the people around us.
The Power in Thee took root in a decision to reject a life of stress and anxiety, and to live a life of empowerment and satisfaction by transforming conflict into opportunities for bonding and mutual understanding at home and work.
Today it has turned into the journey of awakening the skillsets we all have inside of us and applying them for a life of fulfilled relationships and personal satisfaction. I look forward to seeing The Power in Thee change your life as monumentally as it has changed my own.