I spent 99% of my life avoiding conflict and tension. I hated it. It made me uncomfortable. There's a good chance that I let some friendships and relationships go on in my life for months and years too long because I was too afraid of the tension that would come from facing the reality of my situation.
One of my absolute favourite lessons from the altMBA was about tension. In it Seth Godin notes that tension can actually be used to move things forward. That by using tension and silence with a generous spirit and the best of intentions we can actually create forward momentum. It is only through the power of tension that we grow. Growth is uncomfortable and it takes making the status quo less appealing to face into the new.
Post-altMBA I feel like my life is all about tension. It turns out that I'm good at this generous tension thing. It's still a muscle I'm building, but I've already seen amazing results after holding the space and the silence for change.
p.s. apologies for how many times I said tension in this post. There just wasn't another word that encapsulated it as well.
Being a Force for Good 