A very powerful tool for resolving arguments is often overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s called acquiescence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To acquiesce means to give in, to concede, or to yield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it\u2019s very effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When two people are locked in an argument, both sides dig their heels in and neither one is ready to give an inch. Each one wants to win. Giving in feels like losing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
An experienced divorce lawyer related a story of a couple who spent two<\/em> hours arguing over who would get the contents of the fridge. With a mediator and two attorneys, the fees were over $1,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The whole argument came down to a jar of peanut butter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Had either one of them been willing to acquiesce, they would both have had hundreds more dollars to spend on peanut butter. But neither one was willing to budge. In the end, one of them finally won the battle… but they both lost the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s reframe the concept of acquiescence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of feeling like you\u2019re being forced<\/em> to acquiesce, what if you choose<\/em> to acquiesce? Then it\u2019s not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, if you choose<\/em> to acquiesce, you\u2019re in the driver\u2019s seat. It\u2019s a sign of strength. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Talmud compares the strength of someone who can acquiesce to the strength of the sun. Nothing can prevent the sun from setting at the end of the day. It\u2019s unstoppable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Such is the greatness and strength of someone who can yield and walk away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, walking away may not always be advisable. Sometimes the stakes are too high to simply give in. In that case, another technique is needed to resolve the conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, most of life\u2019s conflicts are fought over petty things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Does it really matter if the tube of toothpaste is rolled or squeezed? And how important is it if we end up at your<\/em> favorite restaurant instead of mine<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you could say, \u201cI see how important this is to you. Let\u2019s try it your way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t get things done the way you want them, at least you\u2019ll get the ultimate prize \u2014 shalom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try this today: If you get into a minor argument, flex your shalom muscles and see if you can acquiesce.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A very powerful tool for resolving arguments is often overlooked.<\/p>\n It\u2019s called acquiescence.\u00a0<\/p>\n To acquiesce means to give in, to concede, or to yield.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-861","daily-lesson","type-daily-lesson","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-normal"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n