The paragraph below is a conclusion for an essay. I have three problems with the paragraph that I would like to review with you.
This experience showed me that ignoring an interpersonal conflict only exacerbates the problem at hand. In my case, being in denial about my bullying conflict only made it worse, extending it through the years. It was only when I decided to confront the problem and call the people involved was I able to move towards a solution. However, calling the people was not an easy thing for me; it required me to confront my fear of being hurt, and more importantly, it forced me to understand myself, which gave me the courage that I was searching for. This experience, above all, was a lesson on how to find the courage to confront my conflicts in life.
1) The sentence "It was only when I decided to confront the problem and call the people involved was I able to move towards a solution." supposedly uses an inversion. It sounds kind of weird to me (english is not my first language), but a friend mentioned to me that it sounds right. Anyone knows if this is right, and why?
2) I feel the paragraph is too paused. To many periods, when you read it does it feel the same way to you? if yes, what would you change?
3) The last sentence, "This experience, above all, was a lesson on how to find the courage to confront my conflicts in life.". It does not bring the punch that I would like to have at the end of a paragraph, any idea on how I could re-organize it to bring the punch (I already tried to repeat the same idea but in a briefer way, but kind of looses the meaning of the phrase)
After following the feedback (special thanks to Lisa), I am including and updated version of the paragraph. Hope is helpful for anyone wondering on a newer version.
This experience showed me that ignoring an interpersonal conflict only exacerbates the problem at hand. In my case, being in denial of my bullying conflict extended my painful memories for years, and only after confronting my memories was I able to move on. However, confronting my memories was not an easy thing for me; it required me to face my fear of being hurt and, more importantly, it forced me to understand myself. This in turn gave me the courage I needed. My bullying experience, above all, was a lesson on how to build courage, the courage to confront conflict head on.