Author: Maria Connolly

The ABC’s of a Life Vision: from Dreaming to Achieving

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Change Your Life, Self-Leadership Skills.

“Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.” ~ Jonathan Swift

Have you ever been encouraged to put your dreams “out there” and let the Universe bring them to you? That’s a common coaching practice today. While I agree there are benefits from positive thinking, achieving your life vision is not as simple as waiting for someone or something else to deliver your dreams to you on a platter.

We can’t expect things to just happen without us having to do any hard emotional or physical work to get it. Where is the self-satisfaction and self-esteem in that? We grow as we see ourselves doing what we didn’t think was possible. (Examples of a little victory and a huge victory.)

Over time, I’ve noticed that I consistently use the same specific steps to turn my life vision into reality. I call them my Life Vision ABC’s. Be sure to give yourself plenty of creative time and space to work on this project. You won’t be able to do it justice in one day.

Always Believe in Yourself

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Self-Leadership Skills.

Are you a good friend? You accept, value, and appreciate your friend for who she is. You bring out the best in her. You gently encourage her when she feels down. You believe in her even when she’s at her worst. Now, stop and think if you treat yourself that way. Do you always believe in yourself? If you’re like many women, your relationship with self may just be the hardest one for you to believe in and support.

To reach the point where you can always believe in yourself takes intentional work. It’s important to move from judging to observing yourself, from dismissing to celebrating your strengths, from criticizing to gently accepting your limitations, from motivating yourself with “I should” to staying connected with your highest purpose, and from holding back to asking for support.

No matter what stage of life you’re in, you can make minor adjustments to each of these areas and achieve tremendous results. Always believe in yourself and bring your best to everything you do by strengthening your sense of self in the following ways…

10 Tools to Achieve Healthy Interdependence (And Why That Matters)

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Emotional Intelligence, Life Skills, Self-Leadership Skills.

Americans love independence! After living in various countries, I’ve noticed that being independent is the foundation of this nation’s psyche. In the past, success was even defined as “the self-made man”. He was respected and praised for clawing his way to the top. He didn’t need anyone! It didn’t matter that it cost him his wife, his children, his community, his health.

Happily, people are paying attention to the wakeup call that independence isn’t the end of the human journey. It’s only one of the stages in the natural progression of human growth — dependence leads to independence. And the next step is healthy interdependence, for “no man is an island.” We, as humans, don’t function well in isolation. We need to be part of a community, to belong.

Is Emotional Dependence Holding You Back? Learn to Be Your Own Person & Thrive

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Emotional Intelligence.

“She needed a hero, so that’s what she became.” ~ unknown

Are you drawn to people who are kind and self-assured? I am! I love being around people who are comfortable in their own skins and who easily interact with other people. You can tell they love people, but you sense that their happiness isn’t dependent on others but comes from within. They’re the embodiment of someone who has successfully grown from youthful emotional dependent to mature emotional independence.

Not Good Enough? Only You Can Change How You Feel. Here’s How…

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Change Your Life, Self-Leadership Skills.

“We see things not as they are, but as we are.” ~ H.M. Tomlinson

“I’m just not good enough” is a phrase I hear from many of my clients. Maybe they don’t use those exact words, but the feeling behind many of their roadblocks can be traced back to whether or not they feel like they measure up in their own minds or in the mind of someone else.

For example, one client said to me, “I’m not happy.” Why? “Because I worked really hard on a session for my client and she didn’t respond well at all.” Is that really your fault? “If I was a better coach, they’d love everything I do.” Is that realistic? “Maybe. Maybe, not. I just feel like I’m not good enough to be a coach.” Bingo!

Author: Maria Connolly

The ABC’s of a Life Vision: from Dreaming to Achieving

Always Believe in Yourself

10 Tools to Achieve Healthy Interdependence (And Why That Matters)

Is Emotional Dependence Holding You Back? Learn to Be Your Own Person & Thrive

Not Good Enough? Only You Can Change How You Feel. Here’s How…

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