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Continually grow as a person and find your work/life balance

Got a Plan for Personal Growth? Set Intentional Goals for an Optimum Life

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

You are the captain of your life and a plan for personal growth will get you to your desired destination“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen, again and again, fear must be overcome again and again.” ~ Abraham Maslow

Before any captain sails from port, she has multiple, detailed, and documented plans that include checking each operating system. The Navigator creates a passage plan, (a comprehensive, step-by-step description of how the voyage will proceed from departure to destination) and advises course corrections, as needed, throughout the trip. Every crew member has prepared a mental game plan for any contingency they might meet. If one trip involves this much planning, how much planning do we invest in our lives? Do you have a plan for personal growth, so you can live your optimum life?

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20 Amazing & Lasting Benefits of Applying Embodied Self-awareness & Leadership Principles

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Embodied Leadership, Life Skills, Somatic Coaching.

Embodiment coach, Maria Connolly, teaches embodied self-awareness and leadership principles.“Presence — or its lack — has enormous consequences for leaders. Presence grants genuine leadership authority by building trust and inspiring others. This is quite a bit different from the leadership that is conferred by position, title or status.” ~ Richard Strozzi-Heckler

It’s a driving force within us to want our lives to have meaning…that we make a difference, leave a legacy and be remembered for contributing something worthwhile. This desire requires that we step up to our leadership potential, which can be quite daunting. Because before we can lead others, we must first lead ourselves. That’s where the practice of embodiment is so beneficial. You learn to first lead yourself through embodied self-awareness. The way you speak, the words you choose, your body posture, all reflect the harmony you feel by being fully present.

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How Embodiment Coaching Strengthens the BODY, Mind, Spirit Connection

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Embodied Leadership, Somatic Coaching.

Embodiment coaching teaches self-awareness on a deep level, seeing the connection between emotions, thoughts and body sensations, posture, movement, etc.“Embodiment is living within, being present within the internal space of the body. It’s something quite different from being aware of the body.” ~ Judith Blackstone

Think for a moment of someone that you admire because they are very centered and grounded… They’re living in harmony with their body instead of fighting against it. Would you like to feel that way? Are you tired of feeling like you’re always reacting to outside forces, instead of being propelled from deep within? Do you want to have more control and influence, but at the same time be more empathetic, and sensitive to others? If so, then embodiment coaching is a great tool for learning about yourself — many things you never knew or even thought about before.

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Ten Centering Techniques to Live an Embodied Life

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Mindfulness, Somatic Embodiment, Stepping Forward.

One of the first steps toward living an embodied life is learning to observe and center self as you fully connect your mind, emotions, spirit and body.

An embodied life is a way of life that embraces what Plutarch said centuries ago…“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” So much of modern coaching techniques focus on thought process, emotional control and presence. Yet learning to live in and with our bodies is often neglected. People are left with a chasm between the person they want to be and the person they are daily and especially when under stress. (For example, you want to make good nutritional choices, but the argument with your boyfriend makes you so frustrated you binge on ice cream and chips.) 

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Is Lowering Your Expectations the Way to Less Disappointment & More Happiness?

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Self-Leadership Skills, Stepping Forward.

Lowering our expectations isn’t the best answer. Learn to manage the pain of unmet expectations and assess, then adjust your expectations really works!“People and events don’t disappoint us, our models of reality do. It is my model of reality that determines my happiness or disappointments.” ~ Stephan Zweig

Expectations are powerful. Yet they are often a hidden power, because we expect things, without being aware that we’re doing it. We need to bring our hidden, unhelpful expectations out into the open, so we can let them go before they limit our opportunities and damage our relationships. Then we can create space for helpful expectations that fuel our dreams and keep us motivated. However, lowering your expectations is NOT the answer to dealing with life’s disappointments. Here’s why…

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