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

Feel Hopeless? Keep Your Sanity By Doing One Real Thing Daily

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Controlling Stress, Handling Change.

Especially, in this digital age, we can easily lose our sense of what’s real and important. Keep your sanity by making time for the things that fill you up. “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” ~ Barack Obama

If you want to keep your sanity, make sure you do one real thing every day. That’s what the character Jethro Gibbs of NCIS and all great leaders teach us. When Gibbs needs to decompress and become grounded, he turns to woodworking in his basement. Think about it…Winston Churchill had his painting, J.F.K. went sailing with his family, Condoleezza Rice loves golfing, Maya Angelou danced, and Angela Merkel loves to hike. Do you see a pattern? Effective leaders make time to do something real, some sort of physical activity that makes them feel their bodies and minds connected within themselves and with the earth, to be grounded.

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Setting Personal Boundaries – 5 Steps that Build Strong and Supportive Relationships

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

Setting personal boundaries takes courage, but in the long run, you’ll be happier and the people in your life will love, respect and appreciate you more.“When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated. This is why we sometimes attack who they are, which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice.” ~ Brené Brown

”If I didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done!” Have you ever felt like that? It seems like most of the work falls on your shoulders when you have family gatherings. Relationships where you’re the one who does all the giving, while others do all the taking, are exhausting. How can you break this cycle? The answer lies in understanding the importance, and power, of setting personal boundaries. 

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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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