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Be Thankful for Setbacks in Life? You’ve GOT to be Kidding! Maybe Not…

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Controlling Stress, Life Skills, Self-Leadership Skills.

“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

This time of year, many people make time to enjoy family, friends and some good food, too. What I love about this time of year is that it gives me the opportunity to reflect on everything I’m grateful for, like you being part of my community. I’m also loving my new website design and excited about new upcoming projects next year. How about you? The holiday season and end of year gives everyone the opportunity to enhance your ability to be grateful for all that comes into your life — even the setbacks in life!

What!? Do you think I’m crazy to write “be grateful for ALL that comes into your life”? Is there a benefit to accepting both the “good” and “bad”? (I use the apostrophes, because it’s not helpful to label anything as good or bad, even though this is how people commonly phrase what’s presently working as opposed to what’s not working.) We can all benefit somehow from anything that happens. It just depends on how you look at it.

Be Proud of Yourself and Unleash the Power of Small Wins

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

“Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them. Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Do not expect anything in return, do not expect your efforts to be appreciated, your genius to be discovered, your love to be understood. Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.” ~ Paulo Coelho

This may be a very uncomfortable question, but I’ve got to ask it…are you proud of the person you are today? Surprisingly many people think they’ll be proud of themselves only when they accomplish or achieve something in the future. Maybe you even think it’s wrong to be proud of yourself, because of the culture you’ve grown up in.

On a related note, have you noticed how many goals, resolutions, and aspirations are based on not liking yourself? Most New Year’s Resolutions are approached from a scarcity or lack mentality based upon negative thinking…”I’m not skinny enough; I’m not smart enough; I don’t have enough money; I don’t have the life I want to live.” This can be so discouraging! The thing you dislike about yourself can easily become an obsession that overshadows all of the wonderful things you are.

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.

Clear Your Cluttered Mind and Make Space for What Matters Most

Written by neways-admin. Posted in Controlling Stress, Life Skills, Positive Mindset.

“The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything.” ~ Maria Connolly’s motto

Do you often forget things? Do you feel like you’re going nowhere fast? Is your to-do list getting longer and your stress level rising? Does it seem like you spend all your time taking care of your things, rather than them serving you? Are your relationships strained because you have too much to do or you ‘just can’t handle one more thing’? All of these may indicate that you have a cluttered mind. Because when your mind is at peace and rest, these life stressors won’t get to you so easily.

During Loss and Grief, Be Compassionate with Yourself

Written by neways-admin. Posted in Emotional Intelligence, Life Skills, Self-Leadership Skills.

After five years of marriage, Toni learned that her husband was cheating on her and wanted a divorce. Joni kissed her husband goodbye 18 months ago, when he shipped out; today she learned he’s coming home in a coffin. Dawn had given 20 years to a job she loved, when her boss let her go, because they “have to downsize”. What do all of these people have in common? They all have feelings of great loss and grief. Whether or not they come out of it stronger or damaged will depend on how they travel through the grieving process.

Perhaps you’ve had to experience a similar situation where something you cherish has been ripped out of your hands. That pain can be unbearable and may seem like it will never go away. When this happens, please be very kind, gentle and compassionate with yourself. Your body, mind, and spirit need time to process what you’re going through and learn how to adjust to your new circumstances in life.

Even if you’ve never experienced deep loss and grief, please use this information to prepare yourself. Loss and grief will blindside you otherwise, especially if you have unresolved issues. When you have healthy systems in place before a life-altering tragedy befalls you, you will have the internal resources for coping with it in a healthier manner.

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

Be Thankful for Setbacks in Life? You’ve GOT to be Kidding! Maybe Not…

Be Proud of Yourself and Unleash the Power of Small Wins

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

Clear Your Cluttered Mind and Make Space for What Matters Most

During Loss and Grief, Be Compassionate with Yourself

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