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Category: Life Skills

Learn how to focus on the soft skills, the people skills like good communication, effective leadership, positive motivation, and managing your emotions.

Unlearn the Lessons of a Toxic Childhood — You Deserve to be Loved!

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

A toxic childhood teaches you many unhealthful and unhelpful lessons; and it fails to teach you the most valuable lesson — that you’re worthy of love. “An unpredictable parent is a fearsome god in the eyes of a child.” ~ Susan Forward, Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life

Do you think that love always comes with strings attached? That if someone is a winner then you’re a loser? That you need to placate everyone? That being neglected or abused verbally or physically is normal and you make excuses for it? That emotions make you vulnerable and weak? That it’s better to feel nothing? That you’re on your own?

Then it’s highly likely you’ve learned “lessons” from a toxic childhood that are neither healthful nor accurate. You didn’t deserve it. You didn’t deserve the neglect and abuse you suffered in your toxic childhood. You didn’t deserve to be ignored for days on end. You didn’t deserve the belittling and constant criticism. You were not to blame.

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9 Ways for Staying Connected and Socially Close While Physically Distancing

Written by Maria Connolly on . Posted in Handling Change, Healthy Relationships, Self-Leadership Skills.

Social distancing is out! “Staying connected and socially close while physical distancing” is in! This puts the emphasis on a positive and healthy message.“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities; but to know someone who thinks & feels with us, & who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.” ~ Goethe

Social distancing…I’ve come to dislike this term. I understand that physical distancing shows care for my neighbors during this pandemic. I want them to feel comfortably safe, when I encounter them at the store or elsewhere. That requires physical distancing, not social distancing. I don’t have to rush past them, never acknowledging their existence. Just making eye contact and smiling is important. After all, they may not see my smile behind my mask, but they’ll see it in my eyes.

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Is It Time to Reset Your Life? 5 Easy Steps to Take Advantage of Our Unusual Times

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

Do you long to reset your life — remove the stale and bring in the fresh and inspiring? This doesn’t require huge pivots; it takes one baby step at a time.“Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.” ~ Walt Disney

“Slow down and rest. You need renewal.” I tell my clients this all the time, because the frantic pace they think will get them to the desired results, ends up being unsustainable. Intense work, with no time to recharge, is a sure recipe for emotional, physical and spiritual exhaustion. Yet my clients find it really hard to slow down. They believe, “If I decrease my speed, even a little bit, everything will collapse,” or “I have too many things I have to do, and I can’t let up.” Do you feel the same way? Is it hard to find time to do a daily reboot? Then perhaps it’s time to reset your life!

One of the hidden blessings of coronavirus has been the forced stop. Most of my clients have switched to working from home, and learning or updating their technology to do so. And in most cases, after the initial dismay and confusion, they’re appreciating the new pace, the new time for family. They’ve started remembering what’s really important.

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Reboot Your Life Often to Clear the Clutter & Restore Your Full Power

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

You reboot your computer, but do you reboot your life? We leave open too many mental windows and unresolved memories pop up demanding attention if we don’t.“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” ~ Meister Eckhart

My husband, an IT professional, often reminds me to power off my computer when not in use. As he explains, the main reason is that a fresh reboot frees up resources by shutting down unnecessary programs running in the background and discarding file bits. Also, I have the tendency to open many windows and forget to close them all down. You, too?

There’s a life lesson in this. We tend toward multitasking, leaving open too many mental windows. Then unresolved memories pop up wanting our attention. This drains our emotional and physical systems. Time for a personal reboot!

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My Top 10 Self Motivation Techniques Guaranteed to Keep You Energized

Written by Maria Connolly on . Posted in Life Skills, Positive Mindset, Self-Leadership Skills.

My Top 10 Self Motivation Techniques Guaranteed to Keep You Energized “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” ~ Amelia Earhart

Some days you jump out of bed because you can’t wait to begin your day. Other times, it’s hard to make yourself do anything. What accounts for this? What self-motivation techniques can you use to get you through the tough days?

There are many factors that either support or undermine motivation…the amount and quality of sleep, diet, exercise, emotional and mental state, curiosity and interest are just a few. But the biggest factor comes down to YOUR reason why. After all, motivation begins with motive. I encourage you to get into the habit of asking yourself, “What is my motive for saying or doing this?”

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