Category: Change Your Life

How to Grow As a Person — Get Out of Your Head & Do Your Heart Work!

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

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Think back to third grade, do you remember the papercut on your finger? It was very painful and you vowed to never touch another piece of paper again, right? Of course not! You bandaged the wound, and you kept doing your schoolwork because that’s how you grow as a person. You let it heal and you moved on.

Yet when it comes to emotional hurt, we hold onto it way past its expiration date. We regret being vulnerable and vow, “I’m never going to let myself be hurt like that again.” Whether it’s from a romantic breakup or a painful rejection at work, when we experience emotional pain, we tend to shrink back into our shells. Out of self-protection, we often drift away from our hearts and begin living in our heads. We become more and more shut down and closed off.

Self-Betterment vs. Self-Realization — How to Live Up To and Enjoy Your Full Potential

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

“Your own self-realization is the greatest service you can render the world.” ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi

Don’t you think the term self-betterment is inadequate? I know it’s a common way of expressing your wish for self-improvement. However, the term self-realization is more encompassing, because it conveys the thought of getting to know yourself better and learning to maximize your strengths. Self-betterment seems to be a judgment that you’re not good enough...you need to be better. But you are good enough. And this is how I know that...

I love being a learner. I don’t read or study just to put information in my head. I want to see how it can make my life more satisfying and how I can use it to help others. Does learning make me a better person today than I was yesterday? No. I may have become more skilled in one area. Or I may have more understanding. But my worth as a human being has not become higher. I simply realize that I am capable of so much more and I want to achieve my full potential.

Whether I’m splitting hairs over self-betterment, I’ll let you decide. The main point is that whatever we call it, we are responsible for maximizing our potential, because what we do matters. Our small steps can change the world.

Change Your Attitude Change Your Life — You Have the Power!

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

"The ship's gone, the stores are gone...so I guess we'll go home." ~ Sir Ernest Shackleton, after his ship the Endurance was crushed by ice and sunk, stranding them in the Antarctic, in 1915.

Twenty months after casually speaking the above words, Shackleton and his crew did emerge from that icebound landscape. He was a genius for setting the right attitude that would enable him and his 27 men to survive 20 brutal months of isolation, deprivation and below 0˚F weather. They did so in high spirits and not a man was lost. How did they do it? What can we learn about thriving during isolation and times of uncertainty? How can you use their experience to change your attitude, change your life?

As the men left the ship, they each took 2 pounds of provisions. The captain also made sure a 12-pound banjo came along for evening concerts and sing-a-longs. After reflecting on how the crew of the Belgica — the first expedition that overwintered in the Antarctic in 1897 — went mad and perished, Shakleton learned that having the right attitude, filling each day with healthful activities and keeping a routine were essential for survival.

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

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

“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.

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

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

“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.

Category: Change Your Life

How to Grow As a Person — Get Out of Your Head & Do Your Heart Work!

Self-Betterment vs. Self-Realization — How to Live Up To and Enjoy Your Full Potential

Change Your Attitude Change Your Life — You Have the Power!

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

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

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