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.

Take Charge of Your Life and Make this the Best Year Yet

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Fearless Mindset, Life Skills, Stepping Forward.

“Make New Year’s goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you’re interested in fully living life in the year to come.” ~ Melody Beattie

Do you feel like you’re barely keeping up? That you’re not making any progress forward? It can be discouraging if past attempts at changing something in your life have failed. If you’re wondering how you can take charge of your life, this post is for you…

To begin with, does your usual list of New Year’s Resolutions look something like the following?

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

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

“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.

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

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

“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.

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

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

“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.

How to Let Go Of Unrealistic Expectations Before They Destroy Your Happiness

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

Managing our expectations is one of life’s greatest challenges. Positive expectations can lead to positive results. Too often, however, we make ourselves unhappy because we have unrealistic expectations.

Unrealistic expectations can also have a ripple effect. For example, when you expect the best from someone, you’re more patient and supportive. You invest time and resources in them because you believe it’s worth it. On the other hand, when you expect the worst from someone, you downplay or dismiss their efforts. You don’t invest your emotions in them and you withhold time and attention that could help them do better.

What you expect becomes your reality, because the brain believes what you are thinking. Life is too short to let unrealistic expectations stand in the way of happiness. So from time to time it’s a good idea to assess our expectations and adjust to the way life really is, not the way you wish it to be. Because life isn’t a fairy tale where everything magically has a “happy ever after” ending.

Category: Life Skills

Take Charge of Your Life and Make this the Best Year Yet

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

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

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

How to Let Go Of Unrealistic Expectations Before They Destroy Your Happiness

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