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.

Compassionate Listening Heals Those Who Speak and Who Listen

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

“Listening is about being present, not just about being quiet.” ~ Krista Tippett

After the Alameda fire devastated our beautiful Rogue Valley on September 8^th, I wanted to help beyond Go-Fund-Me and food/clothing donations. My search was rewarded when I attended a training on compassionate listening organized by the Hearth Community in Ashland. It reaffirmed to me the intense and healing power in the act of compassionate listening, when we engage both our ears and our hearts.

During the training we listened to each other – we got to bring to life all of our emotions in a healing circle. As each person spoke, we all felt safer and stronger as a community. That’s the power of gathering together for compassionate listening.

As I go through each day now, I listen for the many stories about what happened on September 8. One in particular stands out to me, and I’d love to share her story with you —

Self-Discovery – The Most Enriching Journey You’ll Ever Take

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

“Know yourself. Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.” ~ Ann Landers

Growing up, I learned to associate academic achievement with self-worth. That was the message — you have worth if you get an A; and you don’t, if you don’t succeed. With wisdom, I’ve come to learn that this message was faulty. I can still get satisfaction from taking classes and learning, but these days I practice kindness and self-love to deepen my self-worth.

To want to get to know yourself — from the inside, not through other’s expectations — is a radical act of love. To be genuinely curious about YOU, what you like, love, prefer, aspire to, is the beginning of the most beautiful journey you will ever take…the journey to self-discovery.

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.

9 Ways for Staying Connected and Socially Close While Physically Distancing

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

“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.

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: Life Skills

Compassionate Listening Heals Those Who Speak and Who Listen

Self-Discovery – The Most Enriching Journey You’ll Ever Take

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

9 Ways for Staying Connected and Socially Close While Physically Distancing

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

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