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.

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

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

“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!

My Top 10 Self Motivation Techniques Guaranteed to Keep You Energized

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

“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?”

Your Best Year Yet? How Can It Be, When Others Are Suffering?

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

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” ~ Francis of Assisi

We all started this year with a lot of optimism for the months to come. We were feeling inspired to make changes and improve some things. You were DETERMINED to have your BEST YEAR yet! Even if you knew that after a few months your drive was going to diminish, you had a backup plan for getting going again. And then things got ugly…

No one was prepared for the kind of changes 2020 has been bringing us…so much loss, so much pain. If you’re someone who is suffering, I grieve with you. And I want to encourage you to hold on and hope for better things, because they will come.

Racism and Social Injustice: I’m White. What Can I Do?

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

“For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Empathy has been defined as putting yourself in the shoes of another, knowing within yourself how they feel and what they need you to do, or say, or not say, in the moment. But how can you have empathy if you’ve never had to walk the path that someone else has had to walk? Because of the recent, terrible acts of racism and social injustice, I’ve been thinking about how yes, I’m white, but what can I do to help. It’s causing me to examine my own biases, as never before.

Ignorance is a blinder to empathy. The trouble with ignorance is that we may not even know when we are “ignoring” something vital that’s right in front of us. Even more criminal is choosing not to know. This contributes to the problem just as much as actively participating in it. This is the time when doing nothing is not acceptable, for doing nothing is actively making the problem worse.

Change Your Thinking: 30 Ways to Make the World a Better Place

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

“I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.” ~ Aldous Huxley

The recent tragedy and the resulting protests across the world have made all of us think about how we can be a force for good in the world, not passively turning a blind eye or actively adding to the sorrows. I believe the solution lies in this: if you want to change the world, change your thinking.

Wouldn’t you agree that the quality of your life depends on YOUR attitude — the way you think about your life? It’s not dependent on your circumstances, who you’re with, or what you have. People can have it all and still be miserable. People can have so little and be joyful.

The quality of our world will be improved by each of us modeling the behavior we want to see. What qualities do you want to experience more fully?

Category: Life Skills

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

My Top 10 Self Motivation Techniques Guaranteed to Keep You Energized

Your Best Year Yet? How Can It Be, When Others Are Suffering?

Racism and Social Injustice: I’m White. What Can I Do?

Change Your Thinking: 30 Ways to Make the World a Better Place

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