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Maria Connolly, LPC Facebook Facebook Facebook

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.

Stop Being a People Pleaser — Celebrate the Unique Person You Are!

When you start from a grounded, well-balanced sense of self and others, it isn’t difficult to stand up for yourself and celebrate the unique person you are. Imbalance, or people pleasing, comes when you care too much, at the expense of what you hold dear. But you can recover and embrace the unique you.It’s normal to want to be loved, to fit in, and to be accepted. We care what other’s think. That’s why we all do the dance of give and take – we’re trying to find our place in our family, the workplace, our community and the world. And if you start from a grounded, well-balanced sense of self and others, it isn’t so difficult to stand up for yourself, celebrate the unique person you are, and be your own woman. However, many women have learned that being a people pleaser is safer.

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The Remedy for Burnout is Not Recreation but Sustainability

The traditional approach to burnout goes something like this: Push hard, reach exhaustion, take a break, repeat. It's a cycle that might seem manageable in the short term, but it's fundamentally unsustainable. Each cycle tends to require longer recovery periods and produces diminishing returns.“Exhausted. Totally drained.” “No motivation.” “Feeling disconnected.” “Can’t focus. Can’t keep up.” “Overwhelmed” “Don’t want to do it any more.” “I can’t do it any more!” Many of my clients are expressing sentiments like these when I ask how they’re feeling. Then our conversations center on finding a remedy for burnout. However, I’d like to share something profound that I’ve learned from this…

We live in times of great opportunities, but they come with monumental responsibilities and challenges. High achieving women manage the work/life juggling act for a while. But something has to give. And what usually gives is your spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health. Then it’s a long, hard struggle to recover.

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Is Your Master Life Plan Flexible Enough to Make This Your Best Year Yet?

Create a Master Life Plan so this is your best year yet!

Every December, I engage in a powerful ritual called Best Year Yet. It’s a time when I pause, reflect, and realign my vision for the year ahead. This process often reveals something profound, a shift in how I understand myself in connection with performance and potential. This new understanding is the foundation that helps me adjust my Master Life Plan. 

I created my Master Life Plan years ago with the intention that it be flexible — allowing me to grow or rest as I need. It guides me throughout each coming year, making it better than the last. Do you do something similar to get ready for a new year?

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Let's get started with 30 free minutes

I invite you to learn more about me and my coaching and counseling services. Please contact me to schedule an “It starts with you!” 30-minute complimentary consultation with me, in-person, by phone or via video consultation, so we can explore our partnership.

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How to Step Forward to a Future You've Created

Discover how to replace your old, self-limiting map with a new map full of possibilities for the future

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE INTRO TO STEPPING FORWARD TODAY!