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Category: Stepping Forward

It’s Good to Be YOU: How to Feel Whole in a World of Conformity

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

It's Good to Be YOU: Here’s how you can feel whole in a world of conformity “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” ~ Carl Gustav Jung

“You wouldn’t like me, if you knew the real me.” I couldn’t believe it when Katie, one of my clients, said this during a session! She’s a beautiful woman inside and out. Yet, she felt ugly and unlovable. Some past experiences had caused her to develop negative thoughts and feelings about herself and her worth. She’d become a master at blending in, conforming to what other people found comfortable. It took a lot of work for her to accept my words, “It’s Good to be YOU”!

We live in a society that prides itself on being open-minded and accepting of differences. It’s the subject of headlines, talk shows, movies, books. Yet why is it so necessary to call attention to it, if it really exists? If we are truly open-minded and accepting, it would be the norm, not newsworthy.

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Do You Know the One Thing Strong Women Practice? Fierce Self-Compassion!

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Stepping Forward.

Strong women practice fierce self-compassion — sometimes it requires we love ourselves as we are, in the moment; other times, it calls for fierce action.It takes strength to stand up for what you believe in and to stand against adversity. Yet, every day strong women are doing so with style, grace and fierceness. When someone you love is threatened, you defend them like a mama bear defending her cub. Sometimes we have to get angry to make our point! Or think about when a cherished value — like honesty or justice — is threatened, don’t you apply all your resources to achieve balance and harmony again? And to get ahead in the corporate world, you’ve stepped forward and powerfully climbed up the ladder to success, didn’t you?

But to become one of these strong women, did it feel like you had to abandon some of your nurturing, feminine side? Does it feel as if gender-role expectations make you hide your whole, true self, like you can’t show your compassionate side?

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How to Rewrite Your Story to Live the Life of Your Hopes & Dreams

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Stepping Forward.

How to rewrite your story? You don’t have to be stuck with things you can’t change in your life, if you learn to powerfully change HOW you think.“If you change the way you tell your own story, you can change the color and create a life in technicolor.” ~ Isabel Allende

The story began with a shy, timid woman dreaming of being a princess. In the end, she became a Queen. If only life was that simple…flipping a few pages takes you from dreaming to achieving. But we’re stuck with the story we’re born with, right? NOT AT ALL! You can rewrite your story if you skillfully employ the secret weapon I’m going to reveal to you.

No, we’re not venturing into the realms of fantasy or talking about secret potions, powers or tricks that you have to slay dragons to discover. You already have this secret weapon at your disposal. You may not have thought of it as a weapon, though. And that’s the secret…changing how you think about a powerful skill you already possess. 

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What’s Holding You Back? Break Free and Step Forward with Courage!

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Stepping Forward.

What's holding you back? You want a better life, but you sabotage yourself. Why? Here’s what you can do to Step Forward.“Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely, and we’re left with only the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it. Just stand there trembling, not moving. Assuming the worst that can happen. Or we step forward into the unknown, and assume it will be brilliant.” ~ Sandra Oh

Carla (not her real name) came to me as she was beginning to dream big dreams. She felt like she’d spent her whole life waiting for her life to begin. She wanted desperately to start stepping forward into life, but she wasn’t sure how. Yet, at every turn, she seemed to be sabotaging herself. She’d say, “I can’t, because… I want to, but I’m just not ready. I just don’t understand what’s holding me back!” I recognized that she was a very strong and capable woman, but her limiting beliefs were holding her back. 

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Boldly Stepping Forward with Confidence On YOUR Way to an Amazing Life

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Stepping Forward.

You can be stepping forward with confidence, not doubt or worry, when you identify these things....“In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Now is the time for transformation! We want something new, something better, something different in our lives so we feel more alive and more fulfilled. Does this speak to your heart? It does mine. We have been through major upheavals in the last year or so. We’ve had time to think and assess our lives. But wanting to and actually stepping forward with confidence are two different things. Let’s talk about how you bridge the gap between desire and action.

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