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Tag: Personal Growth – Professional Growth

3 Stages to the Art of Listening: The Amazing Power of Deep Listening

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Life Coaching, Life Skills, Private Practice Advice.

Don’t you hate it when people don’t listen? Deep listening is Stage 3 of the Art of Listening and this is how you can develop deep listening skills.“Listening is being able to be changed by the other person.” ~ Alan Alda

As Linda poured out her feelings during a recent session, she stopped and looked at me expectantly. “Aren’t you going to tell me what you think or tell me how to fix my problem? After all, that’s what everyone else does, when I try to tell how I feel.” I told her, “Number one…I don’t believe you need to be “fixed”. My job is to employ the art of listening so I can help you reflect on your feelings and find their meaning for yourself.”

Her experience illustrates how we fall into the trap of thinking about what we’re going to say next, rather than really give our full attention to what the other person is saying. It’s natural to relate what you’re hearing to your own experiences, however, this can lead to jumping to inaccurate conclusions. It’s important to make a deliberate and mindful effort to understand the other side.

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How to Find YOUR Inner Voice and Quiet the Noise

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

Learn how to mindfully, and joyfully, find your inner voice, by assessing and controlling your thoughts, while quieting the unhelpful voices of others.“Somewhere in there, among the worries, questions, advice and advertising jingles, lives your intuition, your true ‘inner voice.’ You can hear it to the extent that you give it your attention.” ~ Martha Beck

There are times when I still hear my mother’s voice in my head. That’s not surprising since she’s been there my whole life. Sometimes I find her voice helpful; sometimes that voice is trying to keep me safe and not take risks. Over the years, the voices of authority — parents, teachers, mentors — became part of my inner voice, and they weren’t always speaking MY truth. This illustrates why it’s so important to know how to find YOUR inner voice — and learn to listen to it and trust it. Then you’ll be able to quiet the noise from everyone else.

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The Ultimate Meaning of Life Reveals Itself if You Listen

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

You can find your ultimate meaning in life by mindfully listening for what life asks of you as each challenge, opportunity, and crisis comes your way.“The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.” ~ Joseph Campbell

After suffering a severe crisis, people often contemplate the ultimate meaning of life. After surviving the holocaust, Victor Frankl wrote Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything. After a different pandemic claimed two of her children, Mary Shelley wrote The Last Man which explored what makes life worth living. Walt Whitman wrote of this same question, after he suffered a paralyzing stroke.

These people knew suffering intimately. They didn’t try to forget. They didn’t try to pretend it never happened. They didn’t become embittered. Each one emerged from their crisis, with a valuable gift for the world. After allowing themselves time to fully experience their life, including the pain, they derived a sense of meaning from it. Then they bared their souls and we benefit today from their insights.

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Be Ready for Change — How Virtual Coaching Makes Us More Adaptable

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

Coaches – how can you and your clients be ready for change, when you don’t know what change is coming? You can do so by preparing in these three areas… Doesn’t it feel like changes have been rolling in fast and furious, like the surf in a storm. If you work as a coach, no doubt you want to help your clients cope and be ready for change. How do you feel about change? As a coach, you most likely embrace it as a chance to experience something new and venture out past your comfort zone.  

But what happens when something comes crashing out of left field, completely blindsiding us? We may be left floundering ourselves. How can we not only embrace change but be ready to make the most of it? If we’re not able to do this, how can we possibly help our clients? These are the questions we can not afford to ignore.

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Are You Developing Self-Awareness Skills? It’s the CORE Way to Success

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

Developing self-awareness skills is fundamental for breaking roadblocks, making progress, and achieving your goals; see how my C.O.R.E. formula helps.“In the light of calm and steady self-awareness, inner energies wake up and work miracles without any effort on your part.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

Isn’t it true that when you’re coaching your clients, your focus is on helping them make the best of their potential, maximizing their strengths, recognizing opportunities and taking them? If you’re struggling with making a breakthrough, go back to the basics…the core of your success is that you and they are continually developing self-awareness skills.

Why is developing self-awareness skills at the core of becoming a successful leader, coach, team or individual?

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