IS PERFECTIONISM A SILENT KILLER?

IS PERFECTIONISM A SILENT KILLER?

How many of us think we need to be perfect, and when something doesn’t go the way we planned it feels like a failure?  I love this definition: “Perfectionism is the price of the never-ending desire; to never getting to the end of anything!”  As a Daring Way Facilitator, I had the privilege to be trained by Dr. Brene` Brown; who has written several best-selling books about perfectionism.  In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, Dr. Brown explains how perfectionism emerged from her research. The definition that best fit her data is that “Perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect, live perfectly, work perfectly, and everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feeling of shame, judgment, and blame.”   Dr. Brown uses an analogy by stating it is a twenty-ton shield

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UNDERSTANDING YOUR EMOTIONS

UNDERSTANDING YOUR EMOTIONS

UNDERSTANDING YOUR EMOTIONS and HOW TO APPLY EFFECTIVE COPING SKILLS Suppressing feelings takes an emotional toll and when letting them out may not be a good option, there might be healthier ways to cope.  Making sure you remain your authentic self is the first step by setting appropriate boundaries by asking yourself; “What is okay, and what isn’t okay that works for me?” HOW TO COPE: Name Your Emotions:  So many times, we do not know exactly how we are feeling and what is rarely acknowledged is that courage and fear and not mutually exclusive. Most of us feel brave and afraid all day long at the exact same time. When you have a strong emotional reaction to something try and identify what the trigger is and reflect on what is causing the problem instead of unleashing on another person. Be Honest with

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Spring Forward into a New Beginning

Spring Forward into a New Beginning

Please attend the next Gathering Women Event on March 20th I would like to personally invite you to another special occasion just for women!! Now that spring is right around the corner, what better way to start getting ready for those warmer days and summer nights than by enjoying a fun-filled evening with some friends! Join us for appetizers and drinks as we come together to be inspired, gain new insights from women with fantastic ideas about fashion, make-up, skin care, and hormonal therapy! I will be kicking off the evening with a great activity from Brené Brown’s book; Braving the Wilderness, where I will discuss developing the courage to truly belong to ourselves and how to avoid spending our lives trying to fit in and hustle for acceptance. Our guest speaker for the evening will be Dixie Lee Childers Menser, CNP, ABAAHP.

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Dr. Brené Brown’s New Book: Braving the Wilderness

Dr. Brené Brown’s New Book: Braving the Wilderness

Dr. Brene Brown’s newest book is called Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belong and the Courage to Stand Alone We are in a culture of perfectionism and pleasing, and while our ability to respect differences is eroding, it is easy to stay quiet or try to fit in rather than show up and be our true selves. If we want to attempt to brave the wilderness we will come across uncertainty and criticism; now that is a guarantee! Brene Brown discusses the daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity, a personal commitment to ourselves that we carry in our heart. Remember those times when you tried to fit in and then, later on, felt like you just sold a piece of yourself? It was only AFTER you gave it away you realize how precious and valuable it really was. We need

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Daring Greatly at CBRE Women’s Network Regional Conference

Daring Greatly at CBRE Women’s Network Regional Conference

Hello Everyone!! The leaves are so beautiful right now and there is an autumn chill in the air; change is always happening! For many of us; change is difficult we like things to be predictable; yet the things that bring us joy usually come from something that happens spontaneously!  I have learned that you don’t have to be saddled for life with the mental attitudes you adopted from childhood. All of us are free to change our minds, and when we do this…. our experiences change too! I had a life changing experience recently by having the privilege to speak to the CBRE Women’s Network Regional Conference last week about Brené Brown’s book; “Daring Greatly”.  Throughout the day I had the opportunity to engage with a wonderful group of people who openly discussed how they felt about their lives, their careers and how they

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A New Workshop Coming Soon! “Braving the Wilderness”

A New Workshop Coming Soon! “Braving the Wilderness”

Dr. Brené Brown’s new book is called “Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone” We are in a culture of perfectionism and pleasing, and while our ability to respect differences is eroding, it is easy to stay quiet, or try to fit in rather than show up and be our true selves.  If we want to attempt to brave the wilderness we will come across uncertainty and criticism; now that is a guarantee!  Brené Brown discusses the daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity, a personal commitment to ourselves that we carry in our heart. Remember those times when you tried to fit in and then later on feel like you just sold a piece of yourself, but it was only AFTER you gave it away you realize how precious and valuable it really was?  We need

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Are You Curious About What’s Happening This Fall?

Are You Curious About What’s Happening This Fall?

Wow!!! Where did the summer go? I am amazed and shocked about how fast time flies, but it was even more evident for me this year by having my two adult children home for the past three months. This changed my life in many ways; my empty nest filled up again! My son moved back from Germany and my daughter accepted a local full-time internship, on one hand I felt like our house became the hustle and bustle of the “good old days”, but was it? I had a feeling this was going to be a challenge! Honestly, I felt like they were in high school again with all the meal planning, cooking, and laundry, but of course more importantly being there for them and worrying about them increased dramatically too!  These tasks seemed much easier when I was younger, but now after

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Book Review: Rising Strong: The Reckoning, The Rumble. The Revolution.

Book Review: Rising Strong: The Reckoning, The Rumble. The Revolution.

A new book: “Rising Strong: The Reckoning, The Rumble. The Revolution.“Dr. Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW Guess what?  I am so excited to announce that Dr.Brené Brown has a new book coming out and she sent them to all of her certified facilitators before it is released in August!  It’s called:  Rising Strong: The Reckoning, The Rumble. The Revolution. Dr. Brené knew when she was writing The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly that she would be using the data she has collected over the years to address the issue many of her readers have asked her which is, “I dared greatly, I was brave. I got my butt kicked and now I’m down for the count. How do I get back up?” Rising Strong is about what Dr. Brené has learned about surviving hurt that actually saved her again and again. It saved her and

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SIS Slumber Party (with Shawn Ireland)

SIS Slumber Party (with Shawn Ireland)

The women who have participated in Maria’s Wholehearted Workshops had a fantastic time at the SIS Slumber Party that was held last weekend at the Sheraton at Capital Square! We all know how to have a lot of fun together – AND grow whole heartedly – which means we are living lives from our place of truth and vulnerability. Please join us for the upcoming workshops which include “The Artist Way” and Daring Greatly™ by Dr. Brene Brown. Sign up now – there are a few spots left. Enjoy discovering new tips and techniques to reduce anxiety, explore your creativity, improve your lifestyle and create better relationships!!  We would love to introduce you to women just like you!! Sign up now – there are a few spots left.

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Whole Hearted Living in 2015

Whole Hearted Living in 2015

My wish to you this time of year is that you take some time to reflect on the goodness of your previous year, and then look forward to 2015.   Too often we think only about the things we want to change in the future instead of thinking of the moments that we loved in the past and in the NOW. How about doing a Last Year’s Reflection on what was great about 2014? You can do your New Year’s Resolutions list as well, but start with thinking about what is right with your life and then consider what you’d like to change. As a society, we ALL need to learn to appreciate the small things, the good things and what we love about ourselves more. What have you experienced in 2014 that you feel great about? Love? Compassion? Forgiveness? New Energy? Success? Accomplishments?

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