Hello! 😀 Welcome to a community that will serve to empower you to live your most fulfilled life! Excited for us to be part of a supportive environment where we will be encouraged to explore and increase self-awareness, gain perspective, develop insight, take action and thrive through our journey in life. ♥ I believe that you have value and worth and who you are as a person matters and this will guide many of the posts that you will see. Posts will take into consideration the different dimensions of life: social, emotional, intellectual, physical, spiritual, occupational, etc. 💡You are welcome and ENCOURAGED to share material, insights, inspirations, questions, and anything that you think that will be helpful towards growth.💡 ❤️Let's live wholeheartedly and with intention!!! ❤️ So honored to be part of this journey with you! Thank you for allowing me to be part of it. 🙂 🌟Please introduce yourself and also share something that brings you joy and makes you feel alive🌟 added: share some topics that interest you-- this will help guide some of the content!!🔥 ***Feel free to self promote either here or under the life wins category***

There are times that I know I've stepped back from having straight forward conversations or more passively hinted at things in hopes that the person would pick up the cues and read between the lines and somehow just know what it was that I needed/wanted. In the past I (and others) confused this with "being nice" but what it really did was build up feelings of hurt, disappointed and sometimes anger and the other person didn't even have a clue. Things have changed for the most part, though there are certainly times when this still happens-- typically it's some sort of fear of disconnection that drives it. Funny enough, passivity ends up disconnecting more than just stating things clearly. Communicating your needs can feel like walking a tightrope. Too soft and you’re overlooked. Too strong and you risk coming off as aggressive. Assertive communication is the middle ground — confident, respectful, and grounded in self-awareness. What It Is Assertive communication means expressing thoughts, feelings, and needs directly while also respecting others’ boundaries (!) It’s about honesty without hostility and confidence without control. It often sounds like, “I feel ___ when ___ happens, and I need ___.” What It Isn’t It isn’t passive (avoiding your needs to keep the peace--i've been guilty of this) or aggressive (demanding or invalidating others). It also isn’t manipulative-it’s transparent, not guilt-driven. Examples of Assertive Communication: “I can’t take on another task right now.” “I value our friendship, and I need some space to process.” "I value our friendship and when this happens I don't feel like I matter. I'd like it if we could talk this out and come up with something that works for both of us" “When meetings start late, I feel stressed. Can we begin on time?” “No, thank you — that doesn’t work for me.” (There may still be opportunities to work through our own reactions- someone else doesn't have to "fix" a problem that may be ours, but perhaps they can come by our side and be collaborators).