Are you facing a significant life decision or transition? Do you hesitate to communicate your goals with loved ones for fear of their reactions or unsolicited advice? Today, I’m talking about something that’s been on my mind a lot lately: how do we deal with major life transitions without letting everyone else’s opinions throw us off track?

I’ve been thinking about when I decided to relocate to California in 1997. It was a significant move for me, but I was astonished by how my friends and family reacted. How do we defend our dreams and decisions when everyone else has an opinion?

I’ll share some personal anecdotes and insights I’ve gathered over the years on creating appropriate boundaries, particularly while we’re going through huge life changes. Whether you’re thinking about changing careers, relocating to a new place, or making any other significant change in your life, I have some tips that will help you stay true to yourself while maintaining vital relationships.

I’ll explain how I’ve learned to control my own emotions and deal with our loved ones’ well-intentioned (but often overwhelming) concerns by practicing selective sharing, because not everyone needs to know everything all the time.

If you’ve ever been caught between following your aspirations and satisfying others’ expectations, or if you’re now experiencing a significant life shift, this Wise Walk is for you!

    • Where in your life can you hold a healthy boundary to protect yourself from outside influences?
    • Can you move closer to a dream you hold in your heart in a way that feels aligned for you?
    • Are you experiencing something right now, like a big transition or a big life change that has been put upon you? 
    • Are you noticing that there are certain people in your life that you can be transparent with, because they don’t push their emotional state on you?
    • Are there other people where you being more reserved is a better boundary?
    • Can you give yourself permission to allow for that space? 
    • Where in your life have you felt supported by going inward and making sure that you quiet the external voices?
    • Can you hold space for your own emotional needs? 
    • Do you know what your emotional needs are? 
    • Do you know what’s calling you? 
    • Can you put up a boundary to protect those needs and very gently keep everyone else’s emotional needs outside?

I invite you to boldly set boundaries and selectively share based on your emotional needs. It’s healthy to keep things close to your vest if it protects your wellbeing until you’re ready to share. 

I would love to hear what you took away from today’s episode. Reach out if it feels aligned for you. Be sure to tune in to next Thursday’s Wise Walk as you prepare for any transitions that are happening in life.

Join this inspiring community to uncover a new sense of freedom, and be sure to follow and review the True Stride podcast as we continue to exchange our light and Heart Value with each other.

 

In this episode:

[04:51] The move I made to California was one of the best decisions that I made.

[05:24] The distance and space allowed me to figure out what my interests were and what I liked to do.

[06:55] I was clear on understanding my emotional needs, and I knew I needed to travel and go live in a completely different environment.

[10:00] A story about one of my clients going through a major life transition.

[11:24] Sometimes we need to insulate and protect ourselves and make sure we manage our own emotions.

[12:15] Are you only sharing when it feels aligned?

[14:44] A story about my mom’s amazing wit and how we came to healthy boundaries.

[16:43] We each need to live our lived experience without pressure from outside forces. We get to decide what gets shared and to whom.

 

Memorable Quotes:

  • It was also a beautiful expansion of the fact that we can create family outside of bloodlines. I love that when we expose ourselves to different environments, we can grow.” – Mary Tess
  • “I was not responsible for their emotional needs. We can have our emotional needs, and we can recognize someone else’s emotional needs or desires for us, but it’s always important to create a healthy boundary during times of transition.” – Mary Tess
  • “Sometimes we naturally know that we can’t share everything that we’re going through with everyone that loves us or that we love, because that might stir up emotions that are not helpful.” – Mary Tess

 

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Mary Tess Rooney

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