Online Podcasts!

Hey there Everyone,

As you might have read here, some time ago we were lucky enough to be offered our own Radio Show, called "Opportunity Radio". Recently we got in some emails asking if there's a way for non-locals from outside Virginia to listen in - so here is the link to our Podcasts! We hope you enjoy it!

Very similar to the Fresh Start Blog, Jeff and I are talking about Motivation, Limitations and new ways to create Happiness and Fulfillment in Your Life. We hope you tune in and love to hear your thoughts!

A Quick Test to learn what's holding you back

Since we go through the day with our daily routine, we often forget to check in with ourselves and look inward for the fears that might hold us back. Most of our daily actions work on autopilot: driving to work, doing daily tasks or communicating with our Family. We understand how much we run on autopilot when we try to remember how we got to work or what happened yesterday. 
The more you turn off the autopilot and check in with yourself, the more you will notice that there is an inner world full of hopes, passions, curiosity, limiting beliefs, negatives and fears. There's nothing more rewarding than finding out what makes you happy and what's holding you back.

Today, I'd like to focus with you on the limiting fears that are holding you back without you knowing. We all gather them through every negative experience we have and it takes your awareness to get rid of those limitations. Every justification and excuse you use points to an underlying fear in your Life. Fear is the great enemy of your potential. Every imagined, real, unconscious or conscious Fear can hold you back more than any other circumstance in your Life. So how can you find out how much you’re being held back?

This question is the best evaluator to quickly determine how much the fear of failure is holding you back: What would you do if you knew with certainty you would not fail? What decisions would you make at work if you knew 100% that you could only succeed?

Take a piece of paper and just start answering the question “What would you do if you knew with certainty you could not fail?” You can answer this question with regard to your family, your work place or your health decisions.

Just start writing and you will notice how dominant the fear of Failure is in your Life. Once you are aware of how Fears might influence you, you have the chance to develop desire and courage to overcome it.

For more tricks and tips, visit Facebook or Twitter....

How to get different Results at work and home

A Fresh Start for Monday: How to get different Results at work and home

Monday is a great time to reboot and celebrate the Opportunity to find new solutions for old Problems. We dread Mondays because we’re afraid of the Challenges ahead of us. You'll notice sometimes the reason challenges exist is because we haven’t learned the right skill yet to avoid them.

A great Phrase when it comes to getting Results is:
In order to get different results you need to act differently.

Often forgotten, we keep trying the same arguments at work and home, hoping that our family and co-workers finally understand us. How many times have you given up on family members or co-workers because they simply don’t understand the necessity of what you’re saying? We keep making the same points in discussions and we try the same approach with everyone we talk to. In order to get different results you need to try different approaches. Each person works differently, being motivated by different things. In order to influence people, you need to find out what already influences them.

95% of all problems are caused by people. That’s why the old saying exists, that in life it seems all our Problems talk back at us. Miscommunication is not only frustrating, but also immensely time consuming. Once misunderstood, it takes time to remedy the misunderstanding both at home or work. Instead of giving up on finding solutions, this week think about new ways you could approach challenges differently. Sometimes it takes trying 2 or 3 different approaches until you know how to reach others - however then that solution is your insight forever.

Look at your work and private life - how often do you try the same approach with people around you? Who are you giving up on with certain frustrations? How often do you use the same argument or make the same point? Where do you think you are entrenched in one way of communicating?

For more tricks and insights, visit us on Facebook or Twitter! 

How to live more in the Moment

Happy Friday, I'm on the road so trying to blog mobile - sorry for possible format problems or (even) more misspellings.

One Problem with gazing too much into the past, is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us. Michael Cibenko

Most of us spend our time either in the past or the future, all the while our present passes us by. Opportunities for meaningful experiences and new memories are destroyed when we obsess about yesterday's challenge or tomorrows opportunity. Which challenges from the past are you still holding on to?

An older and a younger monk were traveling home when they came to a river and saw a young women trying to cross the river as well. She asked the monks if one of them would help her. The monks had sweared an oath never touch a woman, however the older monk silently went, picked her up and carried her over the river. The younger monk was astonished and upset but kept silent as they went on their way. Hours later he was still upset so he asked: "We are not permitted to touch a woman, so how could you carry her on your shoulders like that?" The older monk replied: "Oh, are you still carrying her? I put her down several hours ago!"

What are you still holding on to? Which baggage from 10, 15 years ago do you still carry around? There is no forward until you stop looking back and feelings of resentment and bitterness will forever haunt you and chip away from any beautiful experience you might have. Sometimes we get used to those calling cards from the past - reasons for our life today even though there is no value to them. Whatever baggage you carry, put it down - it's old, it's heavy and it drains you every day.

5 Steps to an unforgettable Independence Day!

Happy Holiday everyone! Here are some steps that will make this holiday an unforgettable Family experience!

1.) Stay hydrated throughout the day - drink at least one gallon of water, plus 2 additional glasses if you plan on drinking alcohol. How much did you drink today?

2.) Since it’s a holiday, our whole family comes together and sometimes this gets stressful. Know that thoughts which are emotionalized, magnify. When you get wrapped up in one negative event, you’ll start thinking about other experiences and before you know it, you’ll be frustrated and upset. Stop yourself when you get into the negative circle and choose to concentrate on something else - your mind can only focus on one thing at a time! What do you want to focus on?

3) Make your family and your close relationships a priority. Holidays are the time where you show your partner and children that family time is a priority to you. You can always catch up with friends and clients later, however your family is what creates your well-being and your intimacy. Are you making your family important?

4) Talk less and listen more: When you are around others, the best way to improve the relationship with your children, your partner and your other close relationships is to listen more and talk less. Sometimes we get into states where we’re so excited to share or busy to run around that we miss what other’s tell us. Instead of waiting until they stop talking so you can start sharing - really listen to what others say and maybe even what they don’t say. People give us so much insight into their troubles, nature and hopes. Make today a day where you listen intensively and ask questions. There’s no better way to make someone else important than to ask questions. “So what specifically made you upset with him?”, “What exactly do you mean, when you say you got stressed out?”, “What specifically do you love about that?” You will be surprised about the information you get and you gave someone else the gift of listening to them. Who could you listen to today?

5) Choose to be happy by making this day a time to remember magical memories with your close ones. Choose to think about the positive and focus on what you love most. The first law of nature is that what we focus on grows - what emotions do you want to grow?

1 Secret on How to improve the Relationship with Your Partner

One year ago or so I came across the Book “Hold me tight” through reading an article in the Psychology Today. It’s a fantastic book explaining what it is we truly look for in relationships and how it comes that we keep fighting about the same things 10 years into our Marriage. This is the kind of literature epic Marriages are made of - I can only recommend it.

I’m a big believer in working on yourself to be the best Partner you can be. Similar to how you treat your car, you wouldn’t wait until the car crash to check up on it and make sure it’s running well. We all know Relationships take work and if we don’t consistently put effort in it, bad Habits and Negativity grow like weeds in your Garden.

It was through the Book “Hold me tight” that I learned one big Secret that all Relationships have in common: At the most basic level we all just want to be needed. It doesn’t matter what your recent argument was about or what happened the other night - in the end each of us wants to know that our partner needs us. Make sure you communicate to your Partner that he or she is needed in order to fulfill your Life. Their existence should make a difference to you and it is your responsibility to communicate that. So whenever anything positive or negative is happening in my own relationship, I think back to that piece of advice and sure enough - it applies. Struggles start happening when we think we are not needed and our presence does not make a positive difference.

Do you show your partner he or she makes a difference? Does your Partner know he or she is needed? Is there anything you could do to show them?

Tuesdays are the perfect day for attention and little gifts because they are completely unexpected. A post-it with a lovely message, a flower or a surprise Breakfast in bed tomorrow. Remember the old saying: “If you need a friend, be a friend”? The same applies for relationships. If you want attention and little signs of love, give those generously. 

3 Easy Steps on How to Organize Your Thoughts

We all know the feeling of being overwhelmed, busy, stressed and confronted with too many different tasks to handle. When you’re in a good state of mind, you know how to multitask, set priorities and be efficient. On the other hand, when you’re in an unresourceful state you find yourself struggling with your private and professional projects.

One element we all underestimate when it comes to organizing your thoughts is the organization in your house and desk. It might seem like effort, but the rewards in terms of focus and concentration are invaluable.

How many things are laying on your desk? 
Only your current project (3 papers tops) should lay in front of you. Kick everything else off your desk, otherwise your unconscious will not be able to focus on one single project. Whatever else is on your desk clouds your focus, easily distracts you to worry about cleaning up and increases your stress level. Clean it up, and kick it off. It’s ok to have one stack of material on the floor as long as you pick it up and put it in an organized place later.

How many windows are open on your computer? 
Close anything different than what you’re currently working at. Close your chat windows, your email account, your Facebook page and any other open programs. You will notice your focus increasing immediately.

How organized is your house? 
I’m guilty of it myself - I don’t like to concentrate too much on having an extremely clean house but to be honest: nothing feels better. When your coffee table is clean, your kitchen’s countertop are wiped off and nothing is laying on the floor or on the couch - you feel liberated, organized and focused. The best way to feel productive in the morning is walking into a clean living room. As much as I dread the spring clean, once it’s done my productivity rate goes up 50% easy.

Make sure you have a clean desk to create a focused mind. Make a little time to clean your house so you wake up and walk into an organized space. When you start your computer up, focus on one window you’re working on. Sometimes I even turn off my internet in order to not be distracted by chatwindows or emailnotifications. Try it and you will feel liberated and energized for your projects. Keep yourself from regularly checking your emails, instead give yourself 2-3 hourse of singleminded concentration. The way you would concentrate when you loose yourself in a good movie, you should be able to concentrate on a project. Reward yourself with little breaks in order to make the concentration easier!