Transparency: Day 92: How to make friends

Transparency: Day 92: How to make friends: You know I am time after time surprised by the fact,  that people tell me how hard they find it to make friends. I really never experienced...

Day 92: How to make friends

You know I am time after time surprised by the fact,  that people tell me how hard they find it to make friends.
I really never experienced that issue.
I have traveled and lived all over the world, and found it very easy to find ways to meet and make new friends.
You can call me a professional friend collector hahaha.
I love meeting new people and making new friends.
I have noticed early on in life, that the simple solution to make new friends is to just listen and genuinely care about the other person.
Make eye contact, ask questions, pay attention, repeat what they say, to show them that you are really paying attention.
Throw your own agenda out the window.
Your time in the spot light will come.
Have patience.
Always try to find a solution to problems.
Be a concierge, meaning be a valuable resource to others.
Make others smile and don't let them dwell in their own negativity.
There are a lot of energy suckers out there.
You know what I mean, the people who like to play victim and lead with negativity and like to dwell in their own sorrows.
Show them the light at the end of the tunnel.
Be relatable.
Give them little snippets of your personal story.
Be real and authentic.
Throw your filter out the window.
If you open up, they will open up.
Action, reaction.
People can smell honesty a mile away.
Trust me, the minute you open up about your story, the whole world will open up to you!
Try it out and get back to me.
To be continued......

Day 91: I'm Baaaaaaaaack!!!

So, I have been MIA (Missing in action) for like a week.

I started my own home biz last week Saturday February 18,  2017 with Younique.

Younique is a network marketing company which started in Utah (USA) by a brother and sister in 2012 and pretty much went viral 2014 all over the world.

Their mission is to uplift, empower, and validate women across the globe.

Their goal is to provide healthy, clean, and pure cosmetics.

I don't know about you, but personally I don't know any woman who has never used make-up or who will never use make up again.

I think selling make up is the easiest sell ever.

Yes we can and will survive without  make up but the reality is, nobody wants to or has to.

So far I have sold a lot of make up and I am loving the process.

Make up makes people feel confident, empowered and strong.

I have never ever found a company with so many fun, confident and genuine women.

I love the fact that this company promotes your own Younique-ness.

Everybody is unique.

Just be Yourself because there is only one of you.

Nobody has the same finger print as you.

No one is YOU and that is your power!

And why would you want to fit in, if you were born to stand out.

Personally I like flaws, because they make people interesting.

And you know being different isn't a bad thing.

It means you are brave enough to be yourself.

Gosh, so far I've made some amazing genuine life long friends and I have been on cloud 9.

Thankfully my hubby supports me a 100% with anything I set my mind to.

Every day is such a blessing to be alive and I love sharing my happiness & excitement with others.

I have noticed first hand that when you feel beautiful you act beautiful towards others and the whole world becomes much more of a happy place to be.

To Be Continued......

Day 90: Hit the ground running

So, like most people in the world these days, I like to hang out with my face in the phone and computer on Social Media.

I am a real social butterfly and love chatting with friends and seeing what they are doing through Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest et.

It is almost like watching a reality movie.

When people tell me they are not on any social media platform, I always say: "Wow, I'm impressed with your willpower and you actually got a life"

But at the same time I feel bad for them because I feel they are missing out.

I really get enjoyment out of Social Media.

I get jobs through social media.

Corporate Flight Attendant jobs and John (my darling hubby) found me a part time gig as a Boutique Manager.

I made some amazing new friends through social media.

I learn daily from social media.

From other people's journey and quotes and stories.

John is also a lot on his phone and he loves to play a game on his phone called "words with friends"

And he loves to play his playstation all day and every day or he golfs.

He is a Freelance Corporate pilot but he doesn't fly a lot.

One day John said: "you know, you have so many friends on social media (3000 on Facebook) and they all follow what you do (not all of them of course), and they send you compliments on how you are motivational and inspirational but all these compliments don't pay the bills.

So I decided to find a job where I can use Social Media and make a wealthy living of it.

We all know that if you don't work hard nothing happens.

So I did a long time research looking for the perfect opportunity.

And.....drumroll...I found it!!

I am now a legit GIRLBOSS!!!

Working from home on the couch, cozy under my fluffy blanket, in front of the fireplace.

I started saturday February 18, 2017 and have already moved to the next rank, got a promotion because I sold to 5 different friends.

.......To Be Continued....

Day 89: Valentine's Day

I remember the days when I was single and especially when I became a widow after a successful marriage. 

All I wanted growing up was being married to my best friend and everything else would fall into place.

It wasn't easy to find my "perfect match".

I had to kiss a lot of frogs and weed out the crazy ones.

Seriously it had become a hobby to me being on dating websites.

When I met my dear hubby, on our first date he sat me down and asked me to remove all my online dating accounts and he did the same of course.

Now we are in our third year of knowing each other and I seriously love him more daily.

Like every relationship/marriage we have our ups and downs but we work through it and come out even stronger.

Yesterday was Valentine's day and I remember when I was single I was miserable especially when I looked on social media.

It was picture after picture of lovey dovey couples rubbing into my face what a loser I was that I was alone.

Now I know that I wasn't a loser but it was just another phase in my life.

It sounds so cliche but life really is a journey and you gotta be able to survive the tough times in order to fully enjoy the good times.

I always thought that I could just cruise through life without obstacles but we all gotta go through the shitty times.

Yesterday on Valentine's day I had a hard time posting my lovey dovey pix with my hubby on social media because I didn't want to brag and/or rub it in.

But my hubby shared some wise words and said: "honey don't apologize for being happy, you gotta be yourself and share what makes you happy." "you are not selfish for being happy".

He is so right. 

I don't have to apologize for being happy because I know I paid the price and even if I didn't, I gotta  stay true to myself.

Day 88: Honesty

Okay Today marks my first day participating in The 21 Day Fix Challenge aka Show Yourself Some Love Challenge.

So, when I want to show myself some love I don't put restrictions on myself but kind of go with the flow.

My perfect morning is waking up without alarm clock usually around 6:30am and letting the dog out and feeding the furry babes (cat & dog).

Then I'm making myself my yummy strawberry carnation instant breakfast, 1 coffee and 1 glass with a lemon and a clementine.

After this prep work I snuggle up on the couch under a blanket and start meditating through my 10% happier app on my iPhone.

When this is done (usually takes 20 min),  I work on sharing a post on social media.

This post must have a picture that others can relate to and a valuable story.

You know what they say: "a picture speaks a thousand words".

After my post, I feel a sense of relief and continue working down my "check list"

I journal through my Five Minute Journal on my iPhone.

Then when that's done I focus on my daily blog, and what I would like to talk about that day.

It always has to be something useful to others and it has to be transparent and honest.

This morning I stepped on the scale and saw that my weight went from 146lbs to 148lbs and I'm 5'9.

Thankfully I am starting my in-home work outs today for the next 21 days.

I am waiting for my dear hubby to wake up so he can take my measurements and I can get going.

I am certainly not a big fan of in home work outs because the weather is so flawless and super duper gorgeous here in sunny California that I rather work out outside.

But I will go on my daily hike as well, so I figure I can do both easily.

I'll let you know how the first work out goes,  tomorrow.

I gotta admit that I am looking forward to losing some weight and toning up.

I used to weigh 130lbs but this was a couple years ago when I had just become a widow.

My diet was just not eating and being miserable.

This time around I would like to get to my "perfect" weight the healthy way.

To Be Continued.....

Day 87: 21 Day Fix Challenge

Okay, let me break this down.

The 21 day fix is a work out program through Team Beach Body.

Team Beach Body is a Network Marketing Company aka a Multi Level Marketing company (MLM).

I have been following the progress of this company and there are more than 400.000 coaches representing this company.

We all know that without our health we can not create wealth let alone anything else for that matter.

I have always been slightly obsessed with health and fitness because lets be honest, have you ever met anyone in your life who doesn't want to be healthy? or who doesn't want to lose or gain a few pounds, or tone/bulk up?

Growing up my parents always went for long walks hand in hand and they always got back home so happy and rejuvenated.

Just a walk in nature gets the endorphins going and clears your mind.

I have never met anyone who doesn't feel better after a walk/hike/run/work out.

Have you?

My late husband used to be obese and when I met him he had just undergone a drastic surgery called gastric bypass, he was part of a free study with 3 other people in NY at the Presbyterian Hospital.

All these people are dead today.

They all signed a waiver.

It was important enough for them to sign their life away. 

My late husband needed plastic surgery afterwards and still had excess skin.

He was in pain a lot.

Every time when he swallowed something too big it got stuck and he had to puke in order to get it out.

He suffered from a lot of seizures due to all this damage that he had already done to his body.

When you are obese you put too much pressure on your vital organs, so eventually your heart slows down till it just stops.

Now he is gone and both his children are obese and the journey continues for them.

This is why I am joining The Team Beach Body coaches.

Join me!

Lets end the obesity in the world and bring awareness to healthy and happy living!

Corporate Flight Attendant Life

Yesterday I got called by a pilot (he got my info through another Corporate Flight Attendant).

She can't really fly as much anymore because she just became a new mommy.

The pilot asked me if I was available for a next day flying trip.

First I was like, uhhhh...no because my hubby surprised me last minute with a little weekend get away.

But of course I said, yes I am available and thank you for reaching out to me.

Yesterday a little bit later I got a text that due to a maintenance issue with the plane the trip would probably get cancelled.

But he asked me to be on standby because they were busy fixing the issue.

This morning I got ready and waited till further notice.

The pilot was so efficient and kept me posted all morning.

Then he said, okay we are going on the trip.

A day trip.

From Van Nuys to New Mexico, picking up 12 passengers and flying back.

I was nervous but super excited as well.

I drove half way to the airport to meet up with the pilots and drove with them to the airport.

Half way to the airport we got news that the trip was cancelled by the passengers.

So, I still got paid and they dropped me off so I could uber back to my car while they still had to go to the airport to start the engine and see if the plane was okay now.

All and all it was nice meeting the pilots and I already knew them from my hubby and father in law because they had all worked together before.

I will be their next flight attendant for their next trip for sure and they were super nice guys.

Not too shabby that I still got paid.

Days like this are so amazing and it makes me feel so grateful for my in-laws who paid for all my training etc.

Gosh I want to shout it out from the rooftop how lucky and happy and grateful and appreciative I am.

Thank you God for this wonderful life and all the opportunities and love I receive always.

To Be Continued.....

Day 85: Leaders

Leader = an individual with the capacity to consistently succeed in a given condition and be viewed as meeting the expectations of an organization or society.

"Leaders are recognized by their capacity for caring for others, clear communication, and a commitment to persist."

So, one of my girlfriends the other day thanked me for being a great leader and setting up and organizing my meet up group The Fit & Fabulous ladies.

I never really saw myself as a leader but I would like to be.

I'm reading a lot on leadership daily and I am practicing my skills daily.

I know there are different kind of leaders.

I just asked my hubby while I'm writing this blog, if he sees me as a leader and he said no.

I said: "why not?" he said, because you are too nice.

Yeah I do like the fact that my hubby and others say I am nice.

That's also what I said to my friend who sees me as a leader.

She said the same thing what I always thought.

There are different kind of leaders.

There are leaders who lead and pull people along with them.

There are also leaders who lead people by walking behind them and helping them up.

The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.

And make sure to go the extra mile because nobody else will.

Leaders think and talk about the solutions.

Followers think and talk about the problems.

Life is not a competition, life is about helping and inspiring others, so we can each reach our potential.

And if you hire people just because you want them to do a job, they will just work for your money.

But if you hire people who believe what you believe, they will work for you with blood, sweat and tears.

Always staying positive even in a negative situation is also key.

This is not naive, but this is leadership.

And one positive thought in the morning can change your entire day.

To Be Continued.......

Day 84: If you want something you've never had....

.....you have to do something you've never done.

This means doing some sort of exercise daily for at least half an hour, drinking a healthy shake (meal replacement) to fuel your body and watching/monitoring your food intake.

You never ever have to count calories if you just eat the right foods.

Consistency is key always.

Of course we are all human and we will fall of the boat at times, but get back on the boat and just continue on.

This will become a routine eventually, hang in there.

It will be a routine, a habit, like taking a shower daily and brushing your teeth.

You won't go long without these habits, right?

Now step up your game and look for accountability on social media and shout it from the roof tops what are you  gonna accomplish?

If you put your 'money' where your mouth is, you will get there even faster.

If you really want to be successful, you have to share your journey honestly and genuinely on a consistent basis.

And if you think you CAN do something or you CAN'T, either way you are right!

It's all about your mindset.

You gotta believe in yourself!

You want results, but you are not willing to train.

You want success, but you are not willing to work.

You want to learn, but you are not willing to read.

Now evaluate.

Do you actually want it?

Don't take the action = don't get the results.

You won't see change if you don't make changes.

The change starts with YOU!

Day 83: Winning

Winning = gaining, resulting in, or relating to victory in a contest or competition.

So, I received a call from my dentist's office and immediately I assumed, oh they want money.

But no that wasn't the case.

The assistant called  to tell me that I had won the contest at the Dental office.

I was like, what?!

I don't think I've ever won anything in my life.

So, needless to say I'm super duper stoked!

Okay, you are asking, what did I win?

I won a brand new bleaching tray after getting impressions done of course and a bleaching kit.

Yeah!

You know this is not a cheap thing.

It's pricey to get your teeth professionally whitened.

Gosh I'm on cloud 9!

This makes me think that I might be on a winning streak.

You think 2017 will be my winning year?

Yes Yes Yes!

I am gonna go BIG this year and take risks.

February 2018 my hubby and I will be living in our dream house by the beach and the golf course.

Mark my words.

Dream big or go home!

What are your dreams?

Life is not worth living, if you are not willing to dream.

Of course we also gotta keep it realistic.

But I am Dutch, so no worries about not keeping it real.

The Dutch are as level headed as they come.

"You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, and expect to win."

Winners focus on winning. 

Losers focus on winners.

Today's Forecast: 100% chance of winning

.....To Be Continued....

Day 82: Childhood

The other day while I was hiking with one of my fit & fab meet up group friends, she asked me how my childhood was.

My heart skipped a beat with joy because I just love that question, and who doesn't like to talk about themselves?

My childhood was flawless, sheltered, nurtured, safe, loved and just so fun and joyful.

Yes this makes me a very lucky gal, I do realize that and appreciate it and am super grateful for that fact.

My mother couldn't have been more perfect and still is to this day.

She made me feel special, and loved, and wanted, and just super lucky.

My mother hugged me so much and so tight that at times I told her: "mom you are squeezing me so tight, it hurts."

Growing up in a beautiful home overlooking the woods, maybe this is where my obsession with nature stems from.

My parents went on a lot of walks together hand in hand.

This became my dream, to find a man to go on long walks with.

I remember not liking the walks I had to join them on.

But overtime I learned to love these walks.

Also I was always allowed and encouraged to bring as many friends home from school as I wanted.

Everybody was welcome.

The house was always clean and smelled good with lots of yummy foods.

Music was playing and we danced as a family a lot and laughed a lot.

I think I inherited my fathers dry humor.

My father was working a lot but he took my sister and I shopping and for car rides a lot.

He always made me feel better when I was sick just by putting his big hand on my fore head when I had a head ache or on my upset tummy, if I had a tummy ache.

I really believe that your upbringing is the foundation you need in order to build a strong character.

Due to my solid upbringing I was able to survive the death of my late husband.

....To be continued....

Day 81: If you think you can do a thing or think you can't, you are right.

Either way you are right.

You gotta believe in yourself.

Because nobody else will if you don't.

Some people say: "You gotta fake it before you make it"

I've never had that talent.

I always shout it from the rooftops that I'm bad at something and/or that it's my first time doing something.

But you know what? It's never too late to change your ways.

Today I joined a challenge group on Facebook and the organizer asked every participant to record a video and share that in the group.

Oh gosh I was sweating and wanted to run the other way but I did it and I'm super proud of myself.

Lately I have been sticking to my daily healthy routines and so far loving it.

What are your fears?

What gets you out of your comfort zone?

I am gonna push myself to new heights and I can't wait.

Every permanent change has to go slow and steady, so that's exactly what I plan on doing.

So far my plans are to stick to my daily meditations, journaling, listening to self development audio books, working out and helping others on their journey to a dream life

This time I will go all the way and reach for the moon.

I will lose 15lbs in 21 days.

I will drink Shakeology every day.

Competitiveness is something I never had but lately I am feeling this grow in me and I kind of like it.

Also lately my confidence has been rising.

By sharing my life journey on social media that has been extremely helpful.

I will continue sharing and adding value to other peoples lives.

Today was a good day.

Hairmodeling in the morning, running errands and in between shooting some live videos, made for a pretty great day.

Spinning for an hour at home made me feel so grateful because it was raining all day, so no outside exercise option.

To Be Continued.....

Breaking it down

Breaking it down = an act of dumbing down a sentence for someone with less knowledge than yourself. Making your words sound less smart, for someone else to understand.
Example: Girl; 'That sounds extravagant, and has me flabbergasted.'
other girl: Umm what?
Girl: *sigh* That's totally cool, I'm all like WOW!
other girl: Oh, thanks for breaking it down.

When I moved to America from Holland I wasn't used to speaking English daily.
Yes, I had English classes in school but as you know, when you don't practice, you don't really learn.
Also I had worked for the airlines and at times had to converse in English but again that was never to the extend of my complete life story but just kind of conversational English about where to go and simple plane conversation.
So I started reading a lot of English books, starting with romance novels by Danielle Steele.
Now I am slightly obsessed with religious books and self development books.
That's pretty much all I read these days.
They are feel good books.
And who doesn't want to feel good?
A few years ago I started to study everything what has to do with network marketing aka multi level marketing.
Network Marketing aka Multi level marketing means when you break it down:

1) You find a product/service you are passionate about.
2) You do lots and lots of research (take your time with this)
3) You start being a customer without joining just yet. (make sure you buy from someone on the top at this company or someone you relate to and who is going places).
4) You join one of the highest earners within this MLM and/or someone who you relate to and genuinely like.
5) Now you just start sharing with others on social media but you have to make sure that you are genuine, sincere and super duper truthful and vulnerable.
6) Don't quit!
7) Break it down to others.
8) Keep it Simple!

......To Be Continued....

Day 79: Popularity

Popularity.

In sociology, the popularity of a person, idea, item or other concept can be defined in terms of liking, attraction, dominance and superiority.

With respect to interpersonal popularity, there are two primary divisions: perceived and sociometric.

Popularity has to do with being the middle point of a group and having influence on it.

It's pretty much the state or condition of being liked, admired, or supported by many people.

In my humble opinion I believe, that the less a person talks, the more people think about their words.

Also the size of your audience doesn't matter as long as you stay humble and true to yourself.

Don't ever imitate or copy what is popular for acceptance but practice being authentic.

Look like Yourself!

Act like Yourself!

Think like Yourself!

Work IT!

You are unique, there is only one just like you.

You have your own unique fingerprint.

Always worry about loving yourself, instead of loving the idea of other people loving you.

In life we always want to be liked but the number of "followers" you have does not make you better than anyone else.

Hitler had millions of "followers"

Jesus had 12 "followers."

As we grow up, we realize it becomes less important to have a ton of friends, and more important to have real ones.

On social media it's a competition about who has the most friends, the most comments, the most likes.

But at the end of the day, what matters is that you give value to others and help them and make them happy.

As long as you help others, you will reap the benefits of it.

Don't worry if others don't reciprocate just yet.

It's only a matter of time before this turns around.

To Be Continued.......

Day 78: Dendrophile

Dendrophile.

This is someone who loves trees, forests.

Yesterday one of my girlfriends on Facebook posted a question on her wall, asking her friends to post the 9th picture from their phone as a fun thread to get people together and communicating.

So I went through my phone and posted a selfie of mine kissing a tree.

She responded by saying: "Anna I figured you would post a picture of you in nature."

That's when I realized yes I am super happy in nature and as long as I have the daily opportunity to do so, I'm happy.

This also made me look up the definition of a Tree Hugger.

A Tree Hugger is a term for environmentalists.

An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities. An environmentalist is engaged in or believes in the philosophy of environmentalism.

Environmentalists are sometimes referred to using informal or derogatory terms such as "greenie" and "tree-hugger"

You know it's funny because I am/was always one of these people who was making fun of them.

Why?

I really don't know.

I think out of ignorance.

But I realize now that I get my greatest and deepest joy out of being outside in nature.

So maybe deep down inside I am a Tree Hugger.

And you know what? There is nothing wrong with that.

Oh and did you know that every single tree supplies oxygen for up to 4 people per day?

A little known fact for you is that nature makes your heart gentle.

You become one with it....

No place for greed or anger there.

Imagine if Trees gave off WIFI Signals, we would be planting so many trees, and we would probably save The Planet too.

Too bad they only produce The Oxygen We Breathe.

.....To Be Continued.....

Day 77: Selfies

What is a Selfie?

A Photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.

This makes me think of another topic, Social Media.

When I was in Holland visiting my family I didn't have wifi while outside and at my mother's house, so I was just able to take a lot of pictures outside of the breathtaking landscaping and afterwards I always wondered what to do with this gorgeous pictures.

Yes there were a lot of selfies with in the background the Dutch land.

The minute I had reached WIFI at a restaurant or my dad's house, a world opened up for me because that meant that I was finally able to share the pictures from my iPhone on social media.

Don't you agree that everything in life is so much better when you are able to share that with others?

Yes I am guilty of taking a lot of selfies, but I will make sure that I accompany this with a personal story and or a quote that will help others or inspire others.

I gotta say that by taking a lot of photos you start getting good at it and seeing the beauty in pretty much everything and everybody.

Also you get to know yourself. You know when you are genuinely happy and your eyes have this sparkle.

And don't forget that we all rather relate to images/pictures then just empty words.

We are all, not just the men, visual humans.

God gave us eyes and nature amongst a lot of other things are just spectacular to look at.

I remember when I first started to see a lot of selfies on Social Media and I thought to myself; "How vain are these people? Gosh they must be so in love with themselves?'

But now I know that is not the case.

It takes courage to put your face where your mouth is.

Meaning when you show your face and express yourself that is brave.

Transparency never goes out of style.

Honestly never goes out of style.

And I know what some people are saying/thinking now, yeah it's easy to take a selfie when you are happy with your looks and/or confident.

But I am the first one to admit that no I am not confident and no I am not always happy with the way I look.

But you know what? With the right lightning and maybe with a hat on and some sunglasses or just after a gazillion tries you will be able to find that perfect selfie.

....To Be Continued....