Bridge The Gap Podcast

Have you ever thought about the story you are telling yourself about yourself? What deep seated beliefs do you affirm on a regular basis that do not promote where you want to be? In this episode Patrick and Rocco take on this topic and will show you how relevant your story is in achieving the life that you want. With some very concrete tasks to try and some very sound advice on getting started NOW, this episode will help you get to the heart of your story.  

Are you working towards mastery in something? Many people haven't yet found their passion and, as such, feel like working toward mastery in anything is a fool's folly. In this episode Patrick and Rocco will explain how a mastery mindset puts you on a course to strive for mastery in anything you are doing. As Rocco says,  "We are not striving for specific goals but being present in an ongoing practice". Too many times we are encouraged to focus on the destination instead of the journey, real success is sticking to the process regardless of the result. Join Patrick and Rocco as they give you the tools and inquiry needed to see if you have a mastery mindset.

We've all heard of the power of positive thinking, but there is never a guarantee that positive thinking will work. Negative thinking, on the other hand, almost always works. Today Patrick and Rocco are discussing the idea of neutral thinking. Neutral thinking, in contrast to positive thinking, always goes to the truth. Neutral thinking is detail oriented and focuses on the task at hand, it's Stoicism with a more palatable name. Neutral thinkers have confidence and the belief that they can win, but can also fail repeatedly and still see the benefit of the failure  In this podcast you can learn how to apply neutral thinking to your daily routine to help you achieve your goals, plus an action step to keep you on track right now.

Do you have guiding principles for your life? Have you written them down and do you engage with them on a regular basis? If no, why not? In this episode Patrick and Rocco will discuss the idea of having your "Principles to Live By" and give you some tips on how to come up with this list. Patrick will even share the "Shaw Family Constitution" which is a list of ideas that his family uses as their guiding principles. Don't miss the great stories on how these ideas came about and how they manifest! These are the things we believe. You should have a set of principles or values that guide your life. Shaw family constitution. Call to action, can you write down a few principles that you can live by? 

Research shows that we all have the talent we are born with but how do you translate that talent into actual achievement? In this episode Patrick and Rocco will take you through Angela Duckworth's (author of Grit) diagram on how talent is effectively applied to achievement and the pitfalls you could run into when using this formula. The great news? Talent plays a limited role and a large percentage of what you can accomplish in life relies on consistent effort, something that we all have in equal measure. Not to be missed!

The more difficult the task the better the execution must be. This is why goals are such an important part of achievement, they give you the framework that is necessary. So, knowing this, why do so many people fight the idea of having a goal? For some, a goal opens them up to failure. We must remember however that goals are not only about achievement but more about the progress you make in the attempts to achieve. This is key. In this episode Patrick and Rocco are in their wheelhouse and will share some stories and a few laughs around the topic of goals and why they are so critical to your fulfillment.

Happiness, as we discuss it, is a function of virtue, thus that with which we fill our minds is paramount. Join Patrick and Rocco as they discuss the books that have "filled their minds" and had the biggest impact on their lives. Full of a plethora of ideas and concepts from books ranging from The Law of Success to Mindset, this episode will make you want to hightail it to the bookstore. What could be better?  

Do you operate in fear? Fear can often be disguised as various things including an attachment to physical things. Today Rocco and Patrick will show us the two different kinds of attachment, one healthy, the other...not so much. But how does unhealthy attachment lead to fear and how else does fear manifest itself in your life? How many of your goals are born out of time, attachment or expectation? Patrick and Rocco will take you down a simple path that can help you overcome the fear that may be holding you back. Their standard refrain of habits and routines can be the  way to stop fear in its tracks. Let your time become simply about execution and see how that drives fear out of your mind. Capped off by a very manageable call to action, this episode is perfect for those of you who sometimes feel stuck.

Oftentimes knowing we need to change something is not enough. According to the book Atomic Habits there are three main drivers of creating new habits: results, process and identity. Unfortunately, the importance of identity is often overlooked. Identity based habits focus on who you wish to become. But how do you abandon your identity of the past (that may be holding you back from achieving your goals) and take on a new identity? Patrick and Rocco will give you some tangible action steps to do just that.   Books mentioned: Atomic Habits The Four Tendencies-Gretchen Rubin

Do you ever find yourself a little off track on your highest priorities? Take a deep dive into the Bridge the Gap system with Rocco and Patrick this week to learn how you can use it to stay focused on the activities that will most effectively achieve your wildly important goals. Full of practical tips (and some shocking confessions!), this episode is what these two know best; how to use the system to achieve freedom, fulfillment and happiness. 

Our 20th Episode!!! How do you break free of the oppression of your past? You might have noticed that there are themes that run through these podcasts. This week the theme of awareness brings Patrick and Rocco to David Hawkins' Levels of Consciousness. Being aware of where you sit on this map will help you identify why you react to situations the way you do and will help you potentially raise your consciousness. By changing your level of consciousness, you can shed the hindrances of your past experiences and more freely move on to achieve your most important goals. Books mentioned: Power Vs Force  

We live in a world where everyone wants everything quickly, but true achievement takes time. As Brian Tracy says, we overestimate what we can accomplish in a short period of time and underestimate what we can accomplish in a long period of time. Patrick is joined this week by a very special guest; Antoni is a Renaissance man in the truest sense. Academic, philosopher and all around great guy, Antoni will share his insight into consistency and achievement at the highest level. How can the study of particle physics translate into applying consistency to achieve your goals? Listen to find out!

This week Rocco and Patrick will share the simplest and shortest path to having a sense of gratitude. How do you get into a heightened state of gratitude where you don't have to think about it, it just overwhelms you? Like anything, great execution of the fundamentals leads you to the greatest success in life. Having a consuming sense of gratitude is not different, you must control your thoughts and energy.  By choosing gratitude repeatedly over negative thinking or worry you are casting a vote for your future self and setting yourself up for continued fulfillment. 

Take a deep dive with Rocco into the idea that "Any asset, left unmanaged, becomes a liability". Relevant in your financial life certainly, but relevant to your goals? Anything that you make an investment in is an asset, so goals, where you invest your time, energy and effort, are an asset. But how do they become unmanaged? Why would we invest in something and then let it get away from us? Sometimes both progress and delinquency can be so subtle that you don't notice it. Learn from Rocco how to recognize when you are letting your goals slip away and the habits you can develop to keep this from happening. 

What is important in your life? Can you easily distinguish between the urgent and important? If you are not consciously making time for the important activities you run the risk of letting the urgent consume you and running the race of "checking off boxes". Patrick and Rocco will share some ideas on making your important also your urgent and they will ask some probing questions that may just help you arrive at some valuable answers. 

This week Patrick and Rocco will tackle the idea that the discipline of taking personal responsibility for the condition of your life leaves you with greater freedom of choice. Like anything, once you take responsibility for your circumstances and stop blaming you actually take back control and put yourself squarely in a position to create change should change be necessary. But how do you stop the blame and defensiveness spiral? Full of tips to put you on the path, this episode is a powerful reminder that we are the creators of our lives and that it's never too late to take the reins.  

Special Guest Weldon Long! New York Times Bestselling author Weldon Long joins Patrick and Rocco this week to discuss purpose and the role it plays in our lives. Weldon's story is incredible, he went from three-time convicted felon serving time in the Federal Penitentiary to successful business owner, husband and father in a matter of ten years. His perspective on what it takes to really turn your life around is simple, easily applicable and, quite frankly, invaluable. Have your pen ready because you are going to want to take notes!   To listen to Weldon Long's "Morning Rituals" speech, just click the link below:  https://soundcloud.com/patrickstevenshaw/weldon-long-morning-ritual

This episode is chock full of practical tips and advice for getting your morning routine off the ground! It doesn't matter if you are a night person or a morning person, there is a power in committing to a morning routine and taking advantage of the time of day when you are fresh and well rested. The secret is in setting the stage the night before. But change has to come gradually and must be built on habits. Rocco and Patrick will share how they got started with their morning routines and what exactly works for them. If you are looking for practical ideas to make some changes in your life, this is the episode for you. "Consistency of habit is more important than perfect execution of a perfect plan" - Patrick Shaw  

Are you aware of the words that you use? Are they disempowering? What is the impact that your words have on other people? This week Patrick and Rocco will start with the words "I can't" and work you through some small verbal awareness and changes that will have an enormous effect on your life and fulfillment. Words are a stopgap for thoughts, they have the power to create or destroy. Make sure your words are always focused on addition, that they add value to the conversation. By making a commitment to positive words you can take another important step toward taking control of your environment and ultimately, your happiness.   Power vs Force (Hawkins) The Seven-Day Mental Diet with Emmet Fox: https://bridgethegaptoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/The-Seven-day-Mental-Diet-ebook.pdf  

Today Patrick and Rocco will tackle the idea that thoughts are things. A thought is a thing that will eventually manifest itself in your life, knowing this, what are you doing to control and manage your thoughts? As always, execution wins the day but what is the best method? How do you take action on this idea?  What you focus on expands, that's the bottom line.  Patrick and Rocco will give you the steps you need to take to control the contents of your mind and create unlimited success.

We sometimes forget the importance of having something lofty to shoot for because, in life,  we get the greatest pleasure from living up to our own expectations. Sometimes, however, limiting beliefs stop you from even getting started. Patrick and Rocco (or Rocco and I) will guide you through the process of "suspending disbelief" or selling yourself on your own ability to achieve.  If you can believe in the possibility, you are willing to pay the price. It's not about the goal it's about how much you can grow in the process. You may not get what you set out to get but you get some extraordinary things in the process. You'll be amazed by the power of progress!

Does fear cause you to lack vision? Join Rocco and Patrick as they discuss the role that vision and purpose play in your life. Vision and purpose are bigger and more flexible than your goals but how do you apply them to your everyday? Make sure that you are not forgetting these vital elements of happiness! 

Do you treat a month like a second, throw away bits of time that don't contribute to your success? In this episode Patrick and Rocco ask you to reconsider how you treat the milestones in your year, like months, and give some thought to slowing down and reconnecting with that emotional feeling you had on January 1st. Monthly reviews can maintain your sense of urgency and reignite your energy around achieving your goals. Follow the steps in the Bridge the Gap System to get the most of every month!

Skill sets are replaceable, philosophies dictate success. Today Patrick and Rocco are looking at life's winning formulas and asking the questions...What's working for you? What can you look to change? How are you serving your clients and customers?  Sometimes you need to identify the agendas of those around you to really make the best choices for yourself.

We are conditioned to believe that we are seeking instant solutions to all our problems and instant achievement of all our goals. But life is not a Rocky training montage. Success requires dedication, discipline and time. In this podcast learn from Rocco and Patrick how you can buy into the process and enjoy the journey just as much as the destination. Fall in love with the process and the results become just a bonus. Don’t miss this conversation and don't forget to subscribe to our podcast!   

ADD Nation!  How do we deal with all the distractions in our lives?  In this episode Patrick and Rocco get into a discussion about different ideas and strategies and keep focused on what’s important.  It is much easier said than done!   Please don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast for future episode reminders!

This a solo episode with Rocco Sileo.  Listen in as Rocco explores an age old riddle - How do two people with the same challenges and circumstances get entirely different results?  The question has perplexed people for years and resurfaces in the preface of one of Rocco’s latest book recommendations: “The Book of Mistakes - 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future” - By Skip Prichard.   Rocco also dives a bit deeper into the book by covering his thoughts on a chapter summary section about the value of BEGINNING something.  Here is a statement we should all ponder quoted in the audio read directly from the book: “The beginning is when you have more questions than answers.”   Stay tuned for future episodes! Visit us and leave a comment at bridgethegaptoday.com.   And, as always, please feel free to leave us a review! We are always interested in what people have to say about our content.  Thanks!

How important is preparation in life?  We think the worst time to decide what action steps to take is in the moment you have to take action! In this episode, Rocco and Patrick, discuss the steps it takes to set up a goal.  Setting a goal is more than just writing it out and putting together a drill down list.  There are multiple steps to mapping out a goal that include: Decide what you want to achieve Identify a few routines and habits that can help you achieve the goal Make a short list of people to associate with that can have the right influence on you Choose who you will track progress Be aware of evidence that shows the progress Review your internal seeds Review your external soil Make a drill down list of 5 to (maybe 20) steps you can immediately take Do you have a goal in mind that you may want to test this planning and action process out on?  If so, you may want to take some notes while listening in here!   Thanks for plugging in and don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review!  

What do you think about affirmations? We’ve spoken with so many people over the years who completely misunderstand what it means to use affirmations.  However, when used correctly, affirmations can be a powerful tool for helping you achieve your goals. REMEMBER THIS:  The most powerful story you will EVER hear in life is the story you tell yourself about yourself.  We all have a story will tell ourselves. We do it either on a conscious level or a subconscious level.   Have you ever set aside some time in the classroom of silence and observed what story you are telling yourself?   In this episode, Patrick and Rocco breakdown the power of affirmations along with a simple process for writing your own personal affirmation statement.  We promise, it is not as hard as you might think!   Please don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast for future episode reminders!

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Bridge the Gap Podcast!  In this episode, we introduce our hosts, Patrick Shaw and Rocco Sileo, their backgrounds and the story of how Bridge the Gap came to life. The Bridge the Gap System is the ultimate goal achievement program!  We want to share the philosophies of this system with the world. When you hear Patrick’s story of going from being diagnosed with dyslexia to building two multi-million dollar businesses, you are sure to be inspired!  Rocco’s story reminds all of how important the law of association is! Truth be told: Most of the content you hear on this podcast is NOT original content.  As you will learn when you listen to this episode, Bridging the Gap is about organizing all these timeless principles together!  Are you ready to start putting the pieces of the puzzle together for your life’s greater purpose? We urge you to plug into future episodes as well.  You will be introduced to so many life changing ideas from our hosts and guests! Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review!