No one died…

Yesterday, I chose to go for a bike ride inside of take a lunch break.  For reference, I am starting my training for a half Ironman race later this year – so this wasn’t a leasurely stroll on my Beachcomber…  I drove over to the bike shop where my bike is stored, changed into my biking clothes, clipped in and away I went.  

Why is this ‘blog post worthy’?  Well, normally I would sit at my table at home and eat lunch while checking emails, taking conference calls or working on some type of project.  If I was not at my home office, I was in the main office doing the same thing.  I never disconnected… I never flipped the OFF switch.

My dad has always told me to take up golf, go to the shooting range or something… anything to get out and around people DURING the work day.  He started our company in 1972 and worked to make it what it is today.  I feel, over time, he realized what he missed by never taking his foot off the gas pedal.  Honestly, I am the same way – I am half owner of our auction company, a broker with our real estate division and a full-time professional fundraising auctioneer (in my spare time!).

I totally believe in a strong work ethic… start a project and follow it to fruition… even if you finish the task at 1:30 am and have to get back up at 6:00 am to start all over again.  You. Get. The. Job. Done.

So, yesterday, I wanted to try my dad’s theory… get out and do something.  Now, as I was riding an average of 13.5 miles-per-hour, there wasn’t much interaction with others except to greet them with “on your left”.  BUT – I flipped the off switch.  I left my phone at the bike shop.  I did not have any music with me (part of the Ironman training – major faux pas in the real race).  All I had with me was the bike, helmet, sunglasses, gloves and bike clothes… 

No one died.

I missed three phone calls… one left a voice mail, one left a text and the other, well, who knows?  

No one died.

The ride was great… I am getting used to riding ‘clipped-in’.  The learning curve added to my disconnection with the work world.  I was so focused on “road crossing coming up, get ready to unclip right foot while applying right brake handle, look for traffic” that I completely forgot about work for the hour and fourteen minutes of the ride.

No one died.

So, since the Ironman is swimming, biking and running, my plate will be full of opportunities to flip the OFF switch.

Give it a try… and let me know the results.

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What in the world is #ownit?

Those of you that already follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are familiar with the hashtag #ownit that I have been using since late last year.  This began as a trial run to see if it would stick and evolve into something I could take into the new year of 2017… for those that do not know, I don’t do resolutions each year.  In most cases these are empty promises that will fade away after a few weeks but seem to make people feel good between January 1 and February 1 each year.

My resolution is to motivate you to be a better person in 2017… I want to be the push you need to make the change you have been talking about for years… I want you to stop wishing and start doing!

#ownit

So where did this come from?  Let’s start with the full word ownership… the state, relation or fact of being an owner.  To own something means you have possession – of an object or an action.  #ownit deals with actions!

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” – Marcus Aurelius

I want you to do everything to the level of ownership.  I don’t want you borrowing or renting, I want you to #ownit.  If you are making a lifestyle change or business change, go through with it and make it yours!  Don’t sit back and talk about it, take action.  Make it happen!

When you borrow or rent something it belongs to someone else… you simply use it for the time being and give it back.  Is that how you are going to change your life or business model?  There is no way to make a change or move in a different course by borrowing someone else’s dream or sitting on the sidelines watching.

#ownit… people talk WAY too much about what they are going to do… NOTHING will happen without you actually taking the first step TOWARD the goal.  You cannot score in soccer, hockey or football without moving toward the goal – it does not happen otherwise.

“Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” – Confucius

Another way to look at this is how my dad always put it, “Prior preparation prevents pisspoor performance.”  You HAVE to plan the course to some degree – you need to know the roadmap to get from end zone to goal line.  But you cannot sit there and plan and plan and plan without some type of action.

If you continue to plan, you will never execute!  (that is my quote, by the way)

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius

The lizard brain makes it complicated.  Some call it the monkey brain.  Some call it the Resistance.  Take a second and read Seth Godin’s take on quieting the Lizard Brain.  It is in all of us – but you have to take ownership of that part of your brain and control or ignore it.

“What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” – Socrates

There are people all over the world looking back saying ‘I wish I had done that’ or ‘I wish I had taken the chance’.  Believe me when I say this – you’ll never get anywhere in life by building regret.  Life gives second chances… if you take a chance and fail, at least you can say you didn’t let it slip by.

You can always make more money… you can never make more time.  Whatever IT is, make a plan, take the necessary steps and #ownit.

If you don’t, someone else will.

Stop the negativity and make it happen!

Carpe freakin’ diem.

 

I’m a dancer… or will be!

For those that do not know, I am a professional fundraising auctioneer.  I raise money for private schools, companies, nonprofits and other organizations… using the auction method of marketing assets.  Believe me – I love what I do.  I make a difference for the client I am working for because they have ONE chance to raise money… and they rely on me.

With that being said, occasionally I donate my time to other causes.  I’ve emceed races for the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia, run several Susan G Komen Race for the Cure events and run half-marathons for Team in Training with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Now I am stepping COMPLETELY out of my comfort zone by becoming a dancer in Dancing with the Carolina Stars!

Yep, I said it… a DANCER!

Friends and acquaintances, get up off the floor… I don’t want to hear comments about my dancing technique (or upright seizure, as some of you call it).  I have now officially been through eleven practices and been through the dance multiple times.  Today, we added more “flair”… (friends, that is your cue for comment).

So… here comes the pitch… I am raising money!  Dancing with the Carolina Stars is the Upstate’s premier charity event and ballroom dance competition that pairs leaders from the community with professional dancers in order to create an unforgettable event. This event engages the entirety of the Upstate, from the dancers to the audience in attendance, to those at home who are voting online.

So I need your votes… they are $10 each… you can buy as many votes as you want!  When the page switches to the donate page, just add the quantity of votes and Senior Action will add the number of votes to my total.  It is that easy!  Easier than me becoming a dancer!

Click here to learn more and to vote for me…

Thank you in advance – for the top donors I will send a copy of the dance for your viewing pleasure – or humor… whichever fits!

I want to give a HUGE thank you to Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Greenville for giving me the time to make this a reality and pair me with a professional (Maryna Ferris) that can whip me into shape!

 

Before getting the ball in your hand

I’m researching some information for upcoming blog posts and have Eric Thomas (@ericthomasbtc) on iTunes.   This man is total motivation – he even released a mix of several of his best speeches for FREE… check him out.  Enough said.

So I am researching for the blog post and his speech hits a point that makes me stop in my tracks… it goes like this:  the only time you work hard is when you get the ball in your hand… you won’t be great until you do more without the ball in your hand than when it’s in your hand.

It goes right back to the Five Ps of Business – Prior Preparation Prevents Pisspoor Performance… or one of my favorite quotes, Chance favors the prepared mind (Louis Pasteur).

I love it when I go into a client meeting and I know a few facts about the client or the project they want me to work on.  It shows the client I really want to be involved in the project, not just trying to collect a paycheck.  The same applies to a phone call with a client… I am prepared.  If a new client calls, I am on the computer and researching as the client explains the project.  It allows me to ask INFORMED questions and not sound like just another auctioneer/asset appraiser.

Sometimes these are not possible… someone asks for your elevator speech, someone asks about how you would handle a project or even projects you have worked with.  STUDY YOUR BUSINESS!  Know what you can do, have done and are prepared to do.

This will give you a step up on the competition… much like hard-work practicing before you have to take the winning shot with 3 seconds on the game clock.

Check out more of my postings at DarronMeares.com or my personal Twitterfeed @SCBidCaller

 

Loving Monday – it can be done!

My Twitter thought of the day went something like this:  Working for the man = loving Fridays. Being the man = loving Mondays. Entrepreneurs will understand.

Many people have their weeks skewed out of proportion.  Why?  Mainly because they spend four or five days planning for Friday night through Sunday afternoon.  Think about what could get done if we all took the two days of the weekend to plan for the five days of work (and possible income, helping others, expanding yourself)  that are available to us?

Just a thought… carry on.

“Prior preparation prevents pisspoor performance”