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.

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I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

This was a hard blog post to write… but was necessary for me.  Over Thursday and Friday, December 8 and 9, I attended a course on Interpersonal Communications in Las Vegas.  The course is designed for auction professionals to become more effective communicators by breaking bad habits, learning new methods of communication and finding personal pitfalls.  Through discussion in the course and interaction with classmates I discovered some of the things I already knew and discovered a few others than need addressing.

Outside of what I already knew before the class, I learned that internal struggle can be the catalyst for outward appearance and communication with others… meaning (from a general level), what is going on inside is going to show on your face.  One of my issues is I am constantly competing with myself… never being content with who I am, what I am and what I have.  I am not speaking from a material standpoint because that has never really been a motivating factor with me. I am speaking from a success standpoint – I have never allowed myself to accept a level of success – I keep moving the measuring stick.  You read that right… I keep moving my own measuring stick.  Let that hang out for a moment…

This morning, our message in church was another in series of messages leading up to Christmas.  It was focused on the materialism of Christmas – STUFF, if you will.  My toes were stepped on as I thought through this from my point-of-view.  It spoke to me and I feverously typed notes to construct this blog post… some of which I have included here.

Contentment:

We can’t really appreciate what we DO have until we stop focusing on what we DON’T have. Contentment is hard for people in the United States because we are constantly bombarded by new, better, faster… there are magazines, TV shows, books that constantly show what others have – materialism is an antagonist in the story of contentment.

Contentment doesn’t just deal with materialism… it also affects our level of perceived success. We constantly compare ourselves to our peers and this skews our vision of WHO we really are. We lose focus of what we have and what we have achieved. This skewed vision does not allow us to see what we HAVE attained in our lives… this leads to missing deadlines, putting things off, not following through or not performing 100% in the present.

For example, Mick Jagger is the front man for The Rolling Stones and has always been remembered for their hit song, I can’t get no satisfaction. Few people know that he also led a solo career that ran parallel to the tours and album releases of The Stones and none of his individual hits were ever as successful as those of The Stones.  His net worth is over $300 million and he still felt that he needed to prove something else.

Peer Pressure:

“Peer pressure” has been the catchphrase of parents and teachers for years… from a fear standpoint, it has led children to the ‘dark side’. It is the perennial excuse when a boy or girl goes astray – “they succumbed to peer pressure”.

So… peer pressure goes away when you hit a certain age?

Oh, that’s a joke!  It feeds itself, lives and breathes into a larger monster… shadow… cloud over us… it is right there in front of us, but so transparent that we see right through it.

Adult peer pressure is as evident as the air we breathe. It pushes us into situations that pull us off our chosen path… adults have the mechanism to reject peer pressure because the adult brain is fully developed with an arsenal of thinking skills, rationalization skills and need/want-based analysis… but yet, when someone lands a big deal, achieves a new position, pulls in a huge bonus peer pressure kicks in and takes our eyes off of OUR prize. OUR prize is the finish line we have established for ourselves – that goal we have set to let us know we have accomplished something.

The Finish Line:

A finish line is established with clear-cut goals.  “I am going to do XXX by XXXX”.  You know in your heart the goal is not complete until you cross the finish line… whether this is a date, a success point or some other measurable item you establish when you set the goal.  Point-of-reference:  I said ‘clear-cut’ for a reason – if you are setting a goal, you need to establish some type of measure to make yourself accountable to complete the goal.  This is essential for both short-term and long-term goals.

The finish line is important because it gives you something to look forward to… not just ‘look forward to accomplishing’ but also to actually MAKE you look forward… this keeps you from backsliding and getting off track.

Until, of course, WE move our own finish line… WE get in our own way and decide to dangle a larger carrot further from our reach because WE cannot be happy with any measure of success.  WE don’t believe it when others congratulate us, tell us how awesome we are… or tell us they want to be where WE are.  (There are many of US out there with this same issue – which is why I highlighted we in those sentences).

That last paragraph is what I have been analyzing since Friday.  I know I have to get out of my own way… and it is going to take baby steps to make it happen.  I have to fight the resistance.

The Lizard Brain/Monkey Brain/Resistance:

You’re not good enough. You can’t do that. Why do you think you can do that?

You’ve heard every one of these… and the other iterations.  Adults have a fully developed brain – capable of multiple thoughts at once, capable of huge computations, capable of beautiful feelings, capable of rationalization… until the resistance kicks in!  The resistance has also been labeled Lizard Brain or Monkey Brain.  Whichever name you use, it is still the same deal… it is there to make you second-guess yourself.  It holds you back.  It makes you backslide.  It keeps you from being the most you can be.

The resistance causes you to say one thing and do another… We want to be successful then we sabotage the process… The resistance is the voice in the back of your head that tells us to go slow, back off, be careful, compromise.  It is in all of us – the amygdala isn’t going away – it is the prehistoric lump on your brain stem responsible for fear and rage and reproduction.

The only way to be your true self is to learn to quiet the lizard brain… ignore the resistance!

So… now you know a little of my personal struggles.  Hopefully you have seen some of your own internal issues in this post. From the time we discussed my issues in class this week, I have come to realize I have so much to offer – RIGHT NOW.  Beginning with throwing the business hat to the side, ripping off the armor and discussing these issues in the open… so I can help others become their better self.

You have seen my hashtag #GSD (get shit done) on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts for years… now you are going to see a new one:  #ownit.  Too many people DON’T own what they do or say.  If I write it, I’m going to own it… good or bad.

FYI:  I am posting this without edits… I am kicking the resistance in the ass and, as Seth Godin says, SHIPPING this to you!

Feel free to post your comments below!

 

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!

 

You’re NOT in Control

Why do we let things bother us when God is in control? Of course, there are things that we feel are out of all control… like the flight I am on this morning. (I’m typing on the iPhone as we fly)

There is a line of thunderstorms moving across the country and they are meeting my flight near the Atlanta airport. Air Traffic Control (ATC) still has the skies open, so there has to be some not-so-rough air around. Hopefully the pilots, their navigation and their skills can find it.

Nervous? Yes. I am. I travel a lot and it never gets easier. You have the smooth flights but they don’t make up for the ones where weather is not on your side. I trust the system that they would not put planes in the air if it were an unsafe situation. However, that doesn’t help my heart and breathing rates!

My life is about short prayers. My longest prayers are right before bedtime and they are not that long. Those are the ones where I thank God for the day and everything He provided. Most of my other prayers are quick thank-yous.

These thank yous are for the things God has given me (or got me out of in some cases!). They are thank yous for blessings he has bestowed upon me and my family. They are, at times, personal. I believe in short prayers because I am not a professional at this, by any means. Add to that a good dose of ADD where my mind starts to wander… eh, you get the picture!

Right about now my legs are glued to the floor and my CrossFit squatting muscles are pushing against the seatbelt and I try to counteract the forces of nature and a multi-ton MD88 aircraft. This must be the line of storms the pilot said we had to cross!

I can honestly say that I have been through some harrowing situations… another flight that was 10x worse when we hit a snowstorm at 30,000 feet… emergency landings due to fires in the cockpit… gear lights not indicating if we have landing gear. But through it all I knew that God was in control.

He gives us these instances to knock us back down so we will realize it’s not about us. He also gives us these instances to kick me in the behind for not writing blog posts as often as I should! (I write on airplanes to pass the time and to alleviate stress from the unknown).

Funny… literally, as I wrap this up, the lights of western Atlanta appear below.

No one said you had to be a pastor, reverend or preacher… say short prayers for what you have been given! If nothing else it will keep the lines of communication open with the Man upstairs!

Post your thoughts below…

Darron Meares, MBA, CAI, MPPA, BAS
Asset Appraiser/Auctioneer/Speaker

 

Labor Day is always surreal to me…

Living close to the coast gives me the ability to go whenever I have the time.  I actually should go more than I do, but sometimes life gets in the way.  You never can get enough of the coastal air, the sand, the waves, the water… it’s a cleansing for the soul.

Labor Day always feels surreal to me… you know it is the official end of summer.  You stand on the beach and watch the crowds begin to thin out as they pack up and start their travel back to reality.  They’ll have to wait in eager anticipation for school to end and vacation time to being anew.

It’s always given me a sad feeling, like it’s hard to breathe when you think about the scene unfolding.  Not sure why. It’s like you don’t even want to see it happen… It’s funny, I get the same feeling in the pit of my stomach when I hear Don Henley’s Boys of Summer. I guess I am one of those that wishes summer would never end.  Nostalgic even.

Jimmy Buffett sums it up quite well here:

When The Coast Is Clear

by Jimmy Buffett
from the album Boats, Beaches, Bars, And Ballads

Lyrics to When The Coast Is Clear :They’re closin’ down the hangout
The air is turnin’ cool
They’er shuttin’ off the superslide
The kids are back in school

The tourist traps are empty
Vacancy abounds
Almost like it used to be
Before the circus came to town

That’s when it always happens
Same time every year
I come down to talk to me
When the coast is clear

Hello mister other me
It’s been a long time
We hardly get to have these chats
That in itself’s a crime

So tell me all your troubles
I’ll surely tell you mine
We’ll laugh and smoke and cuss and joke
And have a glass of wine

That’s where it always happens
Same place every year
I come down and talk to me
When the coast is clear

It’s the only place he knows
Where it always happens
Same place every year
I come down and talk to me
When the coast is clear
They’re closin’ down the hangout
The air is turnin’ cool
They’er shuttin’ off the superslide”
The kids are back in school

The tourist traps are empty
Vacancy abounds
Almost like it used to be
Before the circus came to town

That’s when it always happens
Same time every year
I come down to talk to me
When the coast is clear

Hello mister other me
It’s been a long time
We hardly get to have these chats
That in itself’s a crime

So tell me all your troubles
I’ll surely tell you mine
We’ll laugh and smoke and cuss and joke
And have a glass of wine

That’s where it always happens
Same place every year
I come down and talk to me
When the coast is clear

It’s the only place he knows
Where it always happens
Same place every year
I come down and talk to me
When the coast is clear

 

I ate breakfast off of a Christmas plate… on Memorial Day

Yeah, weird title for a blog post, but I’ll get to that… first off, happy Memorial Day and a HUGE thank you to our veterans and active-duty military across the world!

This morning I looked down at my plate and realized I’d been given the green Christmas plate adorned with snowflakes.  This, like most random things, got me thinking… why didn’t this plate get stored away in the attic with the rest of the Christmas decorations and what kind of Mrs Manners rule are we breaking by not climbing the steps and shoving it into a box with it’s kin folk?

Actually, I could care less.  From reading my other posts I’m sure most of you realize I am a free spirit.  Yes, I’ve had the $300 dinners served with precision and enough utensils surrounding the plate for a small family… I’ve also had the meals on cheap Styrofoam plates with matching paper cups.  Does any of it matter?  Not really.

If you looked above the microwave in our kitchen you’d find our fine china.  I’d estimate there is around $3500 worth of it just sitting in two sections of cabinet… why?  Because someone, somewhere said that you had to register for fine china when you got married.  Probably the same person that said, “hmmm, I know they want this awesome grill, but I’m going to buy them a plate.  They’ll love it!”

Why is this reality?  We have used the ‘fine’ china with the platinum rim exactly FOUR times in 14 years.  On the flip side, the Christmas plate is constantly in rotation when, in reality, it should only be used between December 21-25 each year.  I think it had a price tag of $2.99.

Fine china is a leftover virus of a bygone era.  Like herpes and luggage, you keep it forever…

Walk through any store that sells china and you’ll see less and less of it on display.  This is because younger generations are not buying it – that is, unless their parents tell them, “register for it.   You know grandma Johnson will want to buy you a piece of your pattern.”  Seriously?!?  Why not have grandma Johnson buy something on the wedding registry the couple really wants?

From an auctioneer standpoint (which is my occupation) china does not sell well on the resale market.  Some patterns do hold their value, but most do not.  You can always check with Replacements Ltd in Greensboro, NC to see if they will buy your china, but their stock is usually full.  Why?  Because fewer and fewer families are buying/replacing/selling china.

We use Fiesta dinnerware for everyday use.  Very colorful dinnerware that matches my personality… which is probably how the green Christmas plate got mixed in unnoticed.

Thoughts?

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You are powerful beyond measure!

You are powerful beyond measure. You have the power in you to accomplish anything you truly want… read that again – TRULY want. First off, you have to figure what you truly want… do you want a million dollars? Do you want ten million dollars? Do you want to finish college after being out for a number of years?

Find out what you truly want. You can say all day long, “I want ______.” But is it what you truly want? Is it something that will change your life? Will the newest 60″ flat screen make you a better person or help you to succeed?

I’ve written many times about needs versus wants… We live in a wanting society. We want what our friend – neighbor – family member has. We want their tangibles. We want their lifestyle. We want their happiness.

I guarantee you even the most important person in your life – whether it is the one that is truly important or the one you want to be like – has problems you don’t know about. What is wrong with setting your own course and achieving YOUR goals?

We are not talking about being complacent or stagnant. We are talking about making a plan and working that plan. Steps one to infinity… however many steps it takes to get there. Reward yourself along the way. No one said it had to be a boot camp… celebrate the goals as they are met. Mark them off the list and start making progress to the next one on the list.

No one can stop you except you. Look in the mirror and you will see what is holding you back. When you stop blaming others and start boosting yourself you will see change!

Make it happen!

 

The first 30 days… Isagenix

Today is June 5, 2013… thirty days down and the rest of my life to go!

A few months back my wife and I were talking about hitting the reset button.  We had dropped to a level where we were not functioning up to our best and needed to flip the switch and start over.  We both work out at Performance QSA in Greenville, South Carolina but we also made excuses for poor diet and not going to the gym as we should.  So, we tried a lackluster “cleanse” from a company in Texas… it didn’t work.  Nothing changed.  We may have lost 8 pounds collectively.  Weight loss was not what we needed – we literally needed a change of lifestyle.

A friend introduced us to Isagenix and the rest is history… I just finished the first thirty days and my life has changed.  I am down 16 pounds and around 5% body fat which, on the surface, is success in and of itself.  However, again, that is not my goal… my goal was to get the junk out of my body.  I was a habitual (yes, habitual) Diet Coke drinker and when I had coffee it was loaded with sucralose (Splenda)… those are two synthetics I know of.  I am sure there were many more in the food we ate.

Now I am drinking purified water from a PUR filter on our faucet at home or bottled water when I am out traveling.  I’m not getting into the “it’s all tap water” argument… this is my choice and the Isagenix suggested routine.  I haven’t had coffee, tea, soft drinks or alcohol for these thirty days and I do not miss any of it.  Am I restricted from any of those?  No.  It is a choice I have made as an investment to my body.

I am 41 years old and I have an 8 year-old son.  That is my motivation to changing the lifestyle and dropping the excuses.  My family is the most important aspect of my life which is why my wife and I are both using Isagenix now… she sees the benefit of the program and has seen physical and mental results as well.  We are now cleaning our blood and allowing our body to run as it was intended.  That is Isagenix.

Is it easy?  No way.  But nothing easy is worth doing.  The hardest part was the lifestyle change… seeing the soft drinks and making a conscious decision to avoid.  Seeing McDonalds but deciding on a shake instead.  Traveling in the Delta Sky Club and choosing still water and not choosing a seat at the bar.  You HAVE to make the mental decision to change by taking it one step at a time!

Today I have more energy and strength than I ever had.  My body is running on all cylinders instead of trying to function with junk flowing in the fuel.

If you’re interested and want more information, send in a comment.

Follow me on Twitter @scbidcaller and make sure to use the hash tag #successneversleeps.

Make it happen!

 

Boston is WAY too close to home!

As a runner, I was stopped in my tracks today when I heard about the bombing of the Boston Marathon.  I’m not here to speculate on who did it or what the reasoning (or lack of) was.  I am deeply saddened for those injured in the race and on the sidelines.

In the past five weeks I have run two races – including one of the largest 10k races in the US.  The Cooper River Bridge run is one of – if not the – largest 10k race with 45,000 runners taking part.  Prior to the start of that race a lady was talking to her friend and said out loud, “we are a perfect target in this chute.”  Of course, in today’s terror-laden world, we always think about what could be next… a race wasn’t one of THOSE targets.  Until today.

I don’t care what you try to legislate… guns, ammunition, soft drinks, cigarettes or whatever.  You will NEVER legislate or regulate evil.  I am not preaching here – that is not my occupation.  All I can tell you is to do right by people and make sure you can go to bed with a clear conscious every night, whether that is through prayer or good deeds.

Good CAN prevail.  Thank someone, hug someone, tell someone you love them.  This can be the biggest buddy system in the world… and you know it – no one is bigger than the buddy system!  Watch each other’s backs and stand in the gap for those that need it.

 

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