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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Living on

There is an old Gypsy proverb that says, “you are not dead until the last person who knew you dies.”

From the proverb, it seems your light will shine until that last person you touched passes on. The greater your light, the greater your presence in the world. It reminds me of the story of your “dash” – the amount of time between your birth and death noted on your tombstone by the dash between the dates… this “dash” is your mark on the world – what you did while walking the Earth. Of course, the positive of the story of the “dash” is to make the most of your time between birth and death.

It seems stories, tales and histories follow this proverb. As long as there is someone out there with knowledge of a piece of history or a particular story, it will live on. However, the detriment to this was the fading of memories. People aged, stories changed. Stories began to be written as artwork on a cave wall, then on stone, parchment, paper and now Wikipedia.

The issue now are the revisions that are made to history, stories and tales. This is the detriment to our children and future generations – it seems now the written word may not gel with the memories of those of us who lived through a lot of this history!

 

Knockin’ on 40’s Door

Bob Dylan and Guns N Roses had their time with Knocking On Heaven’s Door… For me it’s knocking on 40’s door. A 39 year journey that many people thought I would never complete- actually, as the years ticked off, there were people losing bets year-in and year-out!

To frame this, the first 25 years were tough with losses of family members, divorces to contend with and my wild, push-the-envelope nature. I’m sure there were those that thought this was a sure bet. Which leads me to where I am today. Sitting in The Cosmopolitan is Las Vegas. Literally. I just checked in and am doing the touristy thing of exploring the hotel. The place is worlds different than the Venetian/Palazzo (I have been there since Thursday attending/speaking at the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees Spring Seminar).

The tag line Just the Right Amount of Wrong fits the hotel and sort of works as a tag line for my life.

I chose to come to Las Vegas because I was already here for the seminar, the date fit with Spring Break on the calendar and it was just time to come back. St Maarten was on the list, but we chose otherwise – Orient Beach and hanging on the fence at Princess Julianna airport are still on my to-do list.

Don’t get me wrong, we’ll still have the celebration on April 10 when I actually cross the line, but this will serve as the jump-off point.

As I finish this quick post I have to think back… I’ve been a lot of places and done a lot of things. I feel my greatest accomplishments are being a good husband and father. As long as I can continue to live up to those two titles the next 40 years will be a breeze.

More to come… A. Lot. More.