Yesterday, I took a “Mental Health Day” Yep! I woke up feeling mentally scorched . . . barren I sent a message to my team that I would NOT be in the office and that I would be unreachable. It’s good to unplug every so often to rejuvenate our MOJO, isn’t it? Why don’t we practice this more often? I busied myself the entire day with mindless “work” . . . without speaking a word for hours. This is a way of decompressing that is very effective to quiet and re-set your mind to summon new energy and perspective on your work. Seriously – It’s like a “Sick Day” for your mind. Try it! I think you’ll like it. I ended the day by having some friends over for the 1st EVER “Owen Hollow Full Moon Pickin’ Party”  We decided the Pickin’ Party is worthy of making a habit of it, so . . . On the Fridays cl... 09/03/2020

08/31/2020

For many years, I’ve had a “love/Hate” relationship with #Comcast. Actually more hate than love for most of these years. I have only kept them as my internet provider because they have the best (most stable) product (FAST and reliable internet). My beef is that I had NEVER had a stellar customer representative experience. Any time I knew I would need to call customer support, I dreaded it like the plague. Long wait times – Rude Reps – Always SELLING me on stuff I don’t need or want . . . The bottom line is that my perception of every call was that it was a waste of my time . . . and I HATE it when other people are frivolous with MY time . . . Until YESTERDAY! As I prepare to move the #ParetoRealty office into a new space where internet is provided, I have dreaded even the thought of mak... 08/27/2020

Most folks hate – yes – HATE accountability!  Many will shun accountability because they say it doesn’t work for them. So if accountability doesn’t work, what does? Are you just in that delusion cycle of chasing your tail – spinning in circles and not getting anywhere useful? Have you adopted the fine art of naming the need to improve and then doing the same things expecting different results. Insanity defined. NOTHING NEW WORKS for these people . . . EVER! Lasting, significant change only happens when we solidify new habits. According to this article: Despite popular lore, it takes an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become a habit. For some it takes less far less time (as little as 18 days) and for others it takes far more time (over 250 days). The article doesn’t explore ways... 08/26/2020

Your first important decision of every day is the FIRST decision of every day! Yep! Even before our feet hit the ground, we likely define how the remainder of the day unfolds Will today be an AMAZING day with lots of WINS and very few losses? Is this to be a day chock full of HAPPINESS and JOY? What if you’re dreading something about this day? If we decide (choose) to go the route of the dark side – Doom and GLOOM, I assure you that a dark, ominous cloud will hang over our heads. Our level of productivity will also be dismal. We will find ourselves struggling to get along with – well – ANYONE and EVERYONE we encounter. Of course, all of this avoidable . . . After all, we were the ones who chose this path. Here’s the good news! If, at any point throughout the day, we decide we want a kin... 08/25/2020

How often do you find yourself telling you to FOCUS? We humans have created a toxic environment for focus. Some might argue that maintaining focus on anything for any useful period of time is an impossible pursuit. Let’s just give up on focus and work on being better multi-taskers. or How ’bout we each take responsibility for our own life? Novel idea, eh? That upon which we focus on expands. The extent of the “success” of our life pursuits relies on our commitment to our singularity of purpose. Let everyone else practice the “Jack of all Trades, Master of none” way. Begin with Clarity! When this thing is completed, what will it look like? How will it feel? How will it impact your life and lives of other significant people? The answers to these questions frame the clarity that’ll provide... 08/24/2020

Today in this video, we're going to talk about the credit score that you need in order to buy a house in order to qualify for a mortgage, because that's an ever changing number. Check it out. Hi, I'm Rhonda Burgess, and I'm a real estate broker here in the Nashville, Tennessee area, and I am a former mortgage underwriter originator, closer, funder. When it comes to mortgage, I've done it all. Let me let's talk about credit scores for a minute.Let's go there. You know, I've done other videos before where I talk about your credit score that you need to buy to in order to get a mortgage. Right now, in this current environment, that's an ever moving target, and I'm going to tell you why. You'll see like for a FHA loan, they say you don't there's no there's no minimum credit score. Yes, ther... 08/20/2020

“IRL” = In Real Life Maybe I’m just a cantankerous curmudgeon, but I miss learning with other people in the same REAL place. For me, Virtual learning is less effective – less engaging – less “dimensional”. We miss the real nuances of the “material” sometimes because it’s so easy for us multitask while “attending” virtual meetings/trainings. We don’t see “body language” other than facial expressions . . . or at all from those who choose to turn off video. I’d venture to say that most people in virtual meetings are lucky to retain anything more than 50% focus on the information being disseminated. The dimension I miss the most is the felt TENSION that we lose in a virtual space. In real life, we can actually INTERRUPT another participant to clarify or make a timely neglected point. In the... 08/17/2020

ibuyers are propagating in myriad ways, shapes and forms. We’re seeing them pop up in places we Realtors could NEVER, even in our wildest nightmares, imagine . . . Like on the website bearing the namesake of our National Association . . . Realtor.com Should we be alarmed? Whatever happened to the notion that “Real Estate Sales is a LOCAL business?” Aren’t the 3 most important words for real estate “LOCATION, LOCATION, and LOCATION?” Are ibuyers changing this? I think NOT! Those who think ibuyers will pilfer “all” of our clients are experiencing a major case of amnesia. Most home buyers and sellers will continue to choose to work with a Realtor because they know us Realtors to be LOCAL PROFESSIONALS. They are hiring us for our expertise and guidance as they navigate an unfamiliar and com... 08/13/2020

People who live low quality lives, by definition, underperform in their jobs. Stress, anxiety, exhaustion, always ON 24/7/365 are recipes for crash and burn. So often (especially in the Real Estate Sales Industry), I hear of “Professionals” who take great pride in the fact that they are working 15 hour days, writing offers at midnight, answering their cell phones EVERY time the darn thing makes a noise. If you are one of these people, you are disserving your clients, your family and friends, and most importantly, yourself! The Quotation marks are intentional, because I know that real professionals know that they MUST be sharp in order to perform well for their clients. There’s no such thing as “not having enough time to take care of myself” . . . It’s a CHOICE to put work ahead of life ... 08/11/2020

What if The darn thing isn’t doing what I bought it to do? When I buy a drill with all of the myriad bits, I expect each bit to reliably create a hole of the size promised on the etching. When the sole cashier gets in the weeds (too many people in line), we expect the management to do something about it – like call other cashiers to help or to become a cashier until the weeds are gone. The server in the restaurant is having lots of fun while ignoring our empty water glasses. We humans are conditioned to a certain level of convenience, and we don’t tolerate situations which inconvenience us. Of course, we can whine and complain, but that won’t make things go faster. We can leave, and find another place to do our business. Maybe, we choose to go without . . . after all, this purchase is a... 08/10/2020

Have you watched many soccer games? I have . . . Literally hundreds in the period of over a decade of my 2 daughters playing. Throughout all of those years, I learned a LOT about focus. The really talented soccer players weren’t always the strongest or fastest. The high performers were the ones who understood focus at a very high level. Wired into their DNA was a keen awareness of where they were going. When they lost a ball or failed to score, these champions relegated this misfortunate happening to being “unlucky”, and they quickly redirected their focus on the field of play. These were the players who mastered the ability to focus on where the ball was going . . . NOT where the ball is now. In this way, these magicians consistently outmaneuvered their opponents because they were crea... 08/07/2020

sheeple https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheeple shee·​ple | \ ˈshē-pəl  \ informal: people who are docile, compliant, or easily influenced trend https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trend  1a: a prevailing tendency or inclination : DRIFTcurrent trends in education b: a general movement : SWING the trend toward suburban living c: a current style or preference : VOGUEnew fashion trends d: a line of development : APPROACH new trends in cancer research 2: the general movement over time of a statistically detectable change also: a statistical curve reflecting such a change3: a line of general direction or movement the trend of the coast turned toward the west Suddenly – I am noticing a predominance of WHITE new (and old) houses here in Nashville. I’m not a fan . . . Won’t al... 08/06/2020

You can’t waste something you don’t possess. We have full access to ALL of the time all the time. Time is always free and available for all of us equally. We cannot hoard, save, squander, buy, sell, give, take, offer, steal, burn. bend, shape . . . time. For eons, we humans have boldly named and studied the passing of time relative to virtually everything within range of all of our senses. Guess what! Time has always been and always will be here after we’re gone. . . . an unlimited resource . . . unless you believe you own it Good luck domesticating it. Instead of worrying about time, let’s pay more attention to being who we are, why we are here, and practicing our unique art. We know that we are in our element when time stands still . . . when we are so engrossed with performing our wo... 08/05/2020

I’m aging but feeling younger. You might wonder if I’ve found the fountain of youth? Nope! I’ve substantially minimized worry in my life. What’s the secret sauce? It boils down to expectations. When we expect to be surprised, we’re more apt to let go of limitations. This is mere acknowledgement that very few (if any) accomplishments happen according to our well laid plans. When we adopt this way, we open our minds to otherwise unseeable possibilities. Less gray hair! More smiles! Surprises are tests of our resolve to finish what we’ve started. This always works! b Today’s Drive Time Video digs a little deeper with respect to finding our way through the dips . . .     Published by Barry Owen Strategist-CEO of Pareto Realty Real estate sales Professional Inviter-Facilitator-Practicer of O... 08/04/2020

Coming Soon to the Holt Woods Subdivision.  Get ready to call 3605 Cobble Street home.   This home will get fresh paint and new carpets so all you need is the keys and you will be ready to move in and call this home yours.  Enjoy the wood burning fireplace in the family room under the vaulted ceiling or step out on the deck and enjoy the outdoors.   This home features gas heat and elecric air conditioning along with a gas water heater. The master bedroom has a trey ceiling along with a walk in closet and the master bath has a garden tub / shower combo.  Once the this home gets its fresh paint and new carpet, we will get interior photos     08/03/2020

3 important players for any/every project . . . The Visionary imagines some potential in a scenario. The timing seems right to explore the possibilities, so the Visionary does what visionaries do with all exciting new ideas . . . A few days of dreaming . . . putting some pen to paper . . . playing the “Pros and Cons” game . . . and the vision becomes more clear. The tipping point happens at the moment this visionary forms such a crystal clear of the finished project that it’s time to “let the cat out of the bag” . . . Most visionaries won’t talk openly about these “inventions” until they’ve done a fair amount of diligence, because . . . well – because everyone they know, knows they are dreamers and are “always” dreaming . . . Over time, visionaries are “taught” not to verbalize their id... 08/03/2020

When something seems too good to be true, it’s time to investigate. Often, these “too good to be true opportunities” turn out to be all hat no cattle. I don’t take pleasure in being the party pooper who doesn’t immediately CELEBRATE these apparent windfalls, but it’s in my DNA – I’m wary of happenings that don’t make sense. Before we break out the champagne, let’s do some diligence. We Realtors are indefatigably optimistic creatures. We want the best for everyone and especially our home buying and/or selling clients. We are seekers of all of the GOOD things about everything and everyone. Our outwardly positive outlook often provides our clients the lift they need as they work throughout the real estate transaction. So then . . . Why is it that many of the most successful Realtors procee... 07/31/2020

We humans like to think we are worthy. We live our lives toiling to bring value to other people and myriad “enterprises” worthy – having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in a specified way enterprise – a project undertaken or to be undertaken, especially one that is important or difficult or that requires boldness or energy: When we receive an invitation – ANY Invitation, most of us pause and assess the “value” of accepting. What’s our “opportunity cost” of saying “yes”? When we say “yes”, to what are we then saying: “No”? Which of these options offers the highest probability that our presence will make a difference? Will we be Honored and heard? Is this space open enough for useful purpose – Dialog, Spirited debate, mutual respect with hope for like kind res... 07/30/2020

How Many Decisions Do We Make Each Day? In this Psychology Today article, Eva M. Krockow Ph.D. says: “In fact, some sources suggest that the average person makes an eye-popping 35,000 choices per day. Assuming that most people spend around seven hours per day sleeping and thus blissfully choice-free, that makes roughly 2,000 decisions per hour or one decision every two seconds.” Hmmm . . . It’s no small wonder why so many of are stumbling through life in an overwhelmed stupor. I wonder . . . How many of these 35,000ish decisions each day do you s’pose you make consciously? Surely, many of these are decisions are instinctual (baked into our DNA), some are Learned based on prior experience, Freudian, Pavlovian, and therefore subconscious and relatively “automatic”. My guess is that the 80... 07/29/2020