The #OwenHollow Spring Cookout happened on Saturday May 18, 2019 . . .or did it? There was no “no picture taking” rule in effect. I was the host, and my only “Directives” were Directions to the Hollow (Because GPS won’t take you there), the price of admission was simply: “Bring Goodwill, yourself, and anyone you want to be there.” If you’re compelled to bring anything to share, feel free to bring a side, Beverages, or something sweet. All the right people showed up with all the right stuff. I provided my “famous fall-off-the-bone babyback ribs” and cornbread pancakes, Grilled Burgers, Brats, Chicken, Cole slaw and a variety of beverages. Most of these folks had not ever met each other, so everyone was a stranger when they arrived . . . and family when they left. Family, friends, REALTOR... 05/21/2019

Nashville based company Dependable Homebuyers has recently added to their available services. They are now looking to purchase multi-family homes in the area. With multi-family properties, they can be on a small scale such as duplexes to a much larger scale of properties to include hundreds. The company is ready to make reasonable offers on properties of any size. Many times, property owners find themselves in a tough situation with tenants who are behind on rent. These types of circumstances can be quite costly for property owners and stressful in dealing with an eviction process. Dependable Homebuyers is willing to make offers on homes even in these types of circumstances.When an owner attempts to sell their property on their own, it can prove to be a very stressful situation. To get ... 05/21/2019

This morning, Bob sent me an email with a link to an article in the Nashville Business Journal. They had asked 17 Architect Firms: “What is a unique architectural feature of your office and what do you hope it conveys to your clients?” Bob’s message: “The article below featuring architects talking about their own work space made me think about our Pareto space and, also, about how the physical workplace environment figures in — or doesn’t — to the topic of your book." We moved into our current space in October of 2018. The prior space was far from ideal – 5 “private offices”, a small kitchen, 2 bathrooms and a small lobby with enough space for no more than 10 people for training meetings. in a total of @ 1500 Square Feet – very cramped – humid (a creek ran under it) and dungy. When I re... 05/20/2019

When we’re feeling down-trodden and out of sorts, we often find rejuvenating energy from the most unexpected sources. Of course we’re surprised because we are not expecting help. We are proud and strong and even “invincible” . . . so we weather the storm and do our best to keep our chins up and muddle through. We all have these “seasons” in our lives. We don’t want to “trouble” anyone else with our problems. After all, we got ourselves into this mess, so it’s up to us to get ourselves out of it, right? This is where “random acts of kindness” come from. A friend senses that something is awry and lends a hand. Even if it’s just a small gesture – a minor inconvenience, it’s a HUGE gift to the recipient. It might even be a veritable life-saver. Turtles understand! Sometimes, it’s worse than... 05/17/2019

Clearly, the digital world has damaged many peoples’ ability to engage in useful dialog. This morning, I came to the conclusion that 80% of the comments in any given thread are not “dialog” . . . they are a collage of ego driven monologues. (on my 3rd reading of this comment, I almost deleted it under the heading of “cynical” – Jaded, and then realized it is totally appropriate). My observation of several Facebook Groups and a couple of email list-serves, confirms this suspicion. It’s truly a rarity that the comments of the thread directly address the question posed. This is not due to lack of intelligence because IMHO (in my humble opinion), the members of these on-line communities are brilliant experts and quintessential professionals. If it’s so true that these folks are “Grande Mast... 05/16/2019

We all have more than our fair shares of invitations to meetings.Some meetings are more “relevant and important” than others. Before committing to attend, most folks want to know WIIFM (What’s in it for me?). At a minimum, We want to know the topic/theme . . . even better if we can know who else is coming. I’m a serial “inviter” . . . Maybe I think too much, but I frequently think of current issues and opportunities and feel compelled to start conversations about them with people who care . . . so I issue invitations to anyone and everyone within sight. I know that whoever comes will be the right people because they care enough to show up. It occurred to me that not everyone is choosing to show up for the same reasons . . . It may not be all about the topic . . . It could be: You are co... 05/15/2019

Collaborate – Change – Create – Cause – Commiserate – Camaraderie – Champion – Compensation – Care – Core – Closure – Complete – Compete – Contact – Cacophony – Calm – Can – candor – capable – Cantankerous – Capitulate – Capricious – Captivating – career – carefree – careful – carry – cash – catalyst – cathartic – Caution – Celebrate – Central – Circle – Challenge – Certainty – Ceremony – Chance – Chaos – Charisma – Charity – Chasm – Cheerful – Cherish – Chill – Choice – Chord – Chutzpah – Civility – Claim – Clarity – Clever – Climax – Coach – Coalesce – Cogitate – Cohabit – Cohere – Coincide – Comfort – Comical – Commemorate – Commence – Commit – Companion – Compass – Compassion – Compatible – Compel – Compose – Compliment – Complexity – Complete – Complement – Comprehend – Concentrate... 05/14/2019

Did you ever have one of those days that, out of the blue, there’s this recurring theme that shows up all around you? This morning , I woke up thinking about “When things aren’t happening according to the plan”, so I talked about that in my Barrysdrivetime.com (Embedded below). When I got to the office, I had a great workout and launched into my Monday morning Routine which includes a very intense “Plan & Calendar” session . . . This weekly 30 planning session is essential . . . important and even CRITICAL to set myself and my business up for a successful day/week/month/year/life . . . Unh-huh . . . Thinking about non-attachment while orchestrating a “high level planning session” with myself developing a plan that’s almost certainly not going to happen as expected Who am I fooling, eh? ... 05/13/2019

Coming from curiosity is a gift to everyone. When we’re wearing our business hat, how often do we go beyond the initial dialog? Is it always an exchange of information or a negotiation, or can it also include some level of warmer connection? The most effective conversations begin with some form of FORD – (Family, Occupation, Recreation, Dreams) . . . so why don’t we do this more often in the business interaction? When there’s even a smidgen of familiarity, pretty much everything goes more smoothly, and we all serve our clients better. I’ve found this to be most useful on the front end of every conversation, and it doesn’t have to be weird. “Oh hey Joe! How are you? . . . I saw your Facebook post about your daughter’s graduation. Is she heading off to college in the Fall?” . . . and then... 05/10/2019

Having been a card carrying prolific reader of books for many decades, I’ve decided to impose a moratorium on reading for “a while.” How long is “a while”? Well . . . I’m currently overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new knowledge that rushes into my field of perception. “They” say that upon which you focus expands, and “they” weren’t kidding. Since I committed a month ago to write my first book, my reticular activator spooled up quickly. I’m finding myself making great connections with lots of other authors who vary from just starting to write to a few folks who have published several books. Isn’t this wonderful? Here are all of these people showing up out of the thin blue air with amazing generosity to render useful advice. With much gratitude, I have connected with a handful of folks ... 05/09/2019

How do you “make a living” . . . AKA earn money to pay for your needs and wants? Do you have a JOB . . . or is it a Career? If it’s a job, is this job a short term gig or a professional pursuit? Are you enthusiastic about “going to work”, and do you feel fulfilled or empty at the end of each day? Whatever it is, does it feed your soul? Yesterday, I saw a facebook post that simply asked: What do you do for a living? Without much thought at all, I typed: “I Help people (Organizations) self organize to find resolution to important and complex issues.” That surprised even me because, for all these years, I’ve never had this level of clarity about “what I do to make a living.” Arguably, I am entering my 5th “career” in my 40 years as a working man. Restaurant Manager – US Army Combat Enginee... 05/08/2019

I can think of a bajillion reasons to be “too busy” to volunteer for your cause. After all, there are at least another bajillion people with myriad “opportunities” for me to spend my time, energy, and money to help others. I know your cause is important to you, and I respect that. In fact, I am grateful for your passion to support this undeserved underserved population . . . your work is and will make a huge difference. The truth is that I am investing my charitable capital in some other deeply personal causes . . . causes for which I have a great passion. I think this is true for most people. We discover our charitable passion in the experiences of our lives. For me, Alzheimer, Addiction, and Suicide are diseases which I have witnessed within my own family and my whole sphere of influe... 05/07/2019

This is the first full week of May! Are you busy? What are you doing that’s making you busy? Is it the right stuff . . . the stuff that results in making money and/or fulfillment? Personal fulfillment is important, otherwise it’s just another day in the grind. If you’re thinking: “Another day of drudgery”, what needs to happen to make it “Another day in paradise?” Something I’ve noticed about happy and successful people (REALTORS) is this Spirit of joie de vivre which precedes them as they travel through their days. We can sense this fabulous energy before these folks walk through the door. Of course, we all have occasional “bad days”, and there are some simple ways to make those show up less often. The first is to show up! REALTORS tend to be more productive when they (you) are engaged... 05/06/2019

Nashville’s Transit Referendum failed in 2018. My opinion is that exactly the right thing happened. That plan had splashes of brilliance in a sea of ill-conceived and illogical notions. Establishing “nodes” tied into the greenways in areas in need of neighborhood development was the brilliance, albeit perhaps too “visionary”. We’re not aiming for Utopia . . . This transit system has ONE job to do well . . . Transport the workforce from the outlying areas to their jobs in the city. The rest was a Frankensteinish amalgamation of disfunctional pipedreams. Thankfully, the sponsors of that plan were dismal marketers. The best parts of their plan were never communicated effectively thereby resulting in the discourse being all about the money. This was an ostrich approach that failed miserably... 05/03/2019

You’re smooth sailing along, happy as a lark, and tickled pink that you are where you are doing what you’re doing with not a worry in your world. THIS is EXACTLY the place you’ve wanted to be for all those years of blood, sweat, and tears. AHHH! This is comfortable! The phone rings, and it’s someone you haven’t seen for years . . . She’s calling to talk about an “opportunity” she thinks has your name all over it. These days, the word “Opportunity” sends a red flag up the pole. Is this the next MLM (Multi-level marketing) scheme, or what? Your mind works feverishly to figure out how much energy you’re willing to give this new idea. Do you take the call and listen to the schpiel? You think about the person who’s calling . . . Would SHE be the type to try to sell you a bill of goods? Would... 05/02/2019

Even the top notch notch performers have bad days. In fact, some of these elite masters might even have a bad week – or bad month – – or bad year(s). Tiger Woods won Major Tournaments in every year from 1996 – 2009 Then this: 2012 (3)74. AT&T National73. The Memorial72. Arnold Palmer Invitational 2013 (5)79. WGC Bridgestone Invitational78. The Players Championship77. Arnold Palmer Invitational76. WGC Cadillac Championship75. Farmers Insurance Open 2018 (1)80. Tour Championship 2019 (1)81. The Masters What happened? 2010 broke the winning streak, and consistency all but disappeared culminating in ZERO wins for a 5 year period. Tiger Woods didn’t quit during those down years. For sure, he had some “issues” happening in his life (Health, relationship, etc) that were huge distractions for h... 05/01/2019

Freedom Shock is unbridled passion! These things – obstacles – shackles – chains – overbearing people – stupid rules . . . They hinder our creativity. They’re holding us back. Sometimes, they’re self imposed limiting beliefs or believed boundaries. We’ve been told this cannot be done – It’s impossible, so don’t even waste your time trying it. Some folks will say you’ll make a fool of yourself if you do that. Others will say they tried it, and it didn’t work for them, so it won’t work for you. I say: What if they’re WRONG? How long will we allow “them” to define our realized potential? How great will it feel to prove them WRONG when we try and succeed at that which everyone thought not possible? For sure, that’ll be a great feeling . . . exhilarating to say the least. We will want to cel... 04/30/2019

For many folks, May is about that time of year when folks start realizing they’ve fallen off the wagon of diligently pursuing their goals for the year.We don’t do this intentionally. It happens naturally as we gravitate towards that comfort zone where life is a bit less dynamic. It’s nice to be “familiar territory.” Next thing ya know, you’re having the same 2019 as was 2018 – and 2017 – and 2016 Is it time to adjust and renew our vows/commitments in 2019?Can you believe it?We’re 1/3 the way through 2019 already!Where are you with respect to your goals for the year?Do you see need for adjustment of your priorities?What are you doing now that isn’t providing the benefit you thought you’d get from it?If you’re disappointed, what happened?Have you (honestly) given it your ALL?Most folks wh... 04/29/2019

Previously posted on https://rhondaburgess.com/moving-to-nashville-suburbs/Check out my latest video about the Nashville suburbs!Download the Homescout app: https://tinyurl.com/code0832 VIP code: 0832 I get asked this question often and in this video I go over some of my "favorite" suburbs and neighborhoods around Nashville. My list of suburbs is totally biased and based upon where I live and sell the most. These are the areas where most of my clients have chosen to live. The vast majority of my clients work either in Nashville, Brentwood (Maryland Farms), Franklin (Cool Springs), or Smyrna and Murfreesboro. Again this is just my totally impartial list of best places to live near Nashville. Call Rhonda at 615-554-0832 for assistance with moving to Nashville. Download the Homescout app: ... 04/29/2019

As Principal Broker of Pareto Realty, I am quintessentially available to the most importance people in my Real Estate Business world – The Vital Few REALTORS of Pareto Realty. Every day, I have many opportunities (I get to do this – not “I HAVE to do this”) to help Agents work through myriad transactional issues. These are IMPORTANT issues relating to IMPORTANT transactions, and favorable outcomes are IMPORTANT to the most IMPORTANT people in our business world – Our Home Buying and selling Clients. The foundation of our culture at Pareto Realty is, and has always been, that as each of us succeeds, so do we all, and the real winners are our clients. I approach every one of these issues with curiosity, so I ask LOTS of questions. I want to know the Who – What – When – Where – Why of the ... 04/26/2019