I have been asked to speak this week at the national Star Power convention in New York City.  Each summer, real estate agents get together from around the country and discuss trends and strategies for improving their customer service and overall business.  It's really an honor to be with so many dedicated professionals who care so much about others and are willing to share everything they know.

One of the topics that was discussed during the opening sessions was something called "Living in the Dash."  The idea is that we all have a very limited time to make a difference before we pass away, and the only thing left, when it's all said and done, is represented by that small dash between the date you were born, and the date you die.  Someone living between 1920-2009 will appear to have lived a full life, but the real fulness comes from what you did during that time.  Was life in the Dash everything it could have been?  It was a really empowering concept that got a lot of people thinking.  It's really important that we enjoy the life we live and share what we can with others.  I think that's why I like being a real estate agent in Portland: meeting new people, making friends, and helping people with their dream homes.  There's no other job like it!