I am just getting back to my room from the great event tonight. I am exhausted and energized all at the same time. I am looking forward to the graduation tomorrow and closing events, as well as the chance to get home and gather my daughters back from the friends they were staying with. But in reflection, I was thinking about who many good friends I have made over the past four or five years of coming to the conventions. Yes, VLA has helped introduce me to several of these folks, but there are even others that I have connected with in classes or through other state meetings and I am impressed by the REALTOR friendliness and connection that we all seem to share.
Some of the connection we share is from having similar interests, but I think it’s also from having similar enemies that unites us. Enemies such as non-ethical practitioners, who tend to not come to events such as this, or bad lenders or just difficult clients. We have all faced them and we’re all surviving – and we’re doing it together.
Whereas I liked Mel’s message of it all being about me (I am somewhat egocentric), I equally like the new theme of “Together we can….” Here’s my challenge to my fellow REALTORS – let’s keep the lofty idealism as set forth in the pre-amble to the Code of Ethics, but let’s also eat the elephant the only way some of us can – one REALTOR at a time. I would challenge each of you to bring one REALTOR to next years convention, Education and / or Legislative Conference next year. Bring someone who has never attended these events and mentor them to come to more and to get involved. That’s it – that’s my challenge, just one non-participating member to each event.
My thought is that if each of us brings just one person to this event next year, we’ve gone from 850 attendees to 1700. That’s 850 new faces that will hopefully increase their business, get a stronger sense of what lofty calling we swore an oath to and be just that better educated and prepared to do business ethically and professionally.
Just one more person for each of us… and then in 2009 it’ll be 3400 more ethical and more professional practitioners. Just one more….
Matthew Rathbun, VLA 2007
