I've been reading about the Obama's bid to host the Olympics in Chicago and although they didn't win, it made me think about hosting a World Class Event like that in your city.  How exciting would that be?

And what about the Athletes?  What compels someone to love their sport so much that they are willing to compete at that level as an Amateur? 

An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit,study, or science, without formal training or pay.

John Naber, an Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming was interviewed and asked about the responsibility Gold Medalist have...

";Olympians need to realize that we are members of a very exclusive club to which membership cannot be granted, purchased or bestowed. We earned it!

This can make us heroes to our entire country [Community] (not unlike astronauts and war heroes).

With this opportunity comes a great responsibility, not to be taken lightly. As I say in the foreword of the book ";Awaken the Olympian Within";,

Olympic champions are not extraordinary people, we are ordinary people who have accomplished extraordinary things in a limited area of our lives. If we can do it, so can others, and it is the teaching of that fact that allows us to become real role models.";

As I think about the GREAT Thought Leaders we have coming to Real Estate BarCamps (there's one scheduled in Raleigh on 11/6) it reminds me of these Olympians.  No, there's not a Gold Medal in Real Estate Twittering, or Blogging (well maybe) but there's a commitment among a few people in each part of our Community to be the best, to learn the most, to perfect their tools... and the love of the ";sport"; (in our case industry) that drives that distinct group to selflessly SHARE their knowledge with others!!

If there's a Real Estate BarCamp in YOUR community - you should go.  You should participate - and you should THANK the people who come there to share! The tools Real Estate Agents are using today are DIFFERENT, and for some it seems POINTLESS... because there are people out there writing blog posts everyday and not getting ANY comments - but there are ALSO people who are getting calls from First Time Homebuyers, who read something compelling. 

Real Estate BarCamp CAN be a GAME CHANGER. But if you are coming, you have to be prepared to take a risk. 

";RISK taking goes beyond just a necessary step, beyond just a requirement to reach the perfect “10”. Risks-sensible, calculated, prudent, rational risks-are the obstacles that make reaching the destination worthwhile.

Without them there would be no struggle and no satisfaction. I’m not saying all risks are good, and I don’t recommend that we take every outlandish gamble that comes our way, but progress in business or sports occurs only when we risk going someplace we’ve never been before. A new product or a new territory or even new packaging can be risky, but it’s also more rewarding when the risk pays off.

To awaken the Olympian within, we should look for those hidden risky opportunities, places to go, and ways to stretch our abilities. These daily challenges and events outside our comfort zone can be a valuable part of our journey through life, and we should resolve in advance to prepare for them in order to meet them and to beat them.";

If you've been the top producer in your office for 20 years , and your now reading that you need to have blogs, and be on Facebook, and learn to Twitter, that can be pretty intimidating!  As a professional who knows more about real estate that most people have forgotten, this can seem pretty silly, and not something you have an interest in taking seriously!

Working to be the BEST in your business, just like being the BEST athlete, means growing your KNOWLEDGE Base.  If a Swimmer wants to cut their time by 4 seconds... they have to learn and focus on the details and techniques that will enable them to do that.

The Real Estate Industry has CHANGED, and I'm reminded of that even more as I'm creating my business plan for 2010. I'm looking for ways to stretch what I'm currently doing so that I can be better.  I'm reading Mashable, I ordered Wordpress for 2nd Edition Dummies, I'm listening to podcasts and I'm growing my knowledge base. 

If you are going to a Real Estate BarCamp, start expanding your knowledge base BEFORE you go.  PLAN and THINK about what you want to learn and get from that event. (Start TRAINING!) Participate in the survey's regarding what you want to learn -  maybe you could look at it this way... to get the MOST out of the Olympics, you would want to be an ATHLETE.

Real Estate BarCamp is NOT a SPECTATOR EVENT!