Active Rain, our beloved real estate network, is composed of real estate agents, brokers, lenders, loan officers, stagers, appraisers, home inspectors, title people, and various and sundry other real estate related enterprises...  

Most of us, including myself, can be guilty of looking at the real estate market in a rather narrow vein...usually along the lines of our particular careers and life endeavors...kind of from our own ivory towers...  

We even place parameters beyond which we feel incapable of discerning...here comes our myopia...  

Is it that we feel unqualified to appear an expert in other fields than our own...we need to shed this feeling...even if I consider myself an expert in a particular area of expertise, I am constantly aware that no one knows all, nor does anyone stop learning...so I am always ready to learn something new...that is called growth...and if we stop growing...we begin to shrink...  

Look at the science of medicine...new holistic approaches to nutrition and alternative treatment are making significant inroads in the treatment and cures of various ailments...and helping us identify our enemies and friends when it comes to healthy foods or safe drugs or vitamins or supplements...in other words, we are evolving to where oneday we will hopefully be a nation of healthy people not overweight, or undernourished, or underexercised...  

The same is true in the field of real estate...just because something has been true in the past doesn't mean it will be predictably true in the future...real estate, like medicine is constantly evolving...  

So how do we go about getting rid of our myopia in real estate...how do we adopt principles by which we can grow and evolve safely and rewardingly...?  

Simple...we adopt a sort of 'Golden Rule' of real estate...  

The 'Golden Rule' of life we remember is, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"...or more simply stated, "treat others as you youself would want to be treated"...  

This is our mantra, our yardstick, our measuring line, our litmus test...  

Real estate has been around for billions of years...from the 'Garden of Eden' to the 'Twin Towers' to the 'Beijing Olympics' to our individual homes and investment properties and second homes!  

Let us take off our blinders, and as real estate professionals, let us resolve to lead our industry to the 'new ground' where it is destined to be...and let us do it ethically, morally, selflessly, and joyfully...  

We'll be making everyone a better tomorrow!  

I have composed a prayer which shouldn't offend anyone of any religious persuasion or faith...join with me if you feel led...  

Almighty God, Creator of the universe, and of all that exists, help us to be faithful stewards of the real estate you have placed at our disposal and for our benefit...may we tend it, care for it, nurture it, deal with it, improve it...all responsibly, and in accordance with what is the best use for it, and for the benefit of every brother and sister you have given us to share it with...Amen!