In Willie Nelson’s popular song, On The Road Again, he says: “The life I love is makin’ music with my friends, And I can’t wait to get on the road again.” While I miss my family each and every time I hit the road, I also treasure that part of my life where get to share best practices and related life lessons with other Real Estate industry professionals (to me, it’s like makin’ music).

As I did in June and again in September, later this week (on Thursday, October 26) I’ll be Keynoting a STAR POWER® Success Summit–this time at the Radisson Hotel and Suites in Dallas, Texas. My choir-mates, i.e., speakers, for this week’s event are:

• Cathy Russell from Cathy Russell Real Estate in West Lafayette, IN
• Ed Birdsong from Birdsong Real Estate in Lake Jackson, TX
• Rob Levy of Prudential Northwest Properties in Portland, OR
• Brian Maecker of RE/MAX Advantage in Colorado Springs, CO
• Dan Harker of Harker 5-Star Team/Keller Williams Realty
• Linda McKissack of Keller Williams Denton in Highland Village, TX
• Eleanor Mowery-Sheets of Eleanor Mowery-Sheets & Associates/Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas, TX
• Jean Shine of Shine Team/Coldwell Banker United in Harker Heights, TX
• Howard Brinton, Founder of STAR POWER Systems in Boulder, CO.

Thursday’s event provides Real Estate professionals from around the Dallas area to tap into the latest thoughts and trends related to:

• Pricing strategies
• Creating urgency for buyers
• Scripts and dialogues that get results
• Thriving in a slow-paced buyers market
• What it means that “sellers buy image” and “buyers buy houses”
• Using facts, data, and logic to overcome emotional objections
• Marketing approaches that factor in current and anticipated market conditions
• Educating sellers that it is a mistake to believe that they will get more by asking more

If you’d like to know more about this week’s Success Summit, visit GoStarPower.com and click on the “Events & Seminars” link in the top nav bar.

Today, October 17, the day when the U.S. population reached 300 million, and what would have been my daughter Kolleen’s 19th birthday causes me to reflect on what it all means.

It’s not the 300 million figure that impresses me most. It’s the fact that each of those 300 million people is an individual who, through the course of their lives, will, in some way, touch the lives of the more than 6 billion individuals on the planet.

When Kolleen passed away earlier this year, I was deeply moved at her visitation and funeral by all the friends, family, and acquaintances who showed up to grieve her loss and celebrate her life. I realized that although Kolleen was no longer with us in body, her spirit continued to thrive in those who knew her and loved her. They shared their stories of Kolleen with me and my family—my wife Kathleen, and Kolleen’s siblings Kyle and Kaleigh.

Recently, I picked up a copy of The Dash, based on the poem “The Dash,” by Linda Ellis. (You can view The Dash Movie online by clicking here.) In the poem, Ellis describes a man speaking at the funeral of a dear friend. Referring to the dates on her tombstone, he notes that what’s most important about those dates is not the birth date or the date of her death, but the dash between those years. The man goes on to say that in the end, what we own, what we achieve materially is of little consequence. What’s important is “How we spend our dash.”

The Dash constantly reminds me of the importance of connecting with others every day of my life, especially in a world in which technology is making communications increasingly less personal. When we connect with others, as Kolleen did throughout her short life, the dash becomes much less of a line between two dates. It becomes an ever expanding series of circles that ripple out, touching the lives of many others.

On this day, I realize that Kolleen’s dash didn’t end on the day she died. Because she touched so many people in so many positive ways, she made her dash eternal.

I wonder about that 300 millionth U.S. citizen born today. What will that tiny baby’s dash ultimately represent? How will he or she affect the lives of others? How will that person’s life ultimately touch me?

Where do Tennessee Realtors in go when it comes time to attend their own annual convention? Why, to San Antonio, Texas, of course! Later this week, I’ll be speaking at the Tennessee Association of Realtors’ annual conference, which oddly enough does not take place inside of the state of Tennessee.

My talk, Recognizing, Avoiding, and Recovering from Real Estate and Mortgage Fraud, is one of only eight educational sessions being offered during the conference, which runs from Wednesday, October 4, through Friday, October 6, at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter Hotel.

Click here for more information on 2006 Annual TAR Convention.