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COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— December 16, 2015-January 5, 2016
H
ere we are in
December 2015,
nearing the end of
another year and
looking forward to 2016. This
time of year takes on familiar-
ity and has an aura of déjà
vu , been there done that
sort of feeling. Actually not
a new concept, did you ever
see the movie Ground Hog
Day? Because the day was
repeated over and over, the
weatherman became increas-
ingly aware of the events and
responded differently because
of what he had learned.
An advantage of experience
is the ability to see farther
into the future, only life
experience can deliver such
foresight. Or, does it? Is there
another way that we can
see further than others? Sir
Isaac Newton believed that
it was possible to see further
than others and he expresses
this thought, “If I have seen
further than others, it is by
standing upon the shoulders
of giants.” Who are your men-
tors?
Sir Isaac Newton was a
thinker and the most influ-
ential scientist of his time or
for that matter still today and
was a key player in the sci-
entific revolution. A scientist
by education and interest, Sir
Isaac Newton also stands as a
great philosopher. He contrib-
uted so much, optics, calculus,
laws of motion; he built the
first practical reflecting tele-
scope and developed the the-
ory of color based on observa-
tion of the prism. I have just
scratched the surface, this guy
was amazing. He was aware
of the world around him and
was continually wondering,
thinking and asking why. All
of this, for most of us is new
information.
What he really
did was discov-
er gravity!
As the story
goes, he was
sitting under
the apple tree
and an apple
fell from the
tree. From
this com-
mon occurrence he asked,
“what made the apple fall?”
Ultimately and in conclusion
it fell because of gravita-
tion. Gravitation gives things
weight and keeps everything
in its place. This knowledge
gives new meaning to the con-
cept of being grounded. Are
you grounded?
As you set goals for 2016
who are the people that you
plan to engage. Are they
old acquaintances and col-
leagues or are they new found
friends or even people to
be discovered? Because we
know that success is found
through partnerships and
partnerships are based on
relationships our goals or
should I say to achieve our
goals we must build bridges.
Sir Isaac Newton noted that
“to every action there is
always an equal and opposite
or contrary, reaction”. He
also understood that, “Men
build too many walls and not
enough bridges.” In the build-
ing of bridges we encounter so
many different kinds of people
in just as many varied situa-
tions. This is how perspective
is born and gives rise to opin-
ions. There are valid opinions,
ones that are credible and
others that we just cannot
get our head around. To be
productive and build bridges
we must hone our communi-
cation skills and learn the art
of being tactful. A great scien-
tist, Sir Isaac Newton, noted
that, “Tact is the knack of
making a point without mak-
ing an enemy.” How many
bridges must you build to
reach your 2016 goals?
The goals you pursue in
2016 matter most to you, after
all they are your goals. But
because we depend on others,
our partners to help us reach
our goals they must under-
stand what we are up to and
why. To have others under-
stand our goals is our respon-
sibility and probably our
greatest challenge. After all if
we can get others as excited
about our goals as we are that
is the secret to success. Sir
Isaac Newton gives us insight
on this matter. Because I’ve
quoted him far too much, let
me summarize. He says that
simple is best and that sim-
plicity can be found in truth
and that we can only under-
stand what is true. Read that
again, simple is best, simplic-
ity can be found in truth and
that we can only understand
what is true. What are your
2016 goals?
In closing 2015 and open-
ing 2016 it is my hope that
with all you have learned and
know today you have discov-
ered how much more there is
yet for you to learn. Newton
chimes in with, “What we
know is a drop, what we don't
know is an ocean.”
My wish for you is a happy
and prosperous New Year
filled with giants, gravity,
bridges and understanding or
friends, purpose, community
and compassion. I look for-
ward to seeing you in 2016.
Debra L Scifo
ASAC Executive
Director
PREMIER EVENT
SPONSORS
Wagner Rents
Annual Awards Gala
busybusy
Annual Golf Classic
Preferred Safety Products
Annual Health & Safety Summit
ASAC LEADERSHIP
ASAC President
Rusty Plowman
Delta Drywall, Inc.
Vice President
Carl Cox III
Excel Environmental, Inc.
ASAC Past President
Diane Hills
Diamond Excavating, Inc.
ASAC Treasurer
Richard Forsberg
Forsberg Engerman
Secretary
Mark Hohlen
Platinum Renovations
Director
Jim Donaldson
A.I.A. Industries, Inc.
Director
Troy Tinberg
AllPhase Landscape, Inc.
Director
Don Appleby
Holmes Murphy
ASAC Executive Director
Debra L Scifo
ASAC Chapter Attorney
Mark Gruskin
Senn Visciano Canges
ASAC Lobbyist
Kristen Thomson
Heizer Paul, LLC
ASAC Chapter Development
Peter Scifo
OBS Consultants
ASAC Officer of Special Events
Melissa Ryman
ASAC Event Coordinator
Jamie Martin
DECEMBER
15
Construction Industry Networking /7:00 a.m.
16
Contract Study ~ Change Order Claims for Scope and Timing/8:00-9:00 a.m.
17
Lift Inspection Certification/8:00 a.m.-Noon
JANUARY
14-15
STP Planning & Scheduling/8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
20
Contractor Breakfast Interchange, Adolfson & Peterson Construction/7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
CALENDAR
