Open Forum

Have you seen the 1995 blockbuster movie Apollo 13?   

It is based on Commander Jim Lovell's book Lost Moon and gives moviegoers a glimpse into not only the terror an accident in space causes, but also the determination and ingenuity of the legion of experts that brought the crew home safely. 

As you can imagine, emergencies during a space mission are simulated and rehearsed, so that the flight and ground crews can be prepared for unforeseen events.  However, nothing like the explosion on this mission had even been conceived, much less, trained for.   

This emergency required hours of improvisation, as the initial explosion led to a cascade of problems including excess carbon dioxide, freezing temperatures, power rationing, and even the illness of a crew member. Ground Control had to devise workarounds using the materials and equipment on board and invent procedures as new problems arose.  

At one point, the flight crew questions what they perceive as evasiveness from Ground Control, fearing they had no way to get them home.  In the movie, the crew voices concern to Captain Lovell regarding re-entry.  He responds that there are "a thousand things that have to happen in order. We are on number 8.  You're talking about number 692." 

Doesn't that reflect how we often think?  We do have to zoom out and look at the big picture (number 692), but if we don't focus on the present (number 8), we'll never get there.   

In our industry, there are many moving parts, all of which must be considered.  But we sometimes must narrow our focus to the here and now, to this client and transaction.  This focus is where we build relationships.  And isn't that the core of what we do? 

LIFE LESSON 
Focus on the here and now while keeping the big picture in mind. 

Sandi Donaldson 
Lead Trainer 
Real Estate Closing Path