Act accordingly

We are responsible for the world we handover to our kids. We aren't here long. It's not about us, it's about them. Act swiftly act thoughtfully and act accordingly. And make sure the kids realize that soon it will be their turn.

SHUT UP AND WORK!

Shut up and work. We all get frustrated. We feel impatient. We feel discouraged. We try to shift the pieces so they make sense. The belief that the world is a puzzle for you to decode is discouraging, demotivating and just plain inaccurate. Shut up and work. All that noise feels like progress but in actuality becomes wasted energy. The bottom line is to do what you are good at. And do it a lot. Never stop. Don’t get too hung up on the results of the work because the act of working consistently with commitment yields progressively improving results. The act of work creates opportunities and is the birthplace of innovation. Trust that putting your energy into something will lead you to where you need to go. Shut up and work. Stop trying to second guess your progress. Stop talking yourself out of taking chances. Stop placing judgment on the validity or value of your work. Stop fighting the richness of your capacity. Shut up and work. If you’re good at what you do, you’ll get better. If you’re great at what you do it will show. Do what you are good at. And do it a lot. Never stop. Shut up and work. Nothing will fall in your lap. Keep your eyes open for opportunities and act on them. Nobody owes you any favors. It’s up to you and me to shut up and work.

AlexRaffi's photostream

AlexRaffi's photostream on Flickr.

I became involved with St. Baldrick's in 2009 when I discovered a family friend had a daughter who was diagnosed with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Since then I've seen the passion and commitment of all involved in raising money for this charity. Worldwide, more than 160,000 children are diagnosed with childhood cancer each year. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation coordinates worldwide head-shaving events that raise money to support childhood cancer research. This is the 4rth year that I will be having my head shaved to stand in solidarity with kids fighting cancer, but more importantly, to raise money to find cures. Please support me with a donation to the St. Baldrick's Foundation. This volunteer-driven charity funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U. S. government. Many of us are fortunate enough to have healthy children. This is an opportunity to help those who aren't so luck. Your gift will give hope to infants, children, teens and young adults fighting childhood cancers. Click here to make a donation and just for fun you can even request a photoshop image of me in some ridiculous situation. I will create it with a big thank you publicly on this page: http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/503119/2012.

I was interviewed by BeBety.com. Here it is.

View the interview on the page here..

http://bebetsy.com/2012/01/21/alex-raffi/#.Tz_EFHJAYgU

Alex Raffi – Writer, Artist, Cartoonist, Creative Genius

Alex Raffi is the author and illustrator of The Sheep Counting Dream.  We recently caught up with him to learn more about this richly-illustrated and heart warming book.  Alex was kind enough to spend some time talking about his journey.

What inspired you to write The Sheep Counting Dream?

I enjoy creating art and have dabbled in many mediums.  I always wanted to take on the challenge of story telling and with my short attention span children’s stories seemed perfect.  I believe that’s why I enjoy writing in rhyme.  I find it more interesting to tell a story that way and the limitations provide a process of discovery.  My inspiration came from wanting to create a book  that I would have found interesting as a child.   Thankfully I had the encouragement of my wife Debi and daughter Elli. They helped fuel my passion.

What’s the message in your book that you want readers to grasp?

The world that lives within the imagination of a child is powerful. I guess that’s the point of the book for me.  It reminds me how special young minds are.  As a boy I imagined that each piece of furniture in my house was alive and had specific personality traits.  I’d say goodbye to the couch and the chair and the tables and lamps on my way out the door to go to school.  I imagined that the dining room chairs must be jealous of the couch in the living room  as it had full view of the television!

The idea of counting sheep had always intrigued me.  I had trouble doing it when I was a kid as my mind would wander.  I always wanted the sheep to turn into soaring dragons and exploding starships.  

In addition to writing you have other creative endeavors. What are your other interests?

I enjoy playing and writing music and painting.  The biggest creative endeavor of my life has to be the exploration of my own creative process.  I share these ideas in a workshop called Creative Courage.   Creativity in schools and business is often ignored.  In my view, nurturing creativity in yourself and others is one of the most important things you can do in life.  We need more innovation and passion!  

What would you like to tell our readers?

Surprise yourself!  Explore the uncomfortable every once in a while because that’s where you learn new things about yourself.  Be fearless when exploring new ideas. And never stop.  Why would you?  It’s so much fun. 

Glad to be able to repost this cartoon that originally ran on November 15, 2001

Originally published in the Henderson Home News paper of Nevada.

So proud of our troops. 

It's a good day.

Unnecessary Amendments

We see this in business, politics and even the school system. There's a limit to how much you can change a thing before it breaks. Sue at my office mentioned how Nasa spent so much time and money creating a pen that would work in space. The Russians just used a pencil.

Creative Maturity

Much of our lives are spent analyzing things like the environment, politics, society, economics, art, parenting, crime, war, religion, etc. The list could go on forever. But one vital thing we tend to forget to do is to acknowledge our own ego amidst our day-to-day lives. It is our ego that motivates most of our decisions and drives us into any given direction.

Working in business, we are inundated with problems daily, whether it be operational issues, human resource challenges, customer concerns and more. To succeed in business, one must be a problem solver. However, one of the main obstacles in developing your own ability to be that problem solver is oftentimes our inability to set our own perspective and needs aside. That's because, more often than not, many professionals have the need to be perceived as a problem solver, but that desire overrides actually being a problem solver.

There are solutions.

We must always understand that the choices we make require analytical thinking with emotional tempering. Not the other way around. Ego is a good motivator but a terrible problem solver. Simply put, learning to manage your own ego is what separates the professionals from the wannabes. Creative confidence is shown not by those professionals who say they have the best ideas, but by those who showcase their ability to be flexible, responsive and nurturing of any good idea regardless of its origin or where that idea is headed at any given moment.

It takes a talented professional to set their ego aside and immediately listen to, discuss, address and solve problems on the spot, all the while knowing they may not have all of the right answers just then. Addressing challenges or opportunities in this manner can be difficult for some to do, impossible for others. But, as I mentioned, this ability separates the pros from the amateurs.

Compromise requires sacrifice. Sacrifice requires humility. Humility requires confidence. Confidence comes from creative maturity.

Creative maturity may seem like a contradiction in terms, but it is an absolute must when the goal is to produce the best solution possible for any situation. The dichotomy of exploring your options and ideas with a free and open mind while limiting your ego analytically isn't always easy, but it is possible.

For those looking to further their own development in this area, the first step is to set aside the egotistical need to be “right” and instead learn how to trust others – and yourself. This means allowing yourself to be open to impromptu discussions, to step outside of your area of expertise and provide your thoughts (they do matter), to feel confident in the fact that you do have something to contribute and that your opinion is valuable. I encourage you to put yourself and your ideas on the line, especially during those instances where there is no time to prepare. You'll be surprised at what you're already capable of doing. For the no-holds-bar always idea making, problem solving machines of the world, who typically already have a highly developed sense of troubleshooting needs, I say it's okay to take a backseat at times when you're around others who are new to this creative maturation process. Allow them to venture out, learn and come to trust more in their own abilities and the concept that there is always more than one solution to any given problem. In doing so, it will help build their confidence.

Managing your ego is difficult to do and, as a business owner myself, it's absolutely critical that everyone on my team is able to creatively mature. Without a proper balance of overall maturation, business doesn't work. The environment naturally segments itself into "control freaks" (who become resentful and frustrated) and "wannabes" (who begin to create their own self-imposed walls the hinder their own progress and growth).

An efficient and effective way to reach the best solution in the shortest amount of time is to commit to muting our emotional needs to be right and realize that this sacrifice is required for the best solution. One does not feed the other.