Absolute Steve

Creativity is Expressed in Many Different Ways.

Creativity is expressed in many different ways.  Recently my son Noah and his robotics team were honorer in the official First Lego League Robotics Blog for the branded hats they came up with.  You can see the pictures here.

Many may think creativity is limited to artistic endeavors but this assumption would be false.  Creativity can be found in almost everything we do, from stylized automobiles to product design and even its packaging.  Creativity is used in branding of a company or a team.

When was the last time you stopped and looked at a cardboard box?  Next time you are at the store look at all the cardboard stands.  Examine the portable file boxes you purchased and folded together to make a rigid box to hold 50 pounds worth of files.  The ability to create a box is a very creative endeavor. 

Building a company is creative, selling something is creative and so is manipulating the stock exchange.  Creativity is who we are and it comes out in everything we do.  The next time you make an excuse for a mistake you made, you are guilty of creating. 

Creativity is a reflection of God, the Bible states we are made in His image. Thus the fingerprint of God is upon everyone of us and that's why we are creative.

When God is "removed" from our life by God haters, the end result is blandness.  Just look at the former Soviet Block Countries and the type of buildings they made.  Look at the cloths etc.  Now take a look at the things around us that lack color and creativity, does this bring comfort and joy or is it depressing? 

Creativity when allowed sets the spirit free but when it is a reflection of a tormented mind it reflects misery and hopelessness.  Thus the aim of a good designer is to break free of dullness and create inviting elements which energizes the mind. 

The best in creative design be it hats used by a Robotics Team or the latest smart phone can and will be a determining factor in thier overall success or failure.

Here's to creativity!

911 Transformed our Lives

911 transformed our lives here in the United states and abroad.  We will never be able to go back in time. 

I like watching old TV shows especially cop shows.  In those pre 911 shows sans cell phones and airport security everyone had to use a pay phone to make a call.  In those shows the cops could chase the bad guys through the airport without worry of being stopped by security.  Remember the OJ ads ofhim running through the airport? You couldn't do that type of ad today.

Life was different pre 911.  There was hardly any joint ventures between law enforcement, each city saw their turf as theirturf.  Feds didn't work with locals and CIA didn't work with FBI and the like.  Today we have joint ventures and sharing of vital information all of which have made us a bit safer but also a bit more paranoid.

10 years and we still have brave men and women in the Middle East fighting against Islamic extremists who terrorize those who don't support their world views.  The very same type of individuals who flew planes into the World Towers and Pentagon and were heading for the White House but were stopped mid air by brave people who did what they had to do to stop them from more destruction.

Trillions of dollars are spent world wide on counter terror procedures and will continue to be spent in the foreseeable future.  Money that could have been spent elsewhere.  Indeed 911 transformed our lives and continues to transform our lives. 

Labor Day a celebration of Work

Labor Day a celebration of Work

Today is Labor Day a day set aside to remember the importance work plays in our daily lives and the life of our country. Without labor we wouldn't have a country worth living in. We wouldn't have food, drink and shelter much less clothing and transportation that we depend on as our right.

Labor Day is one of the big brands in Holidays, set aside by our goverment as a means of thanking everyone who serves the greater good by working for a living.  Indeed even those who decide to game the system and not work, benefit from those of us who do labor.

Labor is any endeavor in which you work to make a buck or two.  Your labor can be as a miner a marketer a mayor or as a minimum wage McDDonald's worker, we need all of them to make our great country what it is. 

Labor is a gift from God just read the first few chapters of the Old Testament and you'll quickly see that God intended mankind to till and subdue their surroundings.  This has been part of our DNA ever since.

So as you work, give thanks you can work, because there are many this day, who wish they could but have had a hard time finding work due to the poor economy. 

Here's to Labor Day a celebration of Work!

No such thing as a New Year resolution

    Yep, you heard me right, no such thing as a New Year resolution.  Why do I say such a thing? Because by making a New Year resolution, you’re ignoring your past and pretending your future starts today.  Well I have some news for you, unless you were just born you have a bit of baggage you’re carrying around and this baggage is what got you to where you are today.

    You see we all have the opportunity to change directions and make things right. We all have the ability to create a new life for our businesses but and I say but, unless you understand what went wrong and brought you to where you are today, no matter how much you try to will a new life into being you will be plagued by the same old habits that have gotten you to where you are.

    So the answer lies in researching just what lead you to where you are and then examine the habits and practices and try to make adjustments to each one.  Let’s say you want to improve sales but you have difficulty making cold calls, well unless you reprogram your mind to be a to enjoy cold calling you will end up not making those cold calls and you will remain where you are.  If you want to bring in partners to expand you business but you have “fear of rejection” issues then you will not do what it takes to locate and contact potential partners you need to grow your business.

    So this New Year try not to set your hopes on false expectations, instead seek to understand why you are where you are and then set about changing one thing at a time about your thinking, systems and processes until you can do the things you need to do to make the improvements you are seeking.

    Here’s to having a happy and productive new year.