Beating Creative Block

The company is counting on you.  Your team is depending on you.  There’s a deadline to meet.  YOU are the one they are relying on to be creative…to come up with a new format, to relook at an old method of doing something, to design a new program.  There’s only one problem.  You reach into your cranium and there’s nothing there.  Not only are the creative juices not flowing, they’ve dried up like a puddle during a heat wave.

Now what?

What do you do when so much is riding on your creativity and “ya got nothing” to share?

Allow me to offer some thoughts as a voice of experience.

For 15 years, I toured the country as a stand-up comic – writing my own material.  I have authored many books and magazine articles.  And for 7 years I wrote for a national television variety show providing 25+ jokes a day 5 days a week.

So that’s the experience I bring when discussing this issue.  There was no option for writer’s block or going blank.

If you experience that void in your creativity – start implementing these practices:

·        Spend time in an area that relaxes you.  That can be on a mountain, sitting under a tree, sitting in a tree stand, relaxing by a brook.  Allow your mind to just relax and wander.

·        Spend time only with positive, uplifting and encouraging people.  Negative gossipy people will only drag you down and squash your creativity.

·        Carry a tablet and pen with you at all times.  Make sure you are able to write something down the moment you think of it.  That even includes having pen and paper next to your bed.

·        Do something creative.  Go to an art museum.  Go to a place where you can glean the creativity of someone who has been there.

·        Read.  Did you get that?  Read.  And, be selective of what you read.  Learn from those who have written things about your field or area of expertise.

·        Eliminate or at least minimize distractions.  This includes television, video games and movies (unless the movie motivates you).  Bill Cosby once said that there is nothing good on television.  He also said no one became successful watching television.

Allow your mind to develop creatively.  And, in the process – be careful with your self talk.

Have a great week

Ron Orendi

Is Gravity Holding You Down?

Ahh, gravity, that wonderful thing that keeps us from floating aimlessly into outer space.  Gravity – that science phenom that makes swimming possible…….and eating spaghetti interesting.

Gravity is there to keep us grounded. 

But - let’s take a step back for a moment – and think of gravity in terms of a force that holds us down.  In thinking on that level gravity can be both good and bad. 

Let’s ask ourselves what are the gravities in our lives?

Is it a comfort in the familiar or routine?

Is it the fact that in order to do your job, you really don’t have to think too much – allowing your mind to focus on other things?

Or is it that something – that one thing – that is preventing you from moving forward and doing what you want to do the most?

YOUR gravity could be fear, routine, worry, personal limitations, family, intellectual limitations or lack of education (or experience).

How do you “detach” yourself from the gravity or gravities in your life?

First and foremost you have to WANT to overcome your gravity.  There must be a desire for change.  Unless you truly want to change something in your life – you will never make that change.

Secondly you must want to put forth the effort – to pay the price required to make that change.

Thirdly, you must be willing to take the risk involved to make the change.

Fourth – and this is key – you MUST be willing to fail.  That’s right you must accept the fact that you may fail on your first several attempts.   Keep in mind, its not how many times you fall – its how many times you get back up.

Fifth – you have to take action and get into a mode of action.  You will never move forward with only your best intentions and constant “I’m gonnas.” 

Sixth – you have to expect opposition and criticism.  Many people years ago thought there was no practical use for a computer in the home. 

Seventh – you MUST persevere – be committed to your project, your creativity, your cause.  Quitters rarely accomplish anything other than quitting.

Eighth – you are NOT an island.  It takes teamwork to accomplish any task that is bigger than you.  Years ago, as a stand-up comic, I would praise all the team behind me being on stage.  The audience would see only one person with a microphone – but it took about a dozen people to enable one person to entertain a crowd.

Ninth – appreciation – respect the challenge placed in front of you.

Tenth – you “ain’t done yet.”  There is more than one type of gravity holding you down.  And, there is more than one dream in your heart.  Keep growing, keep moving forward.

There you have it – 10 steps to overcome your gravity.  As we say in central Pennsylvania – now have at it!

Let me know your thoughts by going to www.ronorendi.com  and click on blog – then share your suggestions, thoughts, ideas and successes.

Have a great week

Ron

Beware of Coworker Crabbing

You’ve worked hard.  You have put in extra time on projects the boss has asked you to do.  You have spent countless hours checking and rechecking your work for accuracy.  Finally, you are offered a raise or a promotion.

What the boss sees in you is a need for more challenging work.  He or she may even see management material in you.

Then it hits – you get the cold shoulder from coworkers.  People in your unit or department start stabbing you in the back.  They may even sabotage your work.

You wonder why they are doing this.  After all, you were friends.  They were the people who shared life experiences and stories with you.  They know your pet’s names, your children’s names.  They even know where you went to high school.

So, why are they doing this?  Why are you the target? 

Is it jealousy?  Perhaps.

Did they feel they should have been the one to get the boss’ attention?  Maybe

C’mon, we were all a team, a functioning unit – working together on projects.

Let me step aside for a moment…………

Along the Maryland shore many people like to take a bucket and go crabbing.  Once one starts to catch some of the crabs, they start climbing all over reach other in the bucket, barrel or basket.

So what does this have to do with your work situation?

Plenty!

There is a parallel here that happens in work place situations, in neighborhoods, and in social circles.

It’s called crabbing.

You see, once you get home and begin to take the fresh crabs from the container – the crabs actually reach up with their pinchers and try to pull the crab back down in to the bucket.

Crabbing.

Many coworkers, friends, neighbors, acquaintances and (sadly) even family members truly want to see you get by.  They just don’t want to see you get by them.

Your success, in their minds, makes them look like failures.  Your promotion for your good work ethic or creativity makes them look like a slacker.  Or, to a lesser extreme – average.

So, crabbing occurs.  Like the crabs in the bucket – your coworkers, friends, or those within your social circle start doing things that pull you back down into the bucket.

Staying in the bucket means risking everything for a life of same old same old.

Climbing out of the bucket means opportunity – and possible ridicule from your fellow bucketeers.

Remember, dogs don’t chase parked cars.

The choice is yours – move on – or live (and possibly die) in the bucket.

Ron Orendi

School's Out

School’s Out

Every year, as Memorial Day passes, the school year begins to wind down.  For school age children “school is out for the summer” (as the old song goes).

An old joke says that when you are school age, summer break starts with the last day of school.  Once you enter the work force, your “summer break” lasts 2 ½ days and starts at 5PM on Friday.

For those of us in the corporate world – school has been out for some time.  But is it really? 

A friend once said that “school is never out for the pro.”  Honestly, if you are in the grow zone in your line of work – continuing education is an absolute must.

Consider this – what a college student, majoring in computer science, learns in their first year of college will no longer be applicable (or be obsolete info) by the time they are in their senior year.

Learning more in your field is the only way one can survive in this ever changing world. 

To be noticed in your area of expertise – one MUST continue to learn and grow. 

School is never out!

The options are endless as far as growth in a specific area:

·        Formal schooling

·        Home study courses

·        Webinars

·        Distance learning programs

·        Training seminars

These are just a few suggestions of where to go to grow.

One key factor in order to stay competitive in a world of change – is how fast you can UNLEARN what you knew and RELEARN the new info.

Let me know what you are doing to grow you……  Simply respond to this blog post on my web site.

Have a great growing week

Ron

Seasons

As Mother Nature cranks up the heat in most of the United States, I am reminded that this season of hot, sticky weather will only last for a while before the leaves on the trees start giving way to autumn’s beauty. 

We can learn from Ma Nature. Nothing lasts forever. Nothing – tragedies – failures – successes – problems – joys ------ none of them last forever. 
For most of us, life just happens – and in life there is joy, sadness, and a whole plethora of things that occur. 

If you are in the midst of a tragedy or a life happenstance, what do you do? We have all heard “when life deals you a lemon, make lemonade.” That’s a simple solution to solve a perplexing problem. 

You may not be able to control what happened. BUT, you can control how you respond to it. 

Are you focusing on the problem or focusing on finding a solution? 
Are you whining and complaining, dragging others down with your problem? Or are you consulting experts in that arena for guidance? 

Keep these quotes in mind 
- Your rewards in life are determined by the kinds of problems you are willing to solve. 
- The problem closest to you is your exit to your present crisis. 
- Before it can be solved, a problem must be clearly defined. William Feather
- Problems are to leaders what wind is to a kite…it makes it rise. Dexter Yager 
- If there were never any problems, there would never be any opportunities. 

- When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot. 
- Most people focus 90% of their time on the problem and only 10% on the solution. 

My friend, your problem will not last forever. But your reaction to that problem may stay embedded in someone’s memory for a lifetime. 
Take the opportunity with the season you are in and learn from it. 
Learn, grow and go to your destiny. 

Ron Orendi