TEDx Conejo

I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at the TEDx Conejo event on Saturday. The theme of the day was “What’s the big idea” and apparently everyone wanted to know as the Sherr Auditorium in the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks, California was completely full. I wasn’t really sure what to expect of the day as I have never been to a TED event but by the end of the day I was thoroughly impressed and inspired. One of the producers of the event, Don Levy opened the day by stating that the purpose of the event was to raise awareness of all the creative thinking and doing of people right here in our local community. By the end of the day I realized that there really is a wealth of talent out there and it’s not just those on the national stage doing amazing and important work. The thing that surprised me most was how many of the speakers made a connection to spirituality through their creative work. In retrospect it really shouldn’t have been a surprise as it was quite obvious that while the “big ideas” that were discussed were born in these people’s brains, they were speaking from the heart. If you come across a TEDx event in your area, I would highly recommend it. For more info on the event please visit http://www.tedxconejo.com/www.tedxconejo.com/Welcome.html

Not Enough Hours in the Day

It's a fact. Even though the days are longer in the summer there still aren't enough hours in the day. I work as efficiently as possible for least 60 hours a week and I usually have two computers going simultaneously (and I could use another). They render files in the background and I have at least 7 apps open at any given time. I work from my cell phone so my office is everywhere I go and I talk hands free so I can walk/drive and/or type while I talk (no I don't type and drive but thanks for caring). Oh, and did I mention I also find time to spend time with my wife and kids? Well I do. So what am I doing writing this blog if I'm so busy? Not 100% sure but I thought I'd give it a go. As you can see I'm not that consistent about it and all I can muster today is an entry about how I don't have enough time to do it which really makes no sense at all (maybe twitter will work out better given my situation - which by the way I'm attempting as well: @rudypoe ). I see my render is finished on my other computer so I better finish up so I can get home before my wife calls and wonders why I'm not there for dinner. No worries though...there are 24 more hours tomorrow.

Learning is not an option.

I've seen a lot of people laid off lately, mostly people in their 40s and 50s, many of whom are/were executives, producers and generally hard working people who have accumulated a lot of knowledge and wisdom and should be far from the end of a productive career.

It saddens me. It's terrible that they're out of work. However, the part that really saddens me is the fact that none (and I mean none) of these people are trying to adapt or re-invent themselves (in fact they resist it). I simply don't get that. Learning is something that 1) keeps you competitive 2) keeps you young and 3) is not an option if you hope to remain a viable candidate to participate in today's workforce.

Things are changing so fast that learning is a full time job. Fortunately, I wholeheartedly enjoy broadening my horizons. I'm constantly reading business books, blogs, newsletters and anything else I can find that helps me "pay attention" and hopefully capitalize on the opportunities that the world presents each and every day. I am also fortunate in that I have managed to surround myself with a number of others who embrace change and are passionate about adding to their wisdom so that they too may successfully navigate this ever changing landscape.

So...if you think learning is something kids do and ends with a diploma, you might want to reconsider.

A thought or two about Earth 2100

I watched a program on ABC last night called "Earth 2100". Having just created my own program about the imagination and the future called "imagine it!" I was curious to see what a big Hollywood network had to say on the subject. I watched the first hour or so with my 13 year old son. I have to say while we were sitting there and watching, I wasn't sure if I should let him continue to watch it or not. If you think about it, that is quite sad considering the future they were discussing was his. He however solved the problem for me as he told me he didn't like it because the show was negative and opted out and went to bed. (As an aside, it took an hour and 45 minutes to get to a point where the show mentioned anything about hope and a potential "good" future...and then they only spend 8-9 minutes discussing the "upside".)

So my question is this...is showing bleak pictures of the future the way to motivate kids into solving these grand challenges they are inheriting? I think not. My theory is we all need to start embracing the imagine it! theory which is "positive is greater than negative". Let's show the kids (and adults) what the world could be like if only we apply our imaginations, creativity and hard work to solutions rather than pointing out all the problems.