First Blog

I have enthusiastically decided to enter the blogger’s world.  I am not sure where this might lead me, but I do know my passion to write must be pursued.  My passion for writing comes from my love of reading and more importantly, the ability to express myself in a manner I could not do verbally or otherwise.  When I speak, the words that come to mind always seem to be different from the words that pop into my head while writing.  Why?  I do not know or care, but I do know I love the words that come to mind when I write.

One of my challenges revolves around the tone, structure, and style of writing I should use.  Having been in college the last eight years and still going, the primary style of writing has been under academic confines.  How do I stimulate creative writing?  How casual and conversational should a blog be?  My guess is part of the answer depends on my audience and the subject matter.  I presume this is the evolution of someone who chooses to blog.

Subject matter, how does one decide on subject matter?  As I look down the road, I see several paths I can take.  None of these paths seem to lead in a direction that is preferable, but each has its own attractions.  Growing up in the inner city, specifically, the streets of Oakland, CA. has its own set of experiences and stories.  The mere fact that I am still here, survived, prospered, and grew out of (or grew from) that life still surprises me at times.  There are eight million stories….

Another subject that deserves contemplation relates to academics and my career.  At this moment, I have decided to conduct research pertaining to compliance in the heavy civil construction industry for my dissertation.  As I continue my pursuit of a doctorate degree in business administration (DBA), I have changed my research topic from small businesses to compliance and back several times.  In either case, the terms “small business and compliance” is a very broad description of my research topic.  The researchable problem would narrow the focus such as why small businesses fail in an industry or how do construction organizations strategize for compliance during its formation.  While my researchable topic is a little more developed that this example, those are some of the options I am considering.  As a small business owner as well as working in the heavy civil construction industry over 10 years, these subjects can enhance my career, my business ventures, and academic pursuits.

Finally, one subject that has piqued my interest was constraints.  During my undergraduate and graduate programs, constraints and bottlenecks within the realm of business or organizational processes always fascinated me.  Identification of bottlenecks, correcting those bottlenecks, that often open to other constraints downstream, then correcting those constraints can be a complicated process.  Inevitably my mind would continuously look for constraints in my life and how I handle those constraints.  Then I began to wonder how others identify constraints in their thought processes and how those constraints are met.  As I analyze various constraints in my life I have developed methods to help break or reset those constraints to allow for growth.  Maybe, just maybe this is worth further discussion.

I look forward to the future and a new life in the blogging world.  I follow several bloggers and will add to that list going forward.  The insight and perspective of others never ceases to amaze me.  Time to shift gears, move toward my passion, and create a path I did not existed.