Unplugged, telling it like it is.

The Basics

I am an owner of ColorMetrix Technologies, LLC. The views and opinions I express here are my own.

Posts here are edited for grammar, spelling and punctuation by Cheryl Raffel, my wife. We are a team. Life works better that way. She’s @hawtwife on Twitter.

I have an affiliate relationship with several products I write about and “advertise” on this blog. That means they pay me if you click and then buy the product. As a result of valuing my reputation more than money, I only represents items I use and purchased with my own money first.

The Person

I’m a businessman. I dove into the internet right after Al Gore invented it. I figure out ways to utilize technology to make money. Most of all, over the last year I have figured out I love sharing the journey and results of the aforementioned via my writing on this blog. The following paragraph from a post I wrote earlier this year says it all:

For years I have said I WANT IT ALL AND I WANT IT NOW! Those close to me thought I was kidding or at least half kidding – here’s a news flash….I was never kidding. Fourteen years ago I had just the right combination of courage and stupidity to stop working for “the man.” I ventured out on my own for the same reason many entrepreneurs do, [...read the rest of the post here...]

The Blog

Unplugged, telling it like it is. I thought about my writing style (which mimics my speaking style). I seldom hold back and have been accused of over sharing more than once. Sorry, if that offends you this blog may not be for you. In many ways this blog is therapy for me. At the end of a long day, either on the road or at my desk, I can can come here and convert the thoughts in my head into the written word.

Writing is the doing part of thinking. How many “know it all jerks” have you met who say “Ya, so what I know that.” Really, you know it? Then, why are you not practicing it in your own life? Yes, I used to be (still am about 1%  of the time) one of them, so trust me I can see ‘em coming from a mile away. Don’t tell me you know it. Show me where you wrote it down before me. Then, I will be impressed.

A Short History of the Blog

On October 19th 2009 I wrote Real, Authentic and Sustainable, and writing it changed my life forever. Then, on January 15th 2010 living a Real, Authentic and Sustainable life became the focus of this blog and self improvement in my life. I trust you will enjoy reading more about my passion or self improvement, and when you have questions please contact me.

Most of the writing on JimRaffel.com from July 2005 through the end of 2009 was geared to my life in the graphic communications industry. Much of that writing remains in the archives of this site. I will continue to write about graphic communications and color on the blog over at ColorMetrix.com the company I co-founded in 1996 and currently serve as CEO. There is also more information about my professional credentials on the company web-site.

Here I will share advice and everyday stories to illustrate how living a Real, Authentic and Sustainable Life is easier, more enjoyable and drives my own self improvement. The Real, Authentic and Sustainable philosophy is part of every aspect of my life including business, marriage, child rearing (now there’s a fun one),  spirituality, and even entertainment and travel time.

Please join the self improvement conversation! Add comments to the blog posts, follow, me on Twitter, be my friend on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn. I look forward to meeting each and everyone of you!

Jim Raffel
January 15, 2010 (Revised 6/27/2010)

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