Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

March 29, 2007

Change the World: Tell a Friend to Remember

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 9:11 am

Be Your Own Friend

Change the World!

We all have moments of self-doubt. Maybe not, but I sure know I do. As we get to know ourselves and find our feet, the moments get shorter. I don’t expect they ever disappear completely. The seems a momentary reminder of our fragile humanity.

This week I had a tired moment of self-doubt.

Tariq called at that same time. This lucky girl is getting to feel familiar with that blogger synchronicity, but I’ll never stop being captivated by its joyful and genuine surprise.

While Tariq and I talked about the options that stood before me and the barrier of self-doubt that I was holding up, he said something so simple. These aren’t his words, they’re mine. How could I remember word-for-word? I was listening from inside a box I’d built around me. But what Tariq almost whispered went something like this . . .

Liz, I know you know what to do. . . . . You wrote in a blog post last week. . . You tell other people all of the time. Tell yourself now.

“Act like you know what to do,” was what I answered back.

“That’s it,” he said. “Just do it for you. You do it for everyone.”

Then I saw myself on the other side of that darn barrier. What had been the scary thing that made me think I needed to stop myself from trying?

I did what I had been afraid to do. Nothing could have been so well-received.

Tariq had reminded me to know what I already knew.

It changed my life that day.

Friends do that for each other.

We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

______________
If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Change the World!.

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.





Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog |




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19 Comments to “Change the World: Tell a Friend to Remember”

  1. March 29th, 2007 at 10:32 am
    Whitney said

    Every once in a while, we need someone to help us change the channel we’re stuck on. We know that the channel our brain is on is pure crap, but we can’t push the Channel Up or Channel Down button to get ourselves off the limiting beliefs (see Beliefs That Hold You Back for a few of these).

    Having a talk with a friend is like changing the channel by pressing the numbers (instead of scrolling through sequentially). They can push you clear down the other end, jumping you into an entirely different way of thinking (kind of like jumping from TV Land to The History Channel).

    My friends Diana and Carolyn and I sometimes make a phone call or send an e-mail to each other that starts off with “I know I should have internalized this by now” or “I need help getting unstuck”. It’s like just handing someone else the remote control and saying “Here, you do it…”.

  2. March 29th, 2007 at 11:06 am
    derrick sorles said

    I think this CHANGE THE WORLD column is so special, I shared it today with my readers of my Life By Design blog. I agree with Whitney, I have a dear friend who sometimes has to shake me a little, to make me see the glass is really half full, not half empty.Sometimes you need that fresh pair of eyes to remind you of something. Thanks liz!

    Derrick and Michael

  3. March 29th, 2007 at 11:18 am
    Mark Goodyear said

    Liz, hang in there! The people who believe in you are strong strong believers. We know you are something special–and we know you are onto something special.

  4. March 29th, 2007 at 11:30 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Whitney!
    You chose such a great metaphor to explain this idea. We all get stuck in the static and the white noise between channels — at least everyone I know does. Maybe it’s a function of growing. :)

    But it sure is great to have friends who can help.

  5. March 29th, 2007 at 11:32 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Derrick!
    What positive you are to be singing the praises of a friend who shakes you. half full is so much brighter than half empty could ever be. :)

    Thank you for sharing this with your readers, Derrick. Please give an extra smile to Michael. :)

  6. March 29th, 2007 at 11:33 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Mark!
    Gosh. Thank you for caring. Wow. Thank you.

    No worries. Resilience is somwthing I know a little about. :)
    It was only a moment. Moments are fleeting, especially when the world is so busy. :)

    I’m having the time of my life all day long. :)

  7. March 29th, 2007 at 11:45 am
    Mark Goodyear said

    Liz, that’s a lot of smiley faces in just three responses! Your resilience didn’t involve a huge dose of caffeine by any chance, did it?

  8. March 29th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mark,
    Nope. Those smiling faces reflect how I feel. :)

  9. March 29th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
    Tariq Khan said

    Liz,

    Thanks for the kind words!

  10. March 29th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Tariq,
    A kind word and a smile deserves a kind word and a smile. :)

  11. March 29th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
    GP said

    greetings, first count on our tariq to set us on the right path :)

    Liz I’ve been told (and has worked with some success)… act “as if ” what you want already exists and step into it.

    hmm… note to self… remember this the next time you step into the saddle and Picken’s in “racetrack mode” :)

    GP in Montana

  12. March 29th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
    ME Strauss said

    GP,
    I love your wisdom and your words. And the fact that your always bring your horses with you to the conversation. :)

  13. March 29th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
    Tariq Khan said

    GP,

    Thanks for the encouragement.

  14. March 29th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
    Shawna R. B. Atteberry said

    This is a reminder I got in Kundalini yoga tonight. I’m working on a book proposal and fear is crippling me. Tonight I realized I could do it. In fact my body screamed at me: “We can do this!” So I am. Thanks again for a very timely post. :)

  15. March 29th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Shawnwa,

    I’m delighted that something over here helped you get unstuck. That’s one of my favorite things to do. :)

  16. March 30th, 2007 at 11:42 am
    Shawna R. B. Atteberry said

    You help me get unstuck quite a bit, and I really should comment more often than I do.

  17. March 30th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Shawna,
    No need to write every time it happens. I just wnated you to know that I like having that effect.

  18. April 9th, 2007 at 12:55 am
    Chris Owen said

    Hmm now THAT made me go all goosebumpy!

    Yes Liz i am still catching up on all your posts!!! Ok I haven’t had time to blog read for a bit!!

  19. April 9th, 2007 at 7:54 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Chris,
    It’s fun to know you’re visiting for a while. YEA!!

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