Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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

Dots that Dream

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Connecting dots with The Idea Dude

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My intent this week was to talk about thinking and finding new thinkers. I asked myself what do thinkers do when they think? Sure, they assimilate a lot of new information from around them and they come up with new ideas. But how do they do that?

I believe a lot starts with a keen sense of possibility. They ask themselves what if? and why not? and in the process a new thought is born. That idea emerges from imagining, not the impossible, but the possible. Watch a child play with Lego blocks and see how things are built as they see it. No-one told them it was impossible so they did it.

To dream is to imagine our own possibilities

So what is dream but an imagination of our future sparked by our sense of possibility. Yet so often, we are stereotyped by those around us, telling us it is foolish to dream and to survive in the real world it is all about execution. But without the dream, there is no vision and without vision, how will your execution get you there?

Dreaming other people’s dreams

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Liz asks Why is it so hard for us to believe?We can believe that the other guy will win, but not us. He will be the President, the rock star, the artist. She will be the CEO, the actor, the international lawyer. But it never crosses our mind to aspire to that path.

Are you afraid to dream?

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Joel says…what if we started to dream our own dreams? You and I might change beyond all recognition.

Empowered by our imagination

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Jennifer asks us if we have a dream within and reminds us that Everything that was ever created by humans was first imagined. What can we imagine?

Keeping the strength to dream

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Terry was inspired by a line from an Elvis song. But as long as a man has the strength to dream, he can redeem his soul and fly

Need I say more?

Dream on.

May the dots be with you!


Vern, The Idea Dude

Dots that Change the World

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On this very blog, Liz’s open invitation is for you to join her to Change the World. We often think we have to be presidents, rich or influential to do that. We somehow believe that often we’re too ordinary or too insignificant to be agents of changes.

Consider this… if the net effect of one man donating $5 million dollars is the same as 5 million people donating a single dollar, why should we feel our donation of a dollar be worth any less in thought or deed?

We can be everyday heroes.

All it takes is an act of kindness…

Is it a coincidence that two of Liz’s call to actions are together we can change the world and be nice? I think not!

Make it personal.

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Mary says it’s the little things that make a difference. Perhaps, in this hustle-bustle world filled with impersonal information, it is the personal attention, the personal contact, the personal encouragement that means the most.

Make time to acknowledge and encourage.

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Robyn relates an inspiring story of choice and explains why …naming specifics makes a difference when you recognize brilliance in action… and ..helps people to become more of who they’re meant to be.

The best place to start is within.

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Bob shares with us that any change, planned or random, involves a few key elements among them questions, fear and risk.. Those questions, fear and risk often leads to procrastination. I often have to remind myself, the question is not “what if I did”, but “what if I didn’t”… There is no change without action.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

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Matthew shared with us a speech from Queen Rania of Jordan. There is no better call to action for us to change the world. In a shrinking world, we cannot afford to ration our compassion. More than ever, our fates are intertwined – and our friendship must know no boundaries…we are the ones we have been waiting for

May the dots be with you!


Vern, The Idea Dude

Time and Dots

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Connecting dots with The Idea Dude

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This week marks the 2nd birthday of Successful Blog. So this post is about one very special dot, Liz. You can always tell if something is said from heart, like a fundamental truth, it usually stands the test of time. So I went on a time travel. Two years ago as she took over successful-blog, Liz asked, What do you think I should know about you? It was her way of making space for a conversation. Today, the tagline may have changed a little, You’re only a stranger once, but the fundamental nature of Liz remains the same… her perpetual curiosity about the world and all of us who live within it.

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It’s no wonder, one of her all-time favorite posts would be her invitation to all of us to please take the keys. Ask her why?because the conversation in the comments is a naked education in blogging and the beauty of community. In her own inimitable way, Liz has forever changed the way we blog and the way we read and interact with blogs.

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Pam tells us it’s important to celebrate, just take some time to celebrate you and all the wonderful things you bring to the table. Oh, and the nice thing, celebrating does not have to cost money, it does not have to take up too much time…. I think Liz would view this celebration as a celebration not of just Liz, nor just you, nor just me but of US. We should all celebrate successful-blog because we all helped define it in some small way. We were all part of the conversation and continue to be.

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Gidge received the most beautiful birthday note ever. It said I just can’t wait to see what you are going to look like tomorrow, next week, next year, in 50 years. But I’m pretty sure I already know. I can’t wait to see what this blog will look like tomorrow, next week and next year. I’d bet the farm that many of you feel the same way too.

Gidge also shared a wonderful quote from a silly ole bear

If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you – Winnie the Pooh

May the dots be with you!


Vern, The Idea Dude

Wise Dots

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Connecting dots with The Idea Dude

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It has very little to do with intelligence and everything to do with humanity…

Liz said this when she was wondering a week ago about what it meant to be wise. I thought about how I viewed others as wise. It wasn’t because they knew 1+1=2. That’s because they were smart. It was when they took my problem and helped me look at it in a different way and in so doing showed me the path that was obscured because of me. They didn’t have to have a solution already or have lived that problem before. They simply knew how to look at things a little differently and in doing so taught me more than I could learn alone. They were wise. Liz also said…

Maybe wisdom defined is unconditional love and understanding. . . .

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Chris talked about trust and seeking advice. Mike nailed it in his comment to Chris …to lead us either out of our current situation, or into a better one – they must first come to where we are and take our hand.

Perhaps wisdom is seeking the unknown rather than the known. . . .

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Phil reminds us that wise men ask great questions. The conversations I’ve had with great friends/mentors/advisors were always those where they never stopped asking me questions even though they were uncomfortable ones but always done with heart. They somehow knew that until they understood how I got to where I was and where I wanted to go, they could not help me. But in doing so, we travelled down the path together.

Wisdom comes from unexpected quarters. . . .

Mathew has been a long-time proponent for comments on blogs. He says, . . . I think the “conversation” is part of what makes blogs so powerful (even if it’s more of an argument!) . . . Just as no meal is complete without dessert, no blog entry should be read without the accompanying comments. They add dimension, flavor and dare I say, wisdom.

Wisdom is accumulated over time. . . .

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Jules said it best when she reminisced on when we believed we could fly and we grow wiser over the years. I don’t remember changing, it must have happened when I was asleep.

Since Liz inspired this post, it’s fitting she has the last words. . . .

We can change the world — just like that!

May the dots be with you!


Vern, The Idea Dude

Giving Dots

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Connecting dots with The Idea Dude

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Tomorrow will be Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Thanksgiving conjures up words like harvest, community, celebration, thanks . . . and giving.

Have you ever thought of your blog that way?

Every time we post, it is a gift. We determine what kind of gift we will be giving.

Gifts are meant to be free.

Free means no expectation that people will comment or link.

Gifts are voluntary.

We have no obligation to blog. Voluntary means when a blogger feels like giving.

Not everyone will like your gift.

A gift is not a contract to please. Voluntary means no obligation to receive.

While the act is immediate, the intent is timeless.

A gift posted now, could be read today, tomorrow, or 6 years from now.

That gift is a transfer of something from us to others.

What was it you were trying to say?

Gifts are given, not shared.

I used to think that blogs are moments and knowledge we share. Sharing somehow means we haven’t let go. Perhaps we should rethink. Are our words best shared or given without reserve?

A gift, no matter how big or small, is still a gift.

Appreciate the act of giving and the giver first, then enjoy the gift for its heart not for its value.

The best gifts are unexpected.

Perhaps it is why we continue to write and read. We find that story that inspires us, makes us laugh or, just as often, makes us cry. Little do we realize that those moments, in some intangible way, change our lives forever. Imagine you could erase every blog you read from your memory. Would you feel empty? Surely I would . . .

Then there is the reciprocity . . .

What is the harvest? the conversation, of course!
Blog posts are created in response to ours. Comments are left because we started a conversation.

This thankful dot went looking for dots to connect this week. Instead, of 1 or 2, I found the blogosphere. So rather than name a few,

This post is really for YOU!

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You made me think . . . why isn’t every day a Thanksgiving Day?

May the dots be with you! . . . and thank you.


Vern, The Idea Dude

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