Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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

How I Chose 18 Thought Leaders to Follow (and Their Links)

Filed Under Idea Bank, Outside the Box, Successful Blog | 28 Comments

Business, Blogs, Living

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Yesterday, I talked about

How to Play Follow the Leader to Kick Start Your Brain

Today I thought I might take that further and tell how to choose who to follow.

How I Chose 18 Thought Leaders to Follow

Great leaders don’t have the answers. They have the questions. They seek the answers. They look at who came before them. They talk, but listen more. They write, but not as much as they read. Great leaders are a curious lot.

They encourage us to do our own thinking. Here’s the criteria used to choose 18 Thought Leaders and links to their blogs and blog posts to demonstrate what I’m saying.

Follow the folks who like ideas and learning.

Follow the folks who are curious and curious about you.

Follow the folks who are positive.

Follow the folks who are jazzed about what they do.

Follow the folks who know where they are going.

Follow the folks who’ve made it and are still there.

Need I say more?

The number of leaders on our doorstep is unimaginable. We could be inspired every minute.

Think of the leaders you recommend. What qualities do you use to choose who you follow?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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I Have an Idea — I Have Lots of Them!
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How to Play Follow the Leader to Kick Start Your Brain

Filed Under Idea Bank, Successful Blog | 7 Comments

Business, Blogs, Living

Outside the Box logo

Did you ever play that game — Follow the Leader — in school? The person in front has an idea, and everyone else does the same thing. You might think it’s a bunch of redundancy. Most times it is.

But it doesn’t have to be.

Here’s a recipe to use this game to kick start your brain.

How to Play Follow the Leader to Kick Start Your Brain

In my class, we made our own rules. The game was not only more interesting. It was a WHOLE LOT more fun! My secret is that I’ve used the premises of this silly game to kick start my brain in every job I’ve ever had.

Absolutely, positively do not go back to the source once you’ve started to play with the idea . . . until you’ve made the idea your own. Then all that’s left is to write, tell, or present your thoughts, and to remember to thank the leader who was your inspiration.

You get the idea. Actually with a little practice, my guess is that you’ll be getting more than one.

How do you usually kick start your brain?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Related
I Have an Idea — I Have Lots of Them!
Don’t Hunt IDEAS — Be an Idea Magnet

I Have an Idea — I Have Lots of Them!

Filed Under Idea Bank, Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 16 Comments

Any first grade teacher will tell you. . .

some days, some times of the year, what you planned just isn’t working. The kids are one place, and you’re in another one.

Any actor, any writer, any artist who performs for an audience, will tell you the same thing. Parents know it. Managers know it. The folks who care for animals know it too.

Ask any marketer. I bet you’ll hear that customers don’t behave according to plan.

When I used to work in an office, I called certain times of the year “karma-skew,” because they were predictably off. Those were by no means the only ones when it seemed that most folks in the building were, well, . . . a little bit . . . um . . . zany. I only wish. What we really were was bored and cranky.

Since the time that the world began, humans have had our explanations for this phenomena . . . the planets are misaligned. . . . The sun is breaking out in spots.

Any first grade teacher knows it happens before a rainstorm, or when the sky clears, or when there’s going to be a vacation day, or when it’s the first day back, or a special event, or hundred million other everyday catastrophes and celebrations.

Who cares why? It just does. A time comes when we need to change things up.

When it does . . . you set the plan aside, and you say, “I have an idea!”

ALERT! ALERT! Liz has an idea!


Actually, I have lots of them. I have ideas about having ideas, about making friends, about being jazzed and productive — all things that are fun!

So let’s put the heavy thinking aside. Here’s a great place to start.

Don’t Hunt IDEAS — Be an Idea Magnet

What’dya think? Good idea? Are you ready to come along?

Liz's Signature

1000+ Already Brainstormed Tweaks and Ideas

Filed Under Great Finds, Idea Bank, Successful Blog | 18 Comments

Yea!! Look at This List!

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If you’re looking for ways to tweak your blog, your brand, or your business for better performance, this list will save you the time of compiling ideas. Consider this a major checklist. Take what you like and ignore the rest.

BONUS: I couldn’t resist including this one, though it’s not related to most blogs.

The Top 100 Things I’d Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord


–ME :Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

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Simplenomics Has Answers for You

Filed Under Idea Bank, Successful Blog | 8 Comments

Are you Wondering What’s Next?

Mike has lined up James Roche to answer your questions on Info products.
There will be a teleseminar and a webcast to answer questions. Click the logo to find out more.

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Then go ask your question.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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