Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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

Generosity Is a State of Mind

Filed Under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 10 Comments

a_daisy

When I was 12, my six cousins moved one state south of Illinois. They didn’t want to leave the town where we were all growing up, as they prepared to go we started saying they were moving to the State of Misery (the fair state of Missouri). Then they settled in, made a new life, and I found myself in a new state — the State of Miss-ery.

Since that time, I’ve always been curious about “states of mind.”

This week, generosity has been the theme. People have given their time and their words to help bring attention to folks living in poverty.

Ever seen generosity?

It’s a child offering a flower because flowers make people smile. It’s grandfather picking up a granddaughter because holding her high is good for who she will be. It’s a teenager helping a stranger.

It’s giving unconditionally. It’s an offer of humanity with no strings inside. Generosity looks the same as doing our duty, but it feels like living up to who we are.

Generosity is a state of mind. It’s an open heart answering an unsent call.

Generosity doesn’t have to be an overt action.

It’s listening. It’s accepting. It’s taking time . . . giving time . . . taking time to give. Generosity is part of connection with any other human being. It’s valuing ourselves by valuing everyone around us.

Can you see how it’s generous to connect?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Three Keys to Finding New Ideas

Filed Under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 26 Comments

I've been thinking . . .

about traffic on the road of progress.

Better eat now, because I might not have time later.
Better write this now, because I might get caught up and lose track of this idea. Better do this work for this client . . . schedule that meeting . . . write that list . . . keep things moving forward down the road . . . or else.

It’s a way of always living in the future.

Lots of days work like this because, well, who knows what tomorrow will bring?

We keep moving forward because it’s better . . . better than standing still.
Better than standing still? I’m not so sure about that.

Standing brings us back to the present. Suddenly the road of progress is only one degree of 360 we might consider. A quick look around and options seem to be everywhere.

Reflection, introspection. How else do we find out what we know?
It’s good leave the traffic and see where we are.

Even better than standing still . . . is a good wander off the road.

Curiosity, experimentation. recreation. They’re three keys to finding new ideas.
Have you looked at that word lately?
re-creation
. . . think about it.

Consider re-creating a few minutes this morning.
Give yourself a chance at discovering a new idea or two.

New ideas get run over by traffic.
They thrive, sparkle, and shine by the side of the road.

curiosity_by_the_side_of_the_road


What were you doing when you got your last fabulous idea?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Image: sxc.hu

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Shy . . . or Watching Ain’t Living

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shy_stallion

I’ve been looking at this picture for days.
It reminds me of so many people I care about. It reminds me of when I sometimes feel that way.

It’s hard thing to be standing back and watching. It’s a faraway, lonesome thing to be feeling shy. I stop myself when I feel it happening. I lift my chin and tell myself that’s not living.

And now, I’m asking you to come out from behind. It’s not an act of courage. It’s test-driving your smile.

Come out where we can see you.
It’s not nearly as hard as a mind can imagine.
I know. I have a spectacular imagination of my own.

We get to thinking that maybe other folks have some sort of secret.
That’s why they’re there and we’re here, but that’s not how it goes.

Ain’t no handbook filled with the keys to belonging.
The world’s never seen one. Who’d write it? Who’d buy if someone did?

We’re all of the same species with our own ideas of what’s good.
Some folks thrive on believing that they make the sun rise every morning.
They fall apart when they finally find out that it ain’t so.

Some folks never worry about how the day gets going.
They’re the ones worth connecting with.

Then there’s us discounting. Turn off the minus signs and start counting instead. Someone might this minute be searching for a plus sign that only you have.

Watching ain’t living. Living is about participating in life.

Come out, I need help with this question . . .

What can I do to make it easier when my friends feel shy?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Image: http:stockvault.net
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Can You Be Brave and Vulnerable?

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Be Brave and Vulnerable

Some folks are brave as knights in shining armor. Some folks are vulnerable — they are damsels in distress. Most are only one or the other. They list. They lean. They need things to stand complete.

The brave ones need an audience to know their strength. They need dragons to slay. They don’t understand why folks don’t thank them when they save the kingdom. I was brave in that way once.

The vulnerable need an audience to know they’re alive. They need to give until they’re all gone. They don’t understand why other folks have boundaries. I was that kind of vulnerable once.

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I took my brave and my vulnerable out of their separate jars. They’re not broken anymore. In that way, neither am I.

Brave and vulnerable belong together, like two sides of one coin.

Brave and vulnerable touch us, teach us, and change us, each brave and vulnerable, deep and wonderful breath we breathe. We touch the universe together in large and small ways that hardly anybody knows.

Brave and vulnerable, eating tea and cookies in a big leather chair, watching me write this on a dark night in Chicago with a light on faraway.

Brave and vulnerable heart, my mind, and purpose in the same direction.

They are memories. They are imagination. They are two kids playing, smiling in the sunshine at six years old.

Brave and vulnerable − they are me and you.

Please . . . don’t let go of that. People will tell you other things.

Brave and vulnerable are like bittersweet chocolate — a rare and valuable combination.

They’re dynamic tension like poetry in motion, visibly authentic, and irresistibly powerful.

Are you brave and vulnerable?

Of course you are.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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When You’re Imagining Disastrous Endings

Filed Under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 6 Comments

Every Star Shines

Shine!

When I worked in an office, bigger problems seemed to happen when I was traveling. As a young manager, I used to look at every next trip with “what will happen this time?” anxiety.

My imagination could make anxiety into a motion picture with twists and turns and cinematic catastrophe.

Finally I caught on that the problems that happened when I was gone were the same incidents and mishaps that happened when I right there. I saw them with new proportions because I wasn’t there to manage them. I’d feel responsible for what went wrong. I’d be less effective. It wasn’t long before I was feeling anxious and imagining again.

I’m sure glad I gave up that anxiety habit. It threw my world view off balance.

It would happen, maybe for a reason, maybe without warning, I used to find myself feeling like I wasn’t up to a challenge. I’d get that creeping, anxious feeling that I wasn’t as good as the rest of the species.

It’s that thought that I wasn’t meant to be on the planet . . . and that soon everyone was gonna know . . .

Anxiety made the world all about me. It was years before I realized the answer was outside me.

The best results of anxious thoughts are positive actions they can cause.

When you’re imagining disastrous endings, pack that anxious adrenaline into positive experience. Move outside yourself. Move from where you are to where you’re wishing you might be.

Get curious. Get interested. Change your perspective.
Stop thinking, feeling, hiding. Start doing, being, believing. Experience yourself building, helping, teaching, creating, serving, giving, loving unconditionally.

You’re exceptional at some things, so no matter what one thing made you anxious . . . choose another and get going.
Start shining.
Shining heals better.
Shining calms worrying, whining, and regretting

Some say that it leads to smiling. Your results could vary.

But it’s fairly certain that it never leads to disastrous endings.

Whatcha’ waiting for? Make a weekend that shines.

Liz's Signature

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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