Successful Blog

20 Outstanding Links to Answer "What Do You Do?"

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That Intriguing Answer

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Answering the simple question “What do you do?” can be stressful. If we’re not prepared we can offer all of the wrong details of our lives. Actually sometimes, we can offer our entire lives in total.

If instead we know who we are and what we’re about, we have our information sorted and internalized. We can answer the question with confidence in such a way that folks will ask us to elaborate on what we do and why.

I wrote about how to prepare your own answer in

To fill out the information, I researched what other folks are saying on related topics, especially the famous “elevator pitch.” Here’s the best I found from around the blogosphere. They are 20 links to add to the article I wrote yesterday.

  1. 5 tips for creating an ‘elevator pitch’

  2. Sixty Seconds With…You (The Personal Elevator Pitch)

  3. The Elevator Pitch

  4. How to Craft a Killer Elevator Pitch That Will Land You Big Business Pitch

  5. Elevator Pitch Goes Internet

  6. Elevator Pitch: YOUR TV Show Opening Narration

  7. With The Elevator Pitch, Finding Beauty in Simplicity is Key

  8. Is An Elevator Pitch Really That Important?

  9. Get your “elevator pitch” ready!

  10. Improve Your Elevator Pitch to Raise Startup Capital

  11. Helpful Hints For A Successful Elevator Pitch

  12. Networking and the 30 Second Elevator Pitch By Josh Hinds

  13. Everyone needs an elevator pitch

  14. In 30 seconds or less what is your elevator pitch?

  15. The 30 Second Motto Elevator Pitch

  16. Elevator Pitch – How to talk about your Business?

  17. The Perfect (Elevator) Pitch

  18. Complacency Is For The Dogs


  19. Captivation Promotes Creation

  20. Difference between an Elevator Pitch and an Elevator Story

Remember that an elevator pitch is more appropriate for a product or an idea. The “What do you do?” question is a chance to open a conversation.

Use these as you find them useful. Then tell me. What you do?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz to help you find your strategy, click on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

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Personal Identity: Trust

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Can we talk about . . .

trust.

My father used to say, “Trust nobody.”

I would answer, “Daddy, that would mean I couldn’t trust you.”

His reply would be. “Yes, I know.”

I knew that wasn’t true. Still I could trust him, and I could trust what he said too.

playing-with-daddy

The irony of the conversation of my dad with his little girl is that trust isn’t found in words. Trust is a way of living. It’s written in who we are.

My father was right. He taught me that no one can tell of trust. One has to live it, give it, and aspire to be trustworthy. Trust is character.

I hear us talking about trust. I heard you say it just this week. trust We talk about who we trust, whether we can trust, the need for transparency to trust each other.

When the world got crowded did our trust get crowded out of it?

Every small child is trustworthy. I trust in humanity.

Trust. I have plenty.

I have plenty because without it . . .

I can’t smile or write. I can’t be brave or vulnerable.

Take my trust. Take all you need.

Because without it . . . I can’t breathe.

How do you find the trust you need?

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

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Coffee in the Morning Wherever I Go

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Jan and Joanna Inspired Me!

How could I not enjoy getting to work in the morning? Each day when I open the doors to this little blog, I find wonderful minds here to share conversation and coffee. Listen in to one conversation that happen on a day I was traveling, a short two weeks ago.

We talked about the in-between times, the life that happens that is not a big event. Juggling Frogs, offered congratulations on my son’s graduation. Karin H. revealed the news of a quadruple birthday party. Lodewijkvdb pointed with wonder at how human beings have the power to relive the past in our minds. Robert said, ” the best ideas come from, the ones that have nothing to do with work, but with life.” Gary returned to add that we often forget to enjoy the part in between big events. zakman pointed out that with understanding the inbetweens of hard times, we might also find solace. Mike observed that we spend time at big events talking about the inbetweens. GP offered one of her timely quotes that leave me thinking for days

My mind is filled up every morning with such learning. Who else gets to spend coffee with such incredible people every mroning? Even more incredible I am totally able to take my morning coffee friends with me wherever I go.

Thank you all for the life’s breath you give me every morning.

What morning rituals are a part of your blog?

[inspired by Joanna’s thematic links]
Click the thematic links logo above
to find out how to take the challenge
to write a thematic links post of your own.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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Change the World: Shaping the World in Little Ways

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Hey, Jon, How Can We Change the World?

changetheworld8

Jon Swanson and I met not long ago. It was shortly after I had started reading his blog. We haven’t talked on the phone. We’ve merely passed messages like two kids in school. Still I think that because we share a certain mutual friend and because I’ve read what he wrote I know him some what.

I wasn’t surprised when an email with Jon’s post for the Change the World series. I share it now with you.

Shaping the World in Little Ways

Guest Writer: Jon Swanson

People tell me all the time that they want to make their lives matter, that they want to do something significant, that they want to change the world.

All the time? Isn’t that an exaggeration?

Not really. I’m a dad and a husband and a friend and a pastor and a listener. Most of my conversations somehow involve people who aren’t happy with something about their situation, or something about their life or something about their job or something about the furniture or …..

But you said that people were wanting to change the world. You are talking about complaining, aren’t you?

Not really. I have this funny notion that people are connected to each other, that what happens to one person can change someone else.

Yeah, that’s the “butterfly wing” effect, right? A small action somewhere changes something in the other part of the universe. That’s so cliche.

I know. It’s silly. Of course, if I started describing the yellow swallowtail I see in the backyard right now, while sitting in the old rocking chair that my grandfather sat in, and Susan Reynolds thought about it and decided to paint that butterfly, and then put the cards on her website, where Becky McCray ordered some to send a thank you to Jim Long for painting pictures with his words and images, which made Jim particularly motivated in his camera work so that he shot a visual meditation on yellow swallowtails which was edited into the closing credits sequence at the end of the network news someday so that 2-3 million people watching were less cranky about the world when they sat down for supper and encouraged their kids instead of scolding them so that they did well on their tests the next day and school performance, just for a day, improved–would that be cliche?

Well yes. But it would be a good way to show some link love. And what the world needs now is love, link love.

That’s pretty cliche, too.

I know.

Here’s the point. To talk about deciding to change the world ignores the fact that we already are. Our existence, our interactions, our writing, our time, our love, our hate–all of these things are shaping the world in small ways. The question is not whether you are ready to change your world. The question is whether you like the way you are already changing it. And whether you are willing to be part of helping other people change the world. too.

Even if the action is as simple as writing a post.

Like this.

—Jon Swanson
_______
Thanks, Jon, for showing us how we are changing the world in the “ittle ways” that count.

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

Thank You, Rick Mahn, for Your Top 10!

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Thank You, Rick

relationships button

Rick Mahn made an annoucement today. {art of it went like this.

. . . I started by identifying my Top 10 bloggers. Why? Because I get the most value out of their writing. I’m going ”old-school” on them and actually visiting their blogs every day and reading their content in it’s “native environment” instead of the text in a feed reader. The reason for this is because I believe that greater understanding and enjoyment of their work is gained on their site. (btw – the position on the list is irrelevant, I just pasted them in as I decided on which ones I wanted.)

So here are my Top 10 [+1} Bloggers:

Thank you, Rick, for including my blog in on this listlist of top bloggers. It’s something special to find my name among my heroes and even nicer to know that you’re reading us in our natural habitat.

Sweet!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

The Mic Is On: We're Talking with Becky about Beer . . .

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It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

The-most-marvelous-Becky-McCray
The Mic Is On

Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

. . . Wine, and Whiskey – and a Liquor Store in Oklahoma

allens.jpg

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey.

Oh, and bring related links about to share!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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