Successful Blog

How to Be Ever Grateful for What You Have

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Thanksgiving. Families. Rooms filled with people. Old torn relationships and new relatives. Or worse. A diner and a meal alone with faded memories.

We can’t bring back or remake today into what once was.
We can’t get the folks we love to behave exactly as we might want.
We can’t orchestrate the world to turn slowly to our best thoughts.

But we can be grateful for what we’ve got.
Every day. No matter what. We can recognize and celebrate what we value most of all.

How to Be Ever Grateful for What You Have

When that clerk in the grocery shop snaps and cracks and can’t even look up to see the person that you are, think about the generous person might have seen. Smile anyway and say “Thank you.”

When that person at work treats you like an inconsequential robot, think about the value you add every day. Smile anyway and say “Thank you.”

When that family member takes over the center of the universe, think about how much nicer you can be when you’re able to see the view from the perimeter. Smile anyway and say “Thank you.”

When that person you misinterprets your good deeds, think about good feelings that came with the doing. Smile anyway and say “Thank you.”

When that gossip says things about you that aren’t true, talk to your friends who would never believe such things about you. Then smile anyway and say “Thank you.”

Thank you
for showing me I don’t get thrown by little things.
for helping me see who I am is not what you say about me.
for the opportunity to try a positive response to your negativity.

Thank you can be an invitation to set the table differently.

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But most importantly,
When the people who help you thrive show up,
smile every time and say thank you.
You’ll know them by the way
they consistently say and show they have faith in you,
by the hope and time they invest your dreams,
and by the endless love they provide to see you through.

Make every breath a smile and a thank you.
Say it out loud and show to proudly in every way you know how.

It’s a forever gratitude … a generosity that goes both ways.
Smile and say “thank you” out loud to recognize how rich your life is.
Every day.
———
Thank you to everyone who has changed my life.
My gratitude is huge and will always come back to you.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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But Your Blog Has, And Mine Doesn’t

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By Terez Howard

When I was a kid, I always wanted a Power Wheels Barbie car. You know what I’m talking about. It’s one of those cars that children can drive around in their backyards. I thought I would go on backyard adventures in my own Barbie Jeep.

When I begged my parents for one, they said that the cars were too expensive and that I would soon grow out of the toy. Needless to say, I hated that answer and persisted in my requests. But I never got one.

Don’t feel badly for me, though. I was never deprived of anything as a child. My parents were right. I remember passing by those little cars in a toy store once, wondering if I was ever tiny enough to squeeze in one.

In the meantime, I improvised. I took my little red wagon and pretended it was my race car. I took it on many adventures and “drove” it all around my house.

Do the best with what you have

My little story illustrates what you can do with a supposed lackluster blog. I see it all the time. Blogs have super impressive graphics, photos, amazing video, killer content, free reports, e-books AND the kitchen sink. They have everything, and that makes me feel like I have nothing.

But I’m not going to sit around and feel sorry about myself. You shouldn’t, either.

Here’s something you can do when comparisons leave your blog behind others. Ask yourself:

  1. What makes my blog special?
  2. What uniqueness do I have to bring to the table?
  3. How can I use these two things to benefit my audience?

For me, first and foremost, I’m a writer. So, I make it a point to do my utmost to write quality content. What is it for you? Are you best at research, marketing, design, or something else? Whatever your strong point is make it the strongest part of your blog. So, if you take great photos, then include your own original, awesome pictures with your posts.

But what if you want to be that big time blog that has it all?

Take baby steps

You’ll get there, and so will I, for that matter. You are not going to have a flashy blog overnight, unless you pay a pretty penny for it. So take your time to first create a blog rich in high quality content which highlights your strongest qualities.

After you master that, move on to add another aspect to your blog and another and another. Personally I don’t have all the time in the world, and I know that it’s impossible for me to learn a new concept in a few days. It’s not that I don’t have the mind for it; I just don’t have the time for it.

If you’re in my boat, rest assured that you can learn simple html coding and how to edit video content. Just take your time. If you don’t, a rushed, thrown-together product will not get good feedback from your readers or yourself.

Do the best you can with what you have, and try to not compare yourself with others. Instead, learn from the gurus’ victories and mistakes when building your blog.

What do you do to improve your blog?

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Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas. You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger.

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

How to Be the Most Magnetically Attractive Person in the Room

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What Draws People to You?

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I have a friend who lights up every room that she enters. People are drawn to her. They gather around her. She’s a delight and so everyone wants to spend time with her. You might be surprised to know that she’s an introvert and doesn’t much like being in big groups.

Like me, this shy friend did her time standing against the wall watching from the outside while the great conversations happened just a few feet away from her. Then she cracked the secret of how to be in the conversation and help others belong in the conversation too.

How to Be the Most Magnetically Attractive Person in the Room

Much of what I know about feeling good in a big room comes from the time I spent watching my shining friend meet and greet people she doesn’t know and get them to talk with her. That introvert consistently becomes the most magnetically attractive person in the room. Introvert or not, here’s how you can do it.

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  • Smile. If it feels like everyone is looking at you, look at them. Look people in the eye and smile. Look like you’re someone easy to be with, friendly and approachable. Read on to get an idea on how to do that.
  • Assume kinship. Decide that you have something in common with everyone. Make it your goal to find out what it is. Something brought you both into the same room.
  • Take the “self” out of self-confidence. Be confident that every person will teach you something you didn’t know before. It could be a new idea, a new story or a practice at listening.
  • Start a conversation. Have a favorite easy, open question that solicits a creative answer or opinion. Mine is What do you do when you’re not this? Others are: If you could be anywhere right now, what would be doing? How does this event compare to the last event you attended? Mind if I ask your advice about how to meet some of the people in this room?
  • Wear something that gets folks commenting. Every notice how easy it is to talk to the man with the huge watch or the woman with colorful scarf. An interesting accessory invites conversation. Choose something that makes it easy to say “hello.”
  • Be approachable. As you’re talking to someone and you see someone approaching reach out an arm to invite that person into the conversation. You might pause to say, “Come on in.” Find out the person’s name. Introduce him or her into the conversation. Then continue on.

I’ve seen the magic that my friend spins whenever she steps outside herself to focus on every other person in the room. I’ve found it’s not just her talent. It’s a strategy that also works for me. And it can work for you.

To be the most magnetically attractive networker in the room, the key is to make it easy, smart, fun, and meaningful to talk to you. The same approach works online too.

What tricks have you found to be more approachable in a networking room?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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What Three Values Drive Your Brand?

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(Updated in 2020)

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

10-Point Plan — The Brand Values Baseline Defined

Three Reasons Get Us to the Task at Hand

Now the core team returns to discuss the feedback from the stakeholder leaders who’ve helped them identify the brand values baseline. Review the words each group has returned with and talk through the meaning until the group can roll up the short list to three words that stand for the foundational core values that drive the business. Try one from the head, one from the heart, and one from the long-term vision or meaning.

An example might be these three that drive SOBCon:

Delivering brilliance: We believe in intelligent, elegant connected ideas that raise us up to higher thinking.

Trusting fearlessness: We believe in authentic trust in ourselves and others that has no room for fear as it stand with our intelligent ideas.

Deep Strategic Vision: Our quest and our purpose is to move ourselves, our businesses, and those around us forward with leadership born of strategy and deep meaningful purpose.

Or brilliance, trust, vision. Those three words wrap up the sentences and make the an easy reference for every decision that drives our business. Other people on the core team can choose their synonyms and as long as they mean the same thing, we can trust in the variations and the mutations that will grow from them.

We have our values aligned.

What three values drive your business?

READ the Whole 10-Point Plan Series: On the Successful Series Page.

Brand Haiku: Sweet Ride Chicago!

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In the social business world of social media and Twitter, online relationships are lead to offline relationships in amazing ways. The Buick Tweet to Drive test drive experience was a particularly special one for me.

With a simple Tweet
I was in the drivers seat
Sweet ride, Chicago!

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Thanks Buick Tweet to Drive for the transportation and the conversation during the ride! It was more than great marketing. It was an experience.

“Visit Aaron Strout’s blog for the next brand haiku.”

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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