Motivation Archives - Page 106 of 146

Change the World: Think Unthinkably

October 4, 2007 by Liz

Life-long learner — we no longer have a choice about that.

I came to write, I had learn to code a link. I bought a phone. I had to learn to program it. Every thing has learning expectations built right in.

At times those new things, that learning, can seem an overwhelming burden. How can we learn it all and still keep going forward with what we’re supposed to be doing? Has reality become one of super-human exceptations?

I can’t walk on water or move the sun. I can’t be in two places at once. I don’t know anyone who can.

Do you?

Once I felt that way and wrote it down. An angel named, Kelley Bell, helped me out. She thoughtfully rearranged my burden.

“I wanted to ask everyone, What do you want from me? I can’t walk on water.â€

LOL

And over on my bloggy, I just posted a thing about atoms. They are not solid. Just energy and empty space.

So what is holding us all in place? What is solid?

If a chair is just atoms, which are just energy and empty space, like water, then why can one hold us while the other can not?

Quantum Physics teaches that energy is not a thing, but rather, just the probability of ideas.

Therefore, Ideas Create Reality.

and if all this is true, then why is it so unthinkable that someone who BELIEVES she can walk on water

actually can.

Think unthinkably.

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

What if We Chose a Different Color?

October 3, 2007 by Liz

Don’t Decide in Anger

Awhile back I wrote about stories I would make up about the grains of the mahogany in the headboard of my childhood bed.

The wavy lines were roads to villages where people had feelings that came in colors — anger went from red to orange.

And in the villages, they couldn’t see when in my mind I’d change the universe. On joyful days, I’d see the wood in shades of purple. On quiet days, it would be blues to greens. Rarely there would be yellows. On angry, lonely days I’d see it go from red to orange.

Red to orange. How I remember that feeling.

Anger is a lonely place.

In the response, a friend, brad4d, spoke of wisdom and anger…

“Wisdom entereth not into a malicious mind” ~ Rabelais ~ means to me, anger erases wisdom.

How skewed my thinking becomes when I feel angry. I lose sight. I lose perspective. I forget other people. I lose the wisdom and love of a lifetime. I lose the person I want to be.

Most times, I’m far from anger. Those days I’m a decent human being.

I know we couldn’t do it forever — I know we couldn’t all do it simultaneously.

But . . .

What if just once a whole bunch chose a different color? What if instead of the red of anger we chose the gold of compassion? How wise might the world start to be?

We can change the world, just like that.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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If you’re ready to change the world, send me your thoughts in a guest post. Feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.

Change the World: Solve a Problem about Problems

October 1, 2007 by Liz

It’s a Problem

I’ve been looking at the problems I’ve faced down, moved around, and crawled over. Something stands out as more interesting than their causes or how they were solved.

Every time a problem arose, I argued for it. I had to prove it was a problem.

In my effort to define what was going on I would tell someone about what a problem it was.

People would talk about solutions. I would think, “You need to know why this REALLY IS A PROBLEM.” I needed the listener to see that before I could move on.

Now it dawns on me that I’m the one who wasn’t seeing. What useful reason could I give for convincing someone (and myself) that what I faced was a problem? Isn’t that just a way to make the situation look and feel worse before I take it on? I can’t imagine how such a habit must have colored my response.

I want future irritations, change of plans, and issues to be on notice. I’m no longer advocating for you to be promoted to problems. You’ll be staying little things from this moment on.

I quit arguing on behalf of problems. I’m getting on to the solving part instead.

More time, clearer mind, less stress . . .

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

Serendipitous Dots

September 30, 2007 by Liz

Connecting dots with The Idea Dude

Serendipity

Definitely one of my favorite words

… desirable discoveries by accident. (as defined by Dictionary.com)

Writing for “Connecting the dots..” is entirely driven by serendipity. There is no plan, just a gentle meandering through the blogosphere and going wherever the words will blow me. Of course, it comes with an element of fear, like going on a world tour with just a backpack and no known destination. What will Vern say next? Usually I have no clue…

Liz is intentionally serendipitous. You’re only a stranger once! she always remind us. I suspect if she was the captain on the Starship Enterprise, we would regularly hear her say…

Permission to engage!

That was the message I got from Richard, the ‘Company Doctor’, When you go to a networking or marketing type event, the ONLY purpose you have is to â€œorganize a cup of coffee”. It is asking for permission to engage, to explore syngergies of minds and souls.

Speaking of coffee, head on over to the other side of Liz and listen to her describe serendipity waiting to happen. Actually, I was blown away by the way she described the girl. …she was a photograph waiting to happen. I wish I wrote that!

Just yesterday I walked out of Starbucks and caught the eye of someone. In that split second, it felt like there was a real connection. I know because I spent the rest of the day wondering why I didn’t say anything. Lost serendipity, methinks. I’m sure you’ve encountered moments like that.

Of course, serendipitous moments are most likely to happen, the more you allow the world to touch you. For example, taking the subway train every day instead of driving is more serendipitous as OmegaMom found out. She recounts her joy of finding a busker who could touch her with beautiful music. She is indeed wistful for those days of serendipitous music providing a sound track for my city life.

Hmm, I think I need to slow down my frenetic life enough so serendipity can find me

May the dots be with you!

Vern, The Idea Dude

Click here to see more dots we connected

Change the World: Are You Coming?

September 29, 2007 by Liz

No Explosives Needed

On the road to our dream destination,

we’re bound to find a few detours and breathing blockades

who seem dead-set on bringing us down.

It’s good to know that when someone knocks us over

or tries to set a match to our plans,

that we can pick ourselves up and kick a little water to put out the flame.

Because the sky and the water belong to everyone

and the sun doesn’t belong just to me

So, are you coming along for the ride of your life?

We’re getting out our crayons.

We’ve got all of the creativity we need.

We know what beautiful looks like — what to make and what to keep.

—

We’re going to change the world.

Wait and see.

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.

Jersey Todd, Vince Lombardi, and Collecting Quotes of Humanity

September 27, 2007 by Liz

Jersey Todd sent me this quote by the famed Vince Lombardi, a legend in American football coaching.

“Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay for success, it enables you to ignore the minor hurts, the opponent’s pressure, and the temporary failures. ”

That got me thinking about success, and then . . .

And then, it got me thinking about Jersey Todd and Vince Lombardi — and all of the men and women who are like them, which got me thinking about how alike we all are. You see, I’m guessing that most of us already know what Mr. Lombardi was saying.

I’m thinking that’s the reason we collect quotes and send them to friends. Those words of wisdom we pull out to share for whatever reason are a way of saying, “Hey, look . . . see. We might choose other words. Our experience of them might look different, but the essence is that we’ve been there. . . . and so has he.

Inspiring isn’t it that a sentence one person said years ago would be kept and valued?Amazing to see how a sentence can be a fine thread that connects and translates our humanity.

We’re there inside the words we say. We already know that.
If we look closer, we’ll find ourselves inside the words that everyone is saying,
Words connect us as human beings.

Young children know this.

” â€œPromise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” –Christopher Robin to Pooh(A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh)

Would you add your own quote to the list?