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How to Own the Incredible Influence of a 65th Crayon

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65th Crayon Portrait

When I was little, I used to play with crayons. They were like people to me. In some ways, crayons helped form my philosophy of life. Now sometimes I think of people as if they are crayons. For me, the metaphor works. I see — the Needy Pinks, a Bossy Blues, or the occasional Frail Gray ones.

Those folks don’t get much of my time. When they tell me what to do, I don’t really listen no matter how loudly or sweetly they speak. That’s because, at the end of the day, they’re always trying to move me to do something for them.

People who are centered on themselves are like broken crayons to me. They’re not as much fun to work or to play with. It’s kind of sad really. I don’t think that most “broken crayons” are particularly aware, or particularly selfish on purpose. They seem to be trying to hard to prove they have a right to be here.

I’ve been lucky enough to have the privilege of knowing a Shining Silver. One day I hope to be one. The Shining Silver is special in that she knows herself well, and she’s about everyone else.

It’s always a pleasure to do whatever she asks. That’s incredible influence.

In that way, she’s a 65th Crayon.

How to Own the Incredible Influence of a 65th Crayon

What’s a 65th Crayon? Why is one so influential? A 65th Crayon is someone who is one of a kind, who thinks individual thoughts. Some folks call it being out of the box. Well, of course, a 65th Crayon would be out of the box — only 64 come in the box.

You need to live seven key ideas to own the incredible influence of a 65th Crayon.

  1. A 65th Crayon is self-sharpening.
    It is, and always will be, sharp enough already.

  2. A 65th Crayon isn’t about making a mark or proving it’s smart.
    It doesn’t need to make a point, to get a point, or to point out anything.

  3. A 65th Crayon isn’t about drawing lines.
    It blends and balances other colors, coaxing out their vibrant shades.

  4. A 65th Crayon doesn’t worry about fitting in the box.
    A 65th crayon is the perfect size to fit in the whole world.

  5. A 65th Crayon is unique and thus precious like every crayon ever made.

  6. A 65th Crayon cannot hide. It’s colorful personality gives it away.

  7. A 65th Crayon may get misplaced, or shared, but it is never lost.

Influence comes from understanding that we’re all different, that we all come to our conclusions on our own. Incredible influence comes from knowing that it’s always about the other guy not me and that we all feel like the one left out of the box now and then. Turning that feeling into a good thing is a spectacular outlook to live by and model. That’s what a 65th Crayon does so well. Who isn’t attracted to that?

In the end, who do we listen to? . . . I listen to the ones who assume the rest of us crayons already know how to draw.

Are you a 65th Crayon? What other crayons have you known? Go ahead. Have some fun. Give them a a colorful name.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Will You Make Joe's Promise with Me?

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I've been thinking . . .

about Joe’s promise.

About a week ago, Joe wrote a post that’s been on my mind.

It’s authenticity. It’s transparency. It’s more than that . . . it’s outright honesty without a filter and it came with a promise attached.

It’s a stunning example of writing.

Even more, it leads to a blogger’s promise that is beautiful in its own right.

Joe’s Promise

  • I will be sure to comment on other Blogs if I can add to the conversation.
  • I will respond to comments on my own Blog.
  • I will acknowledge any links to my Blog with a comment on the linker’s Blog.
  • I will continue to link to other Blogs that are pertinent to a posts content.
  • I will once again be a part of the Blogging Community.
  • That is my promise to the Community as a whole, in part, and individually.

If you feel you are losing some of the interaction that is an integral part of Blogging, you may want to join me in this Promise to the Community.

What I’ve been thinking is this . . . this is a promise worth making.

Will you make Joe’s promise with me?

Just pick up the words, post them on your blog, and link back to Joe’s post. Tag it “Joe’s Promise,” and pass it on.

What do you say, Chris, Ann, Phil, Terry, Bes, and everyone?

Thank you, Joe, from me . . . and from everyone who cares about the conversation.

Liz's Signature

Change the World: Make the Sky a New Color

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Suddenly Crayons Found Her

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A friend and I have an ongoing conversation about crayons and their powers. We’ve noticed how a mere mention of the waxy “creatures” gets people talking about positive experiences and ideas. On Mondays last year when the sky or events seems gray and without color, our early morning email conversation about crayons would get a little longer.

One night while we were talking, a miscue happened. I’m sure I don’t remember the story as well as I remember the fallout. Messages were sent and received. Feelings were misunderstood and confused. Even after it was sorted, things didn’t feel back to normal.

In a cold, gray next morning, I was still bothered. I went to a convenience store, bought a box of crayons, and walked down the street to a florist. I asked for a small bunch of flowers, and Would they include the crayons in the arrangement?

Okay, so the flower lady looked at me a little funny, but she did what I asked.

Sunset at Semaphore

I wrote in the card something like, When the gray Chicago sky sucks, color a new one. and signed it with love.

She called laughing saying that was the best idea.

The most amazing thing happened. One a week, near the train station, my friend found a crayon waiting for her — yellow, blue, green, blue again. I think that was the order.

Suddenly crayons found her. Now my friend has a whole collection of crayons.

Amazing things happen when you make the sky a new color.

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

Soulful Dots Speaking

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Connecting dots with The Idea Dude

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Perhaps it is archaic education or upbringing, there always existed a distinct difference in my mind between writing and speaking… Reading and writing was a passive, distance activity whereas speaking and listening was an active and intimate experience.

…until now.

Over the past months, I started to speak and listen through my blog.

The words were not just the medium, they were proxies for my voice just as your comments were for yours.

Is it so radical? you may ask.

I think it is, when you read, you want to be educated or entertained. When you listen, you want to be engaged.

When you write, you want to inform or enlighten, when you speak, you want to participate and elicit a response.

It is a question of intent, something that is beginning to change the face of the blogosphere.

The intent to converse and engage…

If that is your intent, then listen to these dots…

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Liz spoke this week of what it takes to be a superstar conversationalist. We have to be imperfectly human to draw a response and then be active listeners.

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Ann made me wonder, Maybe we need to listen to someone else’s interpretation of the conversation that can only come about if we start a conversation and then leave space for a response.

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As a parent, I love reading bloggers describe their experiences with their children. When Nesting Momma spoke about her child, falling from the nest, I realized I was not reading but listening when she spoke about, It will happen often, daily, yearly even in her adulthood; she will make mistakes, have accidents and fall from the nest. I am so honored to be the one that gets to pick her up, dust off her wings and give her wind to fly again.

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Robert told us a joke to end the week, it was pretty much the same way I related it to my son. For me, Robert is a story-teller first and a writer second. Isn’t that the way it should be?

Perhaps, the word blog has already outlived its usefulness because for many of us,

we’ve already taken it far beyond where we found it.

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Instead of saying I read a hundred blogs this week, I really heard a hundred souls speaking..

I am truly blessed.

So which dots spoke to you this week? pray tell!

May the dots be with you!

Vern, The Idea Dude

Making Up the Answers

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Genius-ry

I've been thinking . . .

about the answers.

When I was a first grade teacher, I thought I’m not going to pretend. Kids have to know that grown-ups don’t have all of the answers.

So, lots of times I said, “I don’t know.”

Then sometimes I said, “But I bet we can figure it out.”

But you know, sometimes the answer didn’t matter, nearly as much as the figuring out did. When that was the case, we would just carefully, thoughtfully, most intelligently make up the answers.

Yep. That’s what we did, and it just worked out.

How many stars does it take to make a sky?

We imagined an answer. Then we tested it to see whether it worked. If it did, we kept it. If it didn’t, we took a new try.

We made up words . . . genius-ry, left-hand leg, beautificent!
Then we drew pictures of them.

We made up a song about sauaage, mashed potatoes, and love.

We sat in a circle on the floor and made up the answers to our problems.

Now I wonder if there are any life answers that are always right for sure.

Maybe all of life is about making it up as I go along.

Liz's Signature

Positively Jazzed about Oranges and Sunshine, Lemons and Rain

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About Lemons and Rain

I’m on my way to Southern California — oranges and sunshine — hard not be positively jazzed about that. It could be lemons and rain. Then I’d be . . . positively jazzed about that too.

They say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Huh? There’s a whole lot to like about lemons just the way they are.

Lemons are bright as sunlight. They’re supporting actors of the food line. They add that fine touch that makes the menu come alive. Like a positive person, a lemon makes things better. No need to wish we didn’t have them. Lemons could well be the most positive fruit on the planet.

Let’s talk about silver linings . . . Who needs find a silver lining when it’s raining pennies from heaven? Rain makes a colorful sky and a garden palette that could get any artist drooling. Rain isn’t sadness. It’s the way we think about it that gets us all in a funk.

I’m positively jazzed about positive thinking day. Thank you Kirsten for positively thinking of it. Every positive thought I have makes me positive that we can make things happen in a positive way. Why not?

Can you see things positively and build on that?

Are you positive?

Are you positively, positive?

Are you positively, positive like a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and a cherry with a naked lady sitting on top?

C’mon, you don’t need a plane. We can all make sunshine.

Liz's Signature