Successful Blog

An Extravagant Cure for Disappointment That’s Totally Free

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Yesterday won’t be remembered as the best day in this life. Color it blue or call it Mars in retrograde. Nothing about it felt real and right.

No disaster occurred. The server didn’t eat my blog. My favorite social site was up all day. No one flamed my friends, and my traffic didn’t go on vacation all at once.

People acted like people. Two avoided the truth when they didn’t need to. That was disappointing.

Words don’t explain the way that disappointment can hang and pull at a person. It does that from the inside out. It can make you older than when you got up that same morning. It can make you sorry you are a grown up. It can bring a good day down. Sometimes all of the social media can’t do a thing for that.

crocus

Lucky for me, last night I had a meeting — face-to-face with a man who wanted to learn about what people do on the Internet. We spent a hours talking about tools, frontiers, and possibilities. I told him about what we do and the conversations we have. Finally we dropped by a site and I asked some friends to say a word.

People acted like people. They were encouragment. That was inspiring.

In those few hours, we both caught that extravagant feeling of learning — the one that everyone gets when discovering is the priority. It’s the feeling that happens when we chance to wonder not just look. The feeling showed in how we sat. The more we felt the learning, the more we leaned toward the computer. We were plants leaning toward the light.

Walking home I realized that extravagant learning feeling is the best cure for disappointment. It’s easy to create, and it’s totally free.

Have you experienced that extravagant feeling of learning lately?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Image: sxc.hu

Generosity Is a State of Mind

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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
Work with Liz!!

Writing and Reaching

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Sometimes I don’t have words either.

I get really quiet.
I reach inside and high as I can at the same moment.
And I do it without caring who’s looking.

When I first started writing, my words were very literal.
Later they were rich, but wispy, hardly there at all. like this
I said not really. . . .

earth_rise

It takes reflection to write.

I bring myself inside and though my eyes I am where I’m imagining. I’m in tune with my “mind’s eye,” but I’m not picturing. I’m listening and seeing the colors and words of the situation I’m feeling.

I’m doing it now to explain how I get into the place where I write — it’s my soul. It’s depth of feeling. It’s heaven. Nothing hurts. Words are free.

My head and my heart are saying the same thing.

It starts by being really quiet.
The you reach inside and high as you can at the same moment.
And you do it without caring who’s looking.

Ever reached like that with anything?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Three Keys to Finding New Ideas

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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
Work with Liz!!
Image: sxc.hu

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
Work with Liz!!

When You’re Imagining Disastrous Endings

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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