Successful Blog

Celebrating Friends

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I've been thinking . . .

about the gifts that have been coming my way.

This morning when I turned on my computer, a friend was there waiting for me. He came with a gift. He saw a need, built something to meet it, and asked if I might find it useful. What he offered was beautiful, elegant, and much better than I might do. It was the kindness of a friend reaching out with a head, a heart, and a hand.

Friends have a way of doing like that so well.

kids on swingset

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known them — a minute, an hour, a lifetime. Somehow friends have a way of knowing who we are and how to be there in just the right way. They make smiles brighter, suns shinier, sad times lighter, and achievements greater. It’s not what they bring or what they offer. The acts and the words they supply simply underscore the value of the friendship they represent.

Friends are the true gifts of a life.

This weekend I’ll be celebrating my friends.

How about you?

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Birdsongs, Business, and Life

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I've been thinking . . .

the songs that birds sing.

This morning, very early, I went out into a foggy day to see the sky and feel my feet on the ground. I heard a birdsong. It was a strong and familiar sound that I’ve not heard since who knows when. Immeidately, I was transported to days when I was a child and other ways of thinking.

That bird was doing what that bird does, and doing it well.

I’m glad I heard that particular bird today.

I’ll be thinking about that birdsong all day. What makes the birdsong of a business or a life?

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Change the World: Find Rock Bottom

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changetheworld8

I was on my way to a post by Cath Lawson I read yesterday. I Googled her name to get there. The post that came up first had a great headline.

Sometimes You Need to Hit Rock Bottom

I’ll wait while you read it.

I know few things about hitting rock bottom. Haven’t been there recently. Don’t plan to go there again ever, but I’m sure glad I made the trip. I was just turning thirty . . .

Losing everything isn’t the worst thing. It was the best thing that happened to me. With all of the “stuff” gone, I was left with me. That made it easy to see just who I was and who I was not. Even better than that, I learned a secret. People liked being around that person — broke, flaws, and all. Losing everything got me to build a new foundation on what I believed to replace the one I had built on other people’s voices. Why not? What were they going to do? Take all of my money? I had none.

I don’t wish you ever lose what you need to make your world function. But I do wish you the joy of security based in who you are not in what you own. It’s a new way of belonging. Rock bottom means that you’re standing on stable ground.

When we belong, we can make things better from just being a part.

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

Ain't Misbehavin' Anymore, Back to My Frequency

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Remembering What I Forgot

relationships button

I’ve been stuck, watching folks misbehaving. One of those folks has most certainly been me. It seems I forgot some of the fundamental truths I’ve discovered. They got buried under the blankets when I got slammed with that awful flu, and for some reason finding my way back to them was Herculean work.

I forgot that

  • I can’t love someone and keep score of what they’re doing.
  • I can’t be thinking about what they’re actions must say about what they think about me. Truth is they’re not thinking about me at all — I am.
  • I can’t be my best when I’m focused on being let down or angry.

What was I thinking? Unconditional love is unconditional, if I don’t know that . . . My whole life has shown me that I’m always clear and right when I follow that simple frequency.

So, to all of my friends who’ve felt the fallout of a head and heart turned in the wrong direction, I’m sorry. I’ve behaved badly.

I ain’t misbehavin’ anymore. I’m moving forward instead.

Whew! What a relief!

Back to the regularly scheduled changing the world. . . .

What’s your frequency?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Change the World: Joy!

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See the Joy of Learning!

changetheworld8

Ah, how we’re all waiting for spring time. I remember how I used to wait to break out my bike for that first bike ride. Even before the streets were quite clean and ready, I’d be watching for just enough sunshine.

For some reason, I needed the sun to fuel my feet so that I could push the pedals.

When it finally came I’d be off exploring, learning, becoming — filled with the joy of living. I start asking whether I could help the neighbor lady pull dandelions or whether sweeping her walk might be a good thing.

Even as a children, we seem to know that the best way to learn is to jump in and participate. And good things would always happen, when I gave a little to a cool project. Thing was that I had to go out to find them after a long winter hibernation.

The payments were good feelings, learning, smiles, and joy.

Joy is still a word well worth sharing. Go get some by giving some away.

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

Wow! Raining Wildflowers!

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Stuck in the Weeds

What a week! Sick as a dog! Seriously. I lost the battle and became all about me. I was center of the universe and the universe was ALL WRONG!!

The sun when it shined hurt my eyes.
Folks weren’t responding — gee I wonder why?
I wanted someone to fix me.

It wasn’t the universe that was wrong — it was ME.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with myself about decisions and irresistibility. It went something like this,

Aren’t you the only sick person on the planet? Aren’t you the only one who has lots to get done? If you don’t like where you are, move your location; change your disposition; get out of the center of the universe.

So I did. I just decided that the universe and my friends are already supporting me more than I was noticing. I was so right about that. Heroes and angels were all around me — clients, sponsors, family, friends, folks who hardly knew me were suggesting how to lighten my load — They weren’t asking anything in return.

Once I got out of the weeds I could see that it had been raining wildflowers!!

Wildflowers

I saw their smiles. Each made me just a little bit better. Quickly those little bits added up to big bunches. I’m back in the world of living color.

Thank you to every wildflower I know.

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