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No Doubt — A Positively Great Day . . . for One Reason

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I've been thinking . . .

I had the pleasure of spending yesterday with SOB, Relationship Geek, and “10 Ways to Make It Great!”man, Phil Gerbyshak.

It was — no doubt — a positively, great day.

All things considered, that’s saying something. Some folks I know could have, would have — no doubt — made that same day into a positively awful drama.

Tiny facts might have thrown folks off track for a moment . . .

  • The traffic coming down from Milwaukee was less than easy — I got in Phil’s car 10 minutes AFTER his speech was supposed to have started.
  • The gentleman at the venue was out of reach — no way to alert him.
  • I went to find a parking lot. Phil went on up to speak. His dress shirt was still in the trunk.

You get the picture . . .

Phil’s comments were acknowledgments of help. “You’re the best,” and “Cool.” I heard no negative comment all day.

He said, “I”ll wear the shirt to work tomorrow.”

We had a great lunch, great conversation, and made some great plans. None of which would have happened if those mishaps had become the way we saw the day.

That’s why I started this by saying . . .

I had the pleasure of spending yesterday with Phil Gerbyshak.

It was — no doubt — a positively great day . . . for one reason.

Today, I want to be someone’s reason for having a positively, great day..

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5 +1 Whole Brain Steps to Believable Strategic Goals OR Find Your Bliss Without Wasting Time

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But the Sky Is WAY Up There!

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When I introduced this series with the overview The 5 Step Strategy that Saved a Company Can Also Get You to Your Dream, Chris and Hendry Lee pointed out in the comments a mistake that is easy to fall into — setting an unbelievable goal.

After all, we’ve decided. We want to get going, make things happen, put our strategy in place. So let’s choose a goal that’s mighty, powerful, and going to get us there now. Friends and family, thinking the problem is self-estem, often advise and encourage us to do just that.

Soon enough we end up with a goal like this one.

“Find Your Bliss and the Money Will Follow.” That’s a dream — too nebulous to be a strategic goal. I can imagine bliss, sort of, but I can’t define it. I can’t put my arms around it or draw a map to show me or anyone how to get there.

The irony is that when we face an impossible goal, we become overwhelmed, lose that self-same self-esteem, and talk ourselves out of our quest, knowing we’d fail. After all, I can’t ahieve or become what I can’t define or see — I’m not foolish enough to try that.

End of quest, end of strategy to improve,.we’re left without the goal, somehow feeling less for even thinking about trying. We might even be thinking that strategy is something that other folks do . . .

Pfft! balderdash, piffle, and keruffle. All four apply to that response. Add to that . . .

Unbelievable!

We’re not what’s wrong in this picture. The goal is. [Read more…]

The 5 Step Strategy that Saved a Company Can Also Get You to Your Dream

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The Value of a Strategic Plan

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In June of 1995, I joined a $9Million company that was losing 10% per year. I was part of team that was determined to turn it around. My job was to write the strategic plan. In July or 1998, we sold that company for $35Million.

We did that because of a 5 step strategy.

The same strategy can work in almost any situation of your business, career, even your life.

[Read more…]

Bloggy Question 20 — A Significant Other Says “No Blog”

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An Ultimato . . . as My Brother Would Say

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week, I offer this Blogging Question.

A blogger friend, a great writer and thinker, someone who contributes thoughts, insights, and enthusiasm to every blog conversation you seem to be part of, has shared via email a problem at home. His significant other — a girlfriend of six months — has laid down an ultimatum.

He gives up the blog, or it’s the road for her.

She say’s it’s not the time he spends. He’s great about paying attention to his real-life commitments. She doesn’t like the idea that he has conversations that she’s not part of, and she has no interest in finding out why he enjoys blogging so much.

How do you respond?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Great Find:21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic

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seomoz.org Is the Best

If you’re not familiar with seomoz, you might spend part of your next 10 weekends getting to know their wonderful site.

Great Find: 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic
Permalink: http://www.seomoz.org/blogdetail.php?ID=1347

Audience/Topic: Bloggers

Content: seomoz has posted another winner. The 21 points in this list are straightforward, well-written, and make total sense. Points such as launch with comments closed, waiting to open them until you have readers are proof that randfish, the writer, not only has experience, but also put his best thoughts and practices into this post. This is one I’ve already bookmarked and put in a place where I’ll go back to review it when I need to check myself. Click the title to read the article.

21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic

Thanks, seomoz.org.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Introducing Have Laptop Will Travel

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SOB Hall of Famer: Have Laptop Will Travel by SeanRox

HaveLapTopWillTravel.com went live on June 3, 1999 as the personal site of me, SeanRox, to have a place to post random thoughts, rants, jokes and photos, all hand coded and static.

Since that time, it’s no longer a static site. It’s now a database powered with the same content and has grown into a place for me to review technology, movies, music and to let people know what’s new and exciting around the world. Have Laptop Will Travel still reflects my fun, easy-going attitude which is who I am, a laid-back geek with social skills, who enjoys geektastic toys and likes to give people a hard time. If I like you, I needle you but it’s all in good fun. I’m a nice guy, really.

I hope the above helps motivate and stimulate your brain… that’s what I like to do, get people thinking.

Notes from Liz: When SeanRox and I had our first conversation about relationship blogging, he told me about a post in which he asked his readers whether he should be the next James Bond, and about two other posts in which he and his readers discussed two laptop art projects — one involving a dollar bill collection he’s started and a second that updated both the stencils rocking the cover of his laptop and the tech advances going on inside. SeanRox’s extensive background in computers also means that he knows what he’s talking about when he decides he talking tech.

The cool part is that what he says about being a fun, easy-going, laid-back geek with social skills is also true. He proved it when he stopped by Open Comment Night with food for everyone and lots to add! Can’t help but like a blogger like that.

Whether he’s talking movies, tech, geek toys, instant messaging, hacking, or about his dog, SeanRox has a way of making what he says fun to read. Take a look and tell him that I said I need a picture first before I decide on that James Bond thing. They’ve already chosen the new guy for this time around, so I don’t suppose he’s waiting on me anyway. . . .

Thanks, SeanRox, for all of the conversation that makes you part of Successful Blog.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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