Successful Blog

A Walk in the Zen Moonlight

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The Moon and the Lake in My Mind

the moonlight

In a week of too many things to do, it’s easy to get lost. It’s even easier not to want to be found. I see lots of folks feeling like that. Not me, no never, never me. Wouldn’t cross my mind. Wouldn’t happen like that.

I don’t get pulled. I don’t get stretched. I can handle the rush. I can handle the push. What else is strength of purpose about? It’s tied up in my need to show up, to find out, to be alive.

Does living mean we need to be strong, noble, and inspired every minute? Sometimes I do my work and think What do I do next? What do I expect of myself?

Then when I’m lucky, I hear music playing in my head. It’s an original melody. I know its movements by now. It’s a full orchestra — brilliant and breathtaking. It also means I’ll soon be going on a Zen walk.

I mentally grab my jacket. I put my wallet and keys in my jeans. It’s a quick good-bye. “Hey, I’m going outside. . . . Yeah, I know it’s raining. That’s okay, I’ve been wet before.”

I’ve no destination beyond the elevator going down. Soon enough, I’m out the glass front doors.

I walk south three city blocks. Three people jog by me on the sidewalk. Two more stroll. An old lady in a walker chair sits in the doorway of a stately building waiting for a ride, maybe her son, to pick her up. There’s a 30-something guy with a shaved head walking his big black dog with the caramel eyes. Lots of cars pass on Lakeshore Drive.

A neighborhood is where I live. I cross under the drive and come out by the lake. All civilization is left behind. Vast space, water and sky refresh my eyes. What a relief.

Sometimes I only need to change what I see.

I lay down my stress and look up at the sky.

The Zen moon in my mind enhances the symphony playing there.

Some folks say they can tell when I write at night. I bet they can.

People get more emotional when the sun has moved on.

I don’t have research to prove that it’s a fact of life.

I don’t need proof.

I have the Zen moon shining in the night sky.

Liz's Signature

The First Submissions: Your Blogging Metaphors

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The Metaphor Project: What’s Your Blogging Metaphor?

When a nonblogger asks, “What is a blog?’ How do you answer? Have you tried using a metaphor? Would you mind sharing yours? A few bloggers have.

The first submissions are in. Like the blogs they come from, each metaphor is a unique representation of the writer. We see blogs almost everywhere. They are a County Fair. They’re underwater. They’re a line of koalas. Like life, blogging seems to lend itself to metaphorical explanation — maybe more easily than it does to a straightforward definition.

These are the first submissions to The “What’s Your Blogging Metaphor?” Group Writing Project. I’ve discovered some great new blog writers and fun ways to talk about blogs. Just look at the titles! Check them out and pass them along to your readers. The more ways we look at blogging the better we’ll be able to explain it when we need to.

Let’s find some more.

Because this project spread so quickly and not all links are making their way to me, if you’ve written a metaphor and you’re not on the list, please email me a link. If you’ve already done that before noon on May 31, please forgive me and send it again. (I had dental surgery yesterday . . .)

Be a Part of the Project

So, what’s your blogging metaphor? Join the project. There’s still time to be a part – I’ll keep adding to this list until June 5th at Midnight Chicago time (GMT-6hrs.) Here’s the original post for the background — the whats and the hows.

C’mon tell us. How would you explain blogging to someone who knew nothing about it? What’s your blogging metaphor?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

The Metaphor Project: What’s Your Blogging Metaphor?

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We’re All Teachers and Learners

What’s Your Metaphor?

When I traveled to other countries, one thing I didn’t expect was to learn how people add new things, ideas, and groups of people to their culture. Here’s an example of what I mean.

When I first started working with publishers, I noticed something about illustrators that I later realized was also true about writers.

  • When we have no experience with something, we notice the differences.
  • When we have a little experience with something, we begin to look for similarities, but we still talk in generalities.
  • When we really know something we can talk about generalities and specifics. We can point out how it is like and different from other things.

That’s the point at which we can switch from learner to teacher.

The Metaphor Project: What’s Your Blogging Metaphor?

Isn’t the same thing happening with blogging? Finally we’re gaining the experience to pull together the pieces into a picture from which to speak. We’re reaching out to explain to nonbloggers in terms they can understand.

Two weeks ago it was Derrick Sorles saying we’re pizza makers. This morning it was Char with this outstanding post.

Did Char’s metaphor work? Her mom’s question at the end proves the power of a great metaphor.

Let’s find some more.

Group Writing Project: What’s Your Blogging Metaphor?

So, what’s your blogging metaphor? I suggest a Group Writing Project.

1. Write a blog post using a metaphor to explain blogging.

2. If you leave a comment with a link to your post, link back to Successful-Blog, or email me, I’ll know how to feature your post. It’s not necessary, it just helps me track to make sure your work gets seen.

3. If you use Technorati tags, tag the post Blogging Metaphor.

BONUS: Ten contributors will receive an autographed copy of Lorelle’s book “Blogging Tips — What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging.”

The more ways, the more metaphors we find to help folks understand, the more businesses will see the value. And imagine our friends and families will understand the power and reason behind what we’re doing.

They say a picture is worth 1000 words. Use soa few hundred to draw a picture that they’ll never forget.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

At the Blog Herald: Getting Jazzed for Real

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It’s Like Music

In the groove, in the zone, time slips away; action follows action naturally. It’s as if what we do is what was meant to be. It’s exhilarating.

Did you ever notice that you get in the zone when you’re perfectly prepared for a task — one you’ve been waiting for? When it’s “bring it on” kind of task, you’re likely to jump into a flow state.

Read the whole feature in today’s Blog Herald by clicking the logo.

The Blog Herald

It’s about blogging and real life.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Liz Strauss at The Blog Herald, The Blogging Times, and Who’s One in a Million?

My Top 5 Successful Bloggers Who Made a Difference

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Gosh, I’ve Been Lucky

Top 5 Writing Project Logo

If you look in the sidebar of my blog, you’ll see something someone named the “Liz Manifesto.” It says that I want to make one person’s life better.

It’s my experience as a blogger that so many people do that every chance they get. I learn so much from every one of you. I value every relationship. Guess that makes me . . . a relationship blogger.

Bloggers help each other in little and big ways, head on and sideways. It’s what we do. No argument about that.

But five highly successful bloggers made an outstanding difference in my life. I’d like to thank them.

My Top 5 Successful Bloggers Who Made a Difference

When I started blogging two years ago, I was a newbie who knew how to write and who cared a lot. Like the rest of us, I didn’t expect to find a world of communities and people who would become so important to me. I didn’t expect to learn so much in such a short time. I’d like to introduce five people who have taught me the most important things. (They’re in no particular order.)

  • Darren Rowse I can hardly remember a time that I didn’t know Darren and yet each day I feel I get to know a little more about him. He gave me my first link at Successful Blog. He is a man of his word, who goes deep. More importantly, it was his Blogging Goals writing project that got me to write My Blogging Goal. That document made me think through my future. I jumped with both feet that day. Thank you, Darren.
  • Paul Scrivens When I first started at Successful Blog I was writer working for Scrivs. He is a busy man, and always has been one. Successful Blog was part of a small network of his called “Fine Fools.” At one point, a blogger wasn’t very nice to me. Paul Scrivens stood up and publicly defended me in what was, then, the Wild, Wild West of Blogging. Paul Scrivens won my heart and my respect that day. A few months later, he gave Successful Blog to me. He also won my gratitude. Scrivs changed my life with his generosity. I’ll never forget where and how I got my start. Thank you, Paul.
  • Jeremy Wright At time when I didn’t know whether I should keep blogging. I called Jeremy to ask him about my option. We talked a while. He called me back later that Saturday and invited me to be a member of b5 media. Jeremy also became my channel editor. A busy guy, he always had time for me. He gave me perspective and straight talk about how I might handle the business of my uniquely Liz style of blogging. Jeremy changed my life by making a place for me and sharing his experience and his humanity. Thank you, Jeremy.
  • Seth Godin Last June I went to a Seth Godin seminar with Ann Michael. I usually find plenty of reason not to attend such events. But the combination of those two — Ann and Seth — was unbeatable. I learned so much by going. To this day, I’m still quoting Seth, his clear view of the world got me to see that I had left part of my skillset behind when I decided to leave educational publishing. I went back and got it. Thank you, Seth.
  • Doc Searls Until this week, I had never talked to Doc Searls, I had only read what he had written. But I long ago called him my Walter Cronkite. He is the blogger I look to for clear thinking on the issues about the Internet. He cares about it for the right reasons. Now that I’ve had a conversation, I can only confirm what I already knew. He has improved my thinking. Thank you, Doc.

Five remarkable bloggers have made a difference in my life — not just my blogging. In their own ways, each one has made me a better person. How could not I take advantage of this chance to tell you about them?

Who are the bloggers who have made a difference in your life?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
My Blogging Goal

Why on Earth Do I Blog?

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It’s Heavenly

A nice young woman I barely know asked me, “Why on Earth do you blog?”

How on Earth do I explain?

Every morning before the sun gets up, I get up, and I find my way to my computer. I crawl inside to find the thoughts of people I know waiting for me. What a gift, what a joy it is to share the minds of so many friends and to meet them so regularly.

I type what I think, what I feel, what I’ve discovered, unocovered, and I learn about what I know. People take what I say and tell me what it means. They explain how it goes. Ideas fly. They float and bend, like so many clouds in a summer sky of many minds talking without a sound, yet building meaning and finding truth.

Every evening before the sun goes down, I sit down and I find there’s a reason to keep telling stories and reading stories that help me understand why and how. I figure out who I am, who you are, who that is, who that was why we’re here. I hear about everyone that I meet. And together we make sense. I see how people and stars are made from the same stuff.

And together we make something good — something that would not be, could not be, if I did not, if you did not, blog.

I blog because I can.

Blogging is a universe and a university.

Who on Earth could say no to being part of this positive humanity?

I blog because we have the power to change the world.

So Tim, Dawud, Mark, John, Samuel. why on Earth do you blog?

Click to the “Bloggy Tag Button” to see who tagged me.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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