Thanks to Week 177 SOBs

March 14, 2009 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

E = mc2 of Business — Better than Flow

March 13, 2009 by Liz

E = mc²

You’ve probably heard that.
In the world of physics, it’s explained as

Total energy equals mass times the speed of light squared.

Not long ago, I had the rare and amazing experience of being in a group, with a group, part of a group of coworkers who are on common quest. They’re building a company and they’ve invited Amy Derby and me to join their social media quest.

The room was electric with ideas. The total kinectic and potential energy really did equal mass multiplied times the speed of light squared. I can’t stop thinking about what makes that happen — because when we went back it happened again.

The leaders are learners who liked learners around them.
Every person in the room is clear on his or her role.
Every person has the power to see what see and know what they see and know.
Information is the currency of getting thing done and the trust was the speed of execution.
Making progress and enjoying it is more important than being right.
They understand how to be personally invested without taking things personally.
The challenges were within reach for the skills and the time line.
Everyone knew which priorities came first.

The first four-hour meeting sailed by with total engagement, without self-consciousness or boredom. The seond one did too. It was group flow — that state of “being in the zone.” Twitter was discussed, but no one even thought of tweeting.

E = mc² of Business is putting all of our social-relational team energy into our work. It’s better than flow, because it’s got the exponential power of a team.

I wonder if they were aware how much they smile.

Have you ever experienced the E = mc² with the people you do business?
How do you know when you’re with a team that has it?
How do inspire it and fire it up?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Buy Liz’s ebook to learn how to talk Internet.

Register for SOBCon09 NOW!! It’s Social Media immersion without fear!

7 Ways to Check … Is Blogging Your Dream?

March 12, 2009 by Guest Author

A Guest Post by Lisa Newton

For me, the answer to this question is a total, unabashed YES. I live, sleep, and breathe my blog, Travelin’ Local.

1-3 Do You Live, Sleep, Breathe Your Blog?

Live. I live in California, and became a resident two years ago; but I’ve fallen in love with it, the people, its beaches, the cities, the mountains—and so much, much more. However, being in California is only part of what I live for. I also live for my other passion which is photography. Many years ago, I played with a 35mm camera, but four kids, a family, and work interrupted my love of photography. A few months ago, thanks to a Christmas gift, my passion for photography was reactivated.

So what better way to express my two passions than creating my own blog where I am able to feature my deeply personal interpretation of my local neighborhoods, with photos, prose and stories, and research about “all things” California? Thus, Travelin’ Local was born.

Sleep. How does one sleep with their blog? Because I’m thinking about it as soon as I wake up, and right before I go to bed, and even (although it’s only happened twice), when I wake up in the middle of the night—burning with an idea, or thought, which I quickly wrote down on my notebook next to the nightstand, before going back to sleep.

Breathe. I breathe life into my blog, and it gives life back to me. Like yesterday. After working for 10 hours at my “day” job, I arriving home, glanced at the sky, and knew right there right then, that I had to go right back out. I happened to see the one of the most beautiful and stunning sunsets I’ve seen in many, many years. So grabbed my camera and started shooting photo after photo, before the sun quickly set—with one of the pictures featured here. Like a bricklayer who uses bricks to build a wall, I choose words as a wordsmith, instead, to construct a story about the sights and sounds of what I see and experience. And because blogging is an instantaneous and spontaneous endeavor, I immediately wrote this to share my story.

4 – 7 Is Blogging Passion, Connections, Dedication and Goals?

Passion. Don’t confuse passion with unrealistic dreams of grandeur. With our newly wired world, it’s easy to get caught up with things that aren’t realistic. On the other hand from the gems of ideas, do spring captains of finance, information technology, publishing, arts, science, and writing. I have a great family, wonderful friends, and feel good about where I’m at. But my love of blogging has taken me to the next level, just as blogging itself fuels my passion.

Meaningful Connections. Another very important reason my blog is important to me is that it affords me with the ability to meet interesting and inspiring people every day. Lance is a tremendous talent and great person who writes about life with uncanny depth and persuasion of conviction. And with her divine photography; Diane C. takes me right into her “home” with her photo blog of the intricacies and fascinating Arizona desert and habitats; and Henie creates art every day, sharing it with her readers. These are just three examples of the wonderful and talented people that I’ve made friends with at my Travelin’ Local community.

Dedication. Even before I started my blog, I spent quite a bit of time doing my homework by reading other blogs, blogs about blogging, joining communities, fastidiously responding to other’s comments, and enjoying countless hours looking at the huge amount of photography on the Internet. I learned about writing, reading, design, and life.

Setting Goals. I created Travelin’ Local because it’s my passion and inspiration. I did so with a very specific creative and publishing model in mind—I wanted to show and share with the world California; but from my own perspective. But along the way, I literally stumbled upon a “name your dream” contest for photographers and photojournalists, to name their dream job—so for me the decision to participate in it was instantaneous. My dream job is to keep doing what I was already doing—which was Travelin’ Local–but taking it to the next level with more and more content and photojournalistic stories. The chance to win $50,000 didn’t hurt my want for the assignment, either.

I looked at it, and of course — California Dreamin’ was my submission. I entered the contest, aware that I don’t yet know as many people online as I want to, but both in degree and kind requesting votes isn’t considered spam. (Yes, I do read Chris Brogan ……………………….:)

Is Blogging Your Dream? I’ve told you all a lot about myself, along with the where’s, why’s, and when’s of what drives me. So back to the original question posed in the title. My blog is my dream which I made a reality, because I live for it, and it in turn inspires me and others, which, in turn, inspires others and others, creating something that will hopefully be passed on to future generations. If you’re so inclined, please take a look at my contest entry, California Dreamin’. It only takes a few minutes to register. To be considered for the next stage of judging, California Dreamin’ needs to be in the top 20 of all entries. I’d love to get a little blogger help, and I know that Liz’s community would totally understand how to help my dream turn into a reality.

What about you? Do you dream your blog? Is your blog a dream? Do you Dream Big?

Lisa Newton writes content and talks about social media at Travelin’ Local . Her twitter name is @LisaNewton

A Goal with Action Is a Wish!

————————————————–

20 Bucks and Loads of Hope

March 11, 2009 by Liz

I’m That Old

Hey, I’m that old.

I remember when I was a kid.

20 bucks was a grocery bag and more.

Now, all 20 bucks could mean is maybe a drink with a friend … maybe a lunch … stretch it out … two lunches and a movie at home with some popcorn and some Internet.

Or it could mean a t-shirt and load of hope to a family who needs it.

20 bucks.

You get a cool t-shirt.

Some family could get loads of hope.

20 bucks …

Thanks.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

If you’re wondering, I don’t get anything. Thanks for asking. 🙂

Have You Outgrown Your Comfort Zone? Is It Time to Find a New One?

March 11, 2009 by Liz

Image Separation!

It took four hours and a few minutes.
After that I watched 8 thirty-gallon garbage sacks ride away in a car never to return again. They were from a pile called “Donations.”

The four hours and few minutes weren’t at all what I expected. I had spent them with a lovely, professional wardrobe consultant from the image studios. Her job was to help me sort through what parts of my wardrobe presented me and represented me according to these criteria:

colors that enhances with my skin tones
fit that works with the rest of me
style that reflects who I am (to a personality baseline we’ve defined.)

Sounds tame and simple enough, doesn’t it? All head. No worries.

I was clueless.

Comfort Zone Shock!

Sunday morning I had two closets of well-behaved clothing — a fine collection I’d amassed in years of coming, going, working, growing. By Sunday night, I had this left hanging lonely …

.. and another thirty-gallon garbage sack filled with clothing needing alterations.

Folks on Twitter said it should be freeing … but it wasn’t.
It’s still not.
It’s interesting.
It’s confusing.
It’s enlightening.
It’s scary.

It’s not freeing.
It’s uncomfortable.
It’s a little hard not to think empty.

When I sat with Kali that first day, she asked, “Are you ready for this?”
I said, “I’ve been thinking about this for 14 months.”
She asked it again in another more profound way.
I’m now understanding what she meant and why she asked it.

I’ve been hit smack dab in the face with “Who are you really?”

Old habits seem to stay with us longer than we need them.
Old thoughts that once protected fence us in.
Old stories and old worries keep us from moving.
Old friends and old ideas can block paths to new ones.

Being too safe can be risky.
Knowing too much can get in the way of learning.
Draw a circle around who you are and your potential will walk the line.
I know for certain — I had to throw away the old jeans to understand why I needed new ones.

I’m wondering if I’m not the only one.
Have you outgrown your comfort zone?
Is it time to find a new one?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Register for SOBCon

Invest in yourself.

Want to become an SOB?

E = mc2

Buy Liz’s ebook to learn how to talk Internet. Register for SOBCon09 NOW!! It’s Social Media immersion without fear!