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Song of Life: Right Outta Nowhere

June 17, 2007 by Liz

My Heart Is Always Singing

When I read Dawud’s post about the songs in his heart, I knew I was a goner. My heart is always singing. It’s the way I wake up. It’s the way I go through my day. It’s the way I think of my friends. It’s my life.

Sometimes I think that everything I know has been set to music somewhere.

Right Outta Nowhere

by Christine Kane

I was walking with Richard in London. We were talking about his international travel, my international travel, my first trip to the UK, his trips to visit my office, and my bicoastal commute.

“In the last year,” I said to this lifelong friend, “the longest time I’ve been home is 21 days. Once I was gone for 63 nights. I have a “home” at home, another at Peg’s, and several in small hotels in cities like this. What d’ya make of it?” I was walking half-backwards to see him as I spoke.

He pondered. Then he said, “I think it means, you don’t want one home anywhere.”

I turned to walk beside him, keeping pace and thinking his thought. Then I turned back to say, “Could be, yet when I try it on, it feels more right to say ‘I want to live everywhere!’ ”

“Oh dear,” my dear friend remarked. “That is you, spot on. Takes courage, that.”

We think of courage as a loud battle, but in my life it’s never been a fight. It’s been a waking up to something that isn’t right.

When courage finally comes you never see it coming.

Just three years before that walk, I’d been hopelessly lost about life. I’d gotten caught in trying different clothes and dfferent shoes to figure out how to walk the road that everyone else was walking. I’d tried desperately, valiantly — with amazing resilience — to remake myself to fit the success story.

Some people got a lot to prove and that’s the way I used to be.

From the first misstep I took, I lived in my head, over-analyzing At the same time, I believed I wasn’t good enough, yet I thought that I could prove my value by changing who I am. Where’s the logic there? Look again —> prove the value of who I am by changing it?

Disconnected from my head, my heart knew I was moving in the wrong direction. It took a chance at being me again. My heart understood that I needed my own shores to find my place to stand. That’s where the courage came in.

Dream and the way will be clear.
Pray and the angels will hear.
Leap and the net will appear.

When my heart and head came back together, those shoes that fit were walking on a road away from trying to change myself to prove my value. It wasn’t easy, but it felt better.

And I could be sure that the folks who met me . . . met me, and those who like me . . . like me.

So when people ask me about how to find their way, I point them to Christine’s song a song in my heart and tell them what it says . . .

Right outta nowhere
Open your heart, believe in everything
And you’re going somewhere.
And all you need to know is that you’re free.

I had asked Richard before I ever got to the UK, “When I get to London on business, will you take me around to all of the publishers?” I’d been asking him for 6 years, before my plane actually landed.

I had to learn that I was free to go.

Right outta nowhere, you open your heart, have faith in everything
And you you’re going somewhere.
And all you need to know
Is that you’re free
to go.

Thank you, Christine, for saying it so beautifully.

Open your heart, believe in everything — especially yourself.
That’s how you get to where you want to go.

Liz's Signature

Filed Under: Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Christine-Kane, Dawud-Miracle, Right-Outta-Nowhere, Songs of Life

THANKS to Week 86 SOBs

June 16, 2007 by Liz

muddy teal strip A

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

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

Purple SOB Button Original SOB Button Red SOB Button Purple and Blue SOB Button
and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

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

muddy teal strip A

Circular Communication

Eye on DNA

fadtastic

The Frugal Law Student

Moments of Clarity

Pure Blogging

Virtual Impax

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 directly to me. This award comes with a full “Liz said so” guarantee. It is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

deep purple strip

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. Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Filed Under: SOB Business, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog_promotion, dialogue, relationships, SOB, SOB_Directory, successful_and_outstanding-bloggers

The Complete Metaphor Project Listing and Winners

June 16, 2007 by Liz

What Teachers and Learners!

What’s Your Metaphor?

When we know something well we have internalized what it’s about. That makes us flexible with our thoughts and our models. It offers us an ability to be fluent when talking about the subject. Our experience and knowledge allows us to teach others how it works.

When a concept or practice is simple, teaching is often an act of simple demonstration. When the concept or practice multi-layered or complex — when it’s process and information, people and data — sometimes a translation or a comparison that takes a person from the known to the unknown has a better chance. . . . That’s when a great metaphor comes in handy.

Thanks again to Char and Derrick for inspiring this project.

Welcome to the Complete Metaphor Project List!

Thank you all for being a part.

  • What metaphor do you use to explain blogging?
    at Ian’s Messy Desk
  • Blogging Metaphor–The Salad Bar Blog
    at Word Sell
  • My blog is a smorgasbord, come and eat…
    at Juggling Frogs
  • Feeding on Plankton
    at krooz
  • My Preferred Metaphor for Business Blogging
    at Business and Blogging
  • 10 reasons why blogging is like dating”
    at Romance Tracker
  • Equestrian Ecstasy – Portal to another Reality
    at INNside Innkeeping in Montana
  • Blogging Metaphors: Bridge-Building
    at Middle Zone Musings
  • Blogging Metaphor: Blogging is like Exercise
    at Virtual Impax
  • My Blogging Metaphor: BNI
    at Kiss2
  • Why Conversational Blogging Is Like A Conga Line
    at dawudmiracle
  • Blog 101 and the New Cocktail Party
    at What Would Dad Say
  • Bloggers, Brains and Metaphors
    at BrainBasedBusiness
  • Blogging is like a box of chocolates…
    at Small Business Marketing Ideas
  • Blogging Metaphors, or, What I am doing here
    at A Politically Incorrect Entrepreneur
  • Blogging Metaphor: Why blogging is like a Mommy
    at Moments of Clarity
  • My Blogging Metaphor
    at Carpe Factum
  • What’s Your Blogging Metaphor? Teaching by Bits (and Bytes) at ModernMagellans –
    Maps to Improve Your Business, Leadership, and Life
  • A Blog is Your Bullhorn to the World
    at Blawg IT
  • An Image Is Worth A Thousand Words! Huh?
    at Smart Wealthy Rich
  • Blogging Metaphor – The “Party Line”
    at Insight Advertising-Marketing Communications
  • Singing the “blogging song” around the campfire
    at Live the GREAT life you desire
  • Blogging is Like Baseball
    at Rush Nigut: Rush on Business
  • Raise your sails and blog on!
    at dsmBUZZ
  • One BIG small town
    at Runners Lounge
  • Metaphorically speaking, this is what I do
    at Passing It On
  • Kayaking as a Metaphor for Blogging
    at Loosely Speaking
  • A hug, metaphorically speaking
    at MamaBlogga
  • Blogging is like dancing on top of an iceberg, and other Metaphors
    at J.T’s Productivity Blog
  • 20 Blogging Metaphors – Rock Throwing and the Universal Monkey
    at marketing neophyte
  • Blogging metaphors
    at Roberta Ferguson
  • Blogging Metaphors
    at Lena M Holmberg
  • Blogging Metaphor (s)
    at Transition Capital Management
  • The Blogosphere is a Virtual Time Capsule : Another Viral Meme
    at Orbit Now!
  • Dexter’s Memetic Laboratory
    at Spooky Action ·
  • Really? Why? What’s a blog?
    at Art Dinkin’s Moment on Money
  • 10 Basic Tips for Starting a Blog Using Gardening as Metaphor
    at Circular Communication
  • Behold, A Blogging Sower Went Forth To Sow Links
    at The Frugal Law Student
  • For Whom the Blog Tolls
    at Idea Dude
  • All the Blog’s a Stage
    at Just Thinkin’
  • Blogging Metaphor: Blogging Is a Large City with Hundreds of Small Neighborhoods
    at A Writer’s Word, An Editor’s Eye
  • What’s your blogging metaphor?
    at The Junky’s Wife
  • Blogging is a Tapestry
    at Grow Your Writing Business
  • Blogging Metaphors
    at The Gift Idea Help Blog
  • 7 Ways That Blogging is Like Opera
    at Randa Clay Design
  • Blogging Metaphor: Blogging Is Like Catching Dreams and Setting Them Free
    at Online Public Relations
  • Blogging Metaphor
    at Better Business Blogging
  • I’m Baking a Blogging Cake …
    at Writing Thoughts
  • Why Blogging is Like Fishing
    at Freelancing Journey
  • The Metaphor Project
    at The Marketing Whore
  • and my own A Blogger’s Sunset

BONUS: 10 Winners

These ten contributors, selected randomly by a man, who paid so little attention that he doesn’t know what this contest is about, will receive an autographed copy of Lorelle’s book “Blogging Tips — What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging.”

If your blog’s name is listed below, please email me, using the subject line METAPHOR WINNER and include your email address and postal address. We’ll ship the book to you.

  • 10 reasons why blogging is like dating”
    at Romance Tracker
  • Bloggers, Brains and Metaphors
    at BrainBasedBusiness
  • Blogging Metaphor: Why blogging is like a Mommy
    at Moments of Clarity
  • What’s Your Blogging Metaphor? Teaching by Bits (and Bytes)
    at ModernMagellans
  • Singing the “blogging song” around the campfire
    at Live the GREAT life you desire
  • One BIG small town
    at Runners Lounge
  • Blogging Metaphors
    at Lena M Holmberg
  • 10 Basic Tips for Starting a Blog Using Gardening as Metaphor
    at Circular Communication
  • 7 Ways That Blogging is Like Opera
    at Randa Clay Design
  • Blogging Metaphor
    at Better Business Blogging

Congratulations to the winners!

Everyone won will all 50 metaphors! You drew unforgettable pictures with your words. Thank you, again!

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

Filed Under: Successful Blog, Writing Tagged With: bc, Blogging-Tips, Group-Writing-Project, Lorrelle-VanFossen, Whats-Your-Metaphor?

SOB Business Cafe 06-15-07

June 15, 2007 by Liz

SB Cafe

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Confident Writing wants us to come out of the dictionary.

Are you a word nerd?


Blogoprenneur asks a duplicate content question.

Delivering syndicated content for localized searches – still duplicate content?


Strategic Name Development Blog sells cell phones on the horizon.

Product Name Stress


Success from the Nest discusses a valuable life and work skill.

Finding Patterns to Find Your Purpose


Orbit Now! knows when quality shouldn’t be first.

quality


Related ala carte selections include

Mediator Tech offers some 20th century decision making.

When All Else Fails, There’s Rock, Paper, Scissors


THE ART OF COOL COMMENT WRITING –> June 15th, 2007 at 12:07 pmChinmay said

Who wouldn’t love a comment like that? Thank you, Chimay!

AND THEN THERE’S THIS –> Mystery Man: What’s He Going to Do?

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like. No tips required. Comments appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Filed Under: SOB Business, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Blogoprenneur, Confident-Writing, Mediator-Tech, Orbit-Now, Strategic-Name-Development-Blog, Success-from-the-Nest

I’m Lucky; I’ll Reach Out, and Celebrate

June 15, 2007 by Liz

I've been thinking . . .

about helping each other.

I’ve noticed something about the people who know me as a blogger and those who have known me longer, but don’t know the blogosphere.

Over the past few months, many blogger friends — friends I have known less than two years — have asked for help and offered help. In fact, I told someone yesterday that it’s hard to talk to a blogger without hearing, “How can I help you? or Thank you for reaching out.” In the past few days, blogger friends and I have found work for each other, worked together on projects, and when someone was in trouble people immediately rallied around to help.

Helping is a bloggerly thing. So is blogger synchronicity.

Friends I know from the 3-D world — friends that I’ve known longer, much longer — are having the same kinds of problems. Yet, they don’t call me or each other. I hear about their troubles when I call to see how they are. They struggle alone or with one friend who helps them. It’s not that they think I won’t help. They don’t think about me at all. They think they must walk alone through paved streets.

Asking for help seems to be not a worldly thing. Neither does letting many people too close seem to be.

I wonder at how small a big city seems when the world is our community.

I can reach out to people across the country. People of so many skills and gifts have taught me incredible things. I have learned to believe in the power of people and dreams.

I introduced a friend from the world of brick and mortar to a friend in the world of blogging today. She said she believed that when the learner is ready, the teacher appears.

Another blogger friend brought a nonblogger in trouble to me for help.

This weekend I’ll celebrate blogger generosity by looking for ways to give help away.

How could anyone how has received so much, do any less?

Liz's Signature

_________

Filed Under: Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, giving-to-each-other, Ive-been-thinking

Mystery Man: What’s He Going to Do?

June 14, 2007 by Liz

WHO?

Who is this man from Iowa and why is he smiling?

Who is this man? Why is his picture here?

He doesn’t write or send flowers.
He didn’t come to SOBCon.
Yet, this man and I have a plan for Successful Blog.
You’ll get a kick out of it.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Kick in the Pants

Update: I’ve added in the links to Mitch’s blogs.

Filed Under: Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Mystery-man

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