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Gathering Stardust for Liz Strauss [Video Recording]

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On September 17, 2020 many of Liz’s friends, colleagues and family members  came together in celebration of her memory. Not a funeral, but something unique in the spirit that we believe would have made her smile. Liz never wanted to be on a pedestal, nor the center of the universe. Knowing that, she touched so many lives in so many beautiful ways, and she leaves an incredible legacy.

“Gathering Stardust for Liz Strauss” was co-created and co-produced by Jane Boyd, Jeff Pulver, Gigi Peterkin, Rosemary O’Neill, and a small group of Liz’s friends, with love and gratitude from Eric T. Strauss.

We are so thankful for the community that was shared, the many stories that were told and the voices of everyone who contributed to making “Gathering Stardust” such a profoundly moving  celebration of the uniqueness and brilliance that was Liz Strauss.

As part of “Gathering Stardust,” many individuals shared stories of inspiration about the significant number of ways that Liz had personally and professionally impacted their lives. The speakers, in order of appearance, included:

Twice during the gathering, we broke out into smaller breakout rooms to have a more intimate setting to explore and share our thoughts in response to the following questions:

  • What kinds of community have you built and/or impacted because of Liz?
  • What’s our way of paying it forward?

Many friends of Liz volunteered to hold the space for these rooms and support discussion and sharing. The breakout room facilitators included:

Included above is the full recording of the main room. The breakout rooms were not recorded.

Throughout the gathering, there was a beautiful feeling of love, gratitude and community — something many commented on throughout the event and after.  

Without question, it was the kind of gathering that Liz would have loved being a part of.

And indeed she was.

 

Gathering Stardust on Zoom

Gathering Stardust on Zoom

 

Gathering Stardust for Liz Strauss

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Gathering Stardust - Liz Strauss

“If you love, you know that just as flowers need dirt, sad things can make a large heart even larger and able to love even more.”~ @LizStrauss

When news spread of Liz Strauss’s passing, the outpouring of love and support from those who love her has been heartwarming and full of stories, just as she would have loved.

Liz never wanted to be on a pedestal, nor the center of the universe. Knowing that, she touched so many lives in so many beautiful ways, and she leaves an incredible legacy.

Register here to be part of the informal, interactive virtual gathering (via Zoom) in celebration of her memory. Not a funeral, but something unique in the spirit that would make her smile.

Thursday, September 17, 2020 – Beginning at 1:00 PM Pacific Time

This time together will include:

1:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Pacific Time
Individual speakers
Opportunities to gather around a set of virtual tables and share your story of how Liz inspired and touched your life

3:30 PM – 4:45 PM – Pacific Time
Open Mic: the online room will stay open for additional hour at the end of the program and you are invited to stay in community for this time if your schedule permits

This event is being co-created and co-produced by Jane Boyd, Jeff Pulver, Gigi Peterkin, Rosemary O’Neill, and a small group of Liz’s friends, with love and gratitude from Eric Strauss.

Please follow this link to RSVP.

“No matter where in the world I might go, when I need them to, the stars always take me home.” ~ @LizStrauss

Self-Care Matters — Especially in Business

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Does your “To Do” list include self-care?

Sure, we all have To Do lists.

That list of things is endless.

There’s always more that can be done.

Here’s the thing — no matter how long your list of things to get done is — it’s essential that you put caring for yourself on that list every day.

Self-care really does matter. In fact, it’s essential. Especially in business.

The list of tasks will never end. You in-box will always have more. The notifications will rarely end. Yet — the more that you make yourself a priority the better capable you will be at completing the tasks that are in front of you each day. The more focus you will have. The easier it will be to reach your goals.

As urgent as everything is — there truly is nothing more urgent than your own self-care. Remember that. It is an essential business practice.

Simple Self-care Strategies

Here are some simple strategies that you can immediately put into action in order to begin caring for yourself right now.

Drink more water. 

Sure it sounds simple. Yet — for most of us, we don’t drink enough water in the day. Water is really, really good for you. And it’s especially good for helping your brain to stay focused and on task. Hydrate. Instead of reaching for a coffee — refill your water bottle — and drink, drink, drink!!

 

Go outside and look at the sky.

Sometimes we spend too much time inside. And sometimes when we are outside we are focused on where we are going, what’s happening around us or what the weather is doing. Try going outside and simply looking up. Look at the sky. Notice the colours you see. Are there clouds? Is the sun shining? Do you see stars? Breathe. And breathe again. Plus — breathe some more. All while looking up and at the sky. Reconnect your feet to the ground while doing nothing but taking in the wonder of what the sky has to show you. Liz has written about the importance of the sky on more than a few times.  See her posts – Beach Notes: A Few Minutes for Yourself and the Sky and Imagine a Blue Sky, Blissful Weekend.

Go for a walk.

Feeling frustrated? Tired? Disconnected? Put your shoes on and go for a walk outside. It doesn’t need to be a big walk. Perhaps it’s just to your mailbox. Or maybe around the corner to the park or local store. Put one foot in front of the other and simply move. Step by step by step. And while you are at it — try looking up at the sky too and also take a big drink of water from that water bottle that you filled up! Rosemary touched on the importance of moving your body in this post – How to Get More Done by Managing Your Energy.

Get quiet and breathe.

Stop talking. Just be quiet. Tune out the noises around you. Breathe. In and out. And in and out. Over and over. Listen to your breath. Trust that it knows what to do. Follow your breath. Be still and in the moment. You don’t need to think about anything other than your breathing. Do this for 5-10 minutes twice a day to regroup your mind with your body. Simply be quiet. And breathe.

 

Self-care is really so very important. And it’s actually quite simple. So make sure it’s on the top of your To Do list” and keep it there.

Jane Boyd is a Partner in GeniusShared. She is also the CEO of 45 Conversations Media & Education Ltd, a Canadian education and training company based just outside of Vancouver Canada. She works with educators, business, community and government in the areas of early learning, work-life, community development and employee engagement.

Playing on the Swings is Good for Business

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Looking for a new productivity hack?

Here’s a novel idea. Try the swings.

Really!

How often do you truly play?

You know — get out there and have some good old fashioned fun!

Think about it.

When is the last time you played on the swings at your local park?

 

Or — even better — under a night sky.

Stop.

Think.

Close your eyes.

Imagine.

Let your mind play for a while.

 

 

 

Can you feel it?

 

The back and fourth.

The up and down.

The breeze against your face.

The sky touching your toes.

The excitement of getting a little bit higher with every additional swing.

 

 

This moment you are thinking about — this is the stuff of wonder. 

 

And joy.

This is what makes the little kid in us re-emerge.

It’s what keeps us curious and engaged. All of it.

This is play at it’s best.

And guess what?

Letting your adult self play is good for you.

And it’s good for business too. Especially when it comes to helping you stay focused and creative.

So — go find a swing.

And swing.

Take it all in.
Appreciate it.
Experience it.
Embrace it.
Enjoy it.
Learn from it.

Trust me. You will be glad you did.

And you might just discover it’s one of the keys to helping you be more productive too.

Jane Boyd is a Partner in GeniusShared. She is also the CEO of 45 Conversations Media & Education Ltd, a Canadian education and training company based just outside of Vancouver Canada. She works with educators, business, community and government in the areas of early learning, work-life, community development and employee engagement.

Sunshine, Silence and Contemplation

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Oh that moment.

You know the one I mean.

That moment when the sun is shining through the windows of your home (or office) in the earliest hours of the morning.

That moment when you are drinking your first hot cup of coffee or tea or perhaps even a smoothie.

And there’s only you, sunshine and silence.

Plus contemplation. Lots and lots of contemplation.

Yes — that’s the moment.

That’s the exact moment I’m talking about.

Now, truth be told — we’ve pretty much all experienced a moment such as this at some point in our lives.

Yet, for more than a few of us, the reality is that we can’t quite recall the last time we were in the middle of a moment of sunshine, silence and contemplation.

Life is like that.

Moments come and moments go.

And silence mixed with sunshine can be fleeting. Especially on cloudy, hectic days.

Yet — the reality is this — the sun shows up every single day.

Even on the cloudiest and stormiest of days, it’s still there.

Especially when we can’t see it.

The truth is that on those days and in those moments, we simply have to wait a little longer for it to show up with it’s full beauty and brilliance.

And silence?

Yes silence is always there too; even when we can’t quite hear it.

No matter how hard silence is to find, you have to believe that it can always be heard too.

Especially on the loudest of days.

So tomorrow morning, grab that hot cup of coffee or tea or your favourite smoothie and sit down by a window.

And wait.

Wait without your phone. Without notifications. And without people.

Just wait with yourself.

Wait, watch and listen.

If you are lucky, the universe might just decide to cooperate. And you too will experience the moment I’m talking about.

Yes — that moment.

No matter who you are, what road you are on or where life is taking you (or where YOU are taking your life) — there’s virtually nothing better that starting your day with the collision of sunshine, silence and contemplation. It will focus and ground you more than you realize.

Jane Boyd is a Partner in GeniusShared. She is also the CEO of 45 Conversations Media & Education Ltd, a Canadian education and training company based just outside of Vancouver Canada. She works with educators, business, community and government in the areas of early learning, work-life, community development and employee engagement.

4 Ways the Public Library Can Support Your Small Business

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A few days ago I went to the library. You know — one of my local public libraries. I went there to borrow some books that I had placed a hold on. For research. As in — business research. That’s right. I went to the local library to borrow books to support research I was doing for a client project.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve come to realize that the public library system is actually a great resource for my small business. Over the years, I’ve used library services across the Metro Vancouver area for a multitude of business reasons. Here’s 4 ways I have found that local public libraries support small business:

  • They often provide great access to affordable meeting spaces for small (or large) group gatherings.
  • There’s usually quiet (in some cases — virtually silent) and comfortable areas to read, work or conduct research.
  • Most libraries provide free access to good quality,  wireless high-speed internet. This can be especially handy when I’m traveling and don’t want to spend a ton of  time working in noisy coffee shops.
  • And, most importantly, there are all the books and resources that libraries have to offer. Over the last while, I’ve found myself ordering more and more physical books to read and review for various client projects, for business research and for general planning purposes. Of course, many libraries also offer e-book borrowing as well. All in all — libraries are a super affordable way to access a huge range of resources, reading materials and reference items.

So, as you can see there are lots of ways that the local library system plays a role in supporting the work I do through my small business here in Canada.

As an entrepreneur, I’m just one of the many different types of people that public libraries serve. In reality, today’s libraries are busy offering programs and services to an absolute multitude of people! For example, on any given day 50,000 people come through the doors of the Toronto (Canada) Public Library’s 100 branches, while 85,000 make an online visit.  And — just in case you thought Starbucks had cornered the market on access to free high-speed internet in the United States, think again. According to American Library Association there are more public libraries than Starbucks in the U.S.—a total of 17,566 including branches. Nearly 100% of public libraries provide Wi-Fi and have no-fee access to computers. Plus, many libraries have local coffee shops located very close to them. Some libraries even sell coffee right inside the library.

Isn’t that amazing? Wow.

With respect to business and careers, I came across this other bit of interesting information from the American Library Association. Did you know that libraries actually strengthen local economies? For example in the U.S. –

  • 73% of public libraries assist patrons with job applications and interviewing skills;
  • 68% help patrons use databases to find career openings;
  • 48% provide access to and assist entrepreneurs with online business information resources;
  • More than 36% offer work space for mobile workers.

And while we almost all turn to Google Search for the answers to a great many things, the reality is that many people also still relay on reference librarians in the public and academic libraries across the U.S. Did you know that collectively reference librarians answer nearly 6.6 million questions weekly in the nations libraries!

That’s another wow!

Here’s a few super helpful library websites that have been developed to support small business owners.

The Berkley Public Library offers a comprehensive listing of resources, events and research links to support small business as well as jobs and career planning.

The New York Public Library provides a great Small Business Resource Center that is packed with local, state and national links and information.

The Vancouver Public Library offers a super listing of recommended books for entrepreneurs to read as well as links to many different websites to help small business owners with planning, operations and much more.

So — the next time you are in need of some support for your small business, you need to do some research for the development of a new product or are trying to find the answer to that impossible business question — head to your local library. You might just be amazed by how much your local library has to offer! If you need help finding the public library service in your community check out this great listing of libraries around the world.

Jane Boyd is a Partner in GeniusShared. She is also the CEO of 45 Conversations Media & Education Ltd, a Canadian education and training company based just outside of Vancouver Canada. She works with educators, business, community and government in the areas of early learning, work-life, community development and employee engagement.