Blogtipping and New Chapters

A few bits on this holiday weekend.

First, I am proud to say that the third time is a charm. The last two months, I have been fashionably late to the blogtipping soiree (for those who do not know, blogtipping is a practice where you share a blog you enjoy with your readers on the first of the month).

This month I made it with 2 minutes to spare (Pacific time, which I will count as ontime. Typepad is on eastern and shows me a day late again).

I am fiercely independent, however, so I must deviate somewhere. This month, I am blogtipping my blogroll. I have been sorely remiss and had not updated my blogroll for over a year. A dreadful situation that I have remedied.

Please check out my now relevant blogroll. It represents the blogs I am reading on at least a somewhat regular basis. My cut and paste technique is far from perfect, so if you know I read your blog and do not see your link in it's proper spot, feel free to send me an email to set me straight.

An item of note from the blogroll.

My online pal Phil Gerbyshak has published his first book called, 10 Ways to Make it Great. I had the honor of seeing portions of it prior to its publication and it is a breath of fresh air (I endorse it!). Go check out Phil's blog and invest 13 bucks in your career satisfaction. Phil is great - he has genuine optimism coupled with tenacity for a combination that can't be beat - we can all learn something from him.

New chapters.....congratulations, Phil.

I know how Phil is feeling, the first book is always special. Personally, even if I get a copy for free, I ALWAYS buy books from people I know or even meet casually. Double that for people I know well. Why? Regardless of the topic, writing a book is emotional and deeply personal. When the first one comes out, you ache for it to reach the hands of thousands.

You ache.

It's not about money. It's never about the money. It's personal.

You ache.

And when someone pours themselves into something like a book, they earn my respect and support.

Phil's book is great and you should buy it. The notion of blasting through the average to living full out is sorely needed. But even if the title or topic does not strike your fancy, get it anyway and give it to someone as a gift. It will be good karma and mean so much.

I love to go to book signings at book stores but marvel at the people who do not buy/bring the book. I can't NOT buy the book from an author with whom I just connected and heard talk. Yes, the result is that I have way too many books, but each is a memory - a story.

That's just me.

Confession. The launch of my first book (High Impact Middle Management) was a disappointment. It is picking up some steam now, but those first few months were very hard. My hopes were high and got crushed. I did a lot of PR - or so it seemed - radio and articles, but it did not seem to work. My expectations proved to be too high. I was ripped up inside - it hurt, physically and emotionally. This may not be logical or rational, but it illustrates my point about books being personal regardless of the topic.

We ache to know if anyone is reading and if we've been able to make an impact. When our work lands in someone's arms, it's like another ripple has been added to our wake.

Sorry for the drama - I am in one of those moody moods. And books choke me up because they are special gifts. I must hit send now or I will again be late for blogtipping.

Comments

[Rosa Say]

Aloha Lisa,
3 cheers and aloha-filled exhuberance for your fierce independence, deviation, emotional connections and deeply personal sharing. You continue to touch us with your open sharing of who you are - and we continue to love you for it.

[p.s. I was deviant too, and did my own kind of blog-tipping on the Ho'ohana Community e-bulletin board yesterday:
http://www.sayleadershipcoaching.com/slc/2006/02/the_hoohana_com.html
The way I see it, blogtipping is about generosity, and there are a lot of possibilities within our ability to give.]

A hui hou,
Rosa

[annette]

Hi Lisa - thanks for the link, I'm an avid reader of your site and hope to see you over at mine soon!

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Thank you for the mucho link love and endorsement Lisa. Your support is so wonderful, I am at a loss for words. All I can say is thanks!

[Lisa Haneberg]

Rose, thanks for your comment and for the link to your post - love it.

[Easton Ellsworth]

Lisa, great job blogtipping, and very punctual. I cheated a bit because I was moving, and I did my blogtipping post a day early. Variety is the spice of life, as they say ... thanks for providing me with a few new links to check out!