Lamisha Serf-Walls

Dreamer Highlight: Jordana: My Meandering Trail & Michelle Ward

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dream

I am so excited to share two amazing dreamer highlights with you this week.  The first one is a little different from what I normally share, but is equally inspirational.  Enjoy!

When I first began my blog, I stumbled across Jordana from My Meandering Trail as she was in the middle of preparing for her hike up the Appalachian Trail.  I had no idea at the time what a huge achievement that truly was, but I was consistently inspired by her dream.  In case you were wondering the hike is over 2,000 miles and entails many nights spent camping outside, lots of new people, and lots and lots of hiking.  Just the sound of it makes my legs ache, but I was thrilled to follow Jordana as she strategically documented her plans.  She shared her thoughts on picking her gear, food choices, as well as her adventures as she makes her way up the trail.  So, how did she begin this journey of her dreams?  She just decided to do it.  She researched her way through it.  From talking to others that have hiked the trail to spending early mornings in line to get the best and most affordable gear she could, she did it.  And now, she is hiking to her heart’s content and is sharing her journey on her blog.  While hiking and outdoorsy things may not be your cup of tea, rest assured that her journey will enlighten and inspire.  Remember a journey of (in this case) 2,000 miles begins with only one step.

The other dreamer I wanted to highlight here is Michelle Ward the When I Grow Up Coach.  I have mentioned Michelle several times on my blog and it is partially because it was her blog that really got me thinking about becoming a life coach in the first place and also because her story is so great.  You can read more about how she got to be the wonderful coach she is here.

What she did.  She walked away from what she thought was her dream of becoming an actress and stepped into a space of coaching other creatives to the career of their dreams.  Michelle worked in the corporate world and did her time in the 9-5 job for many years before she finally found her thing.  That thing was coaching others to take a leap toward their dreams.  The inspiration doesn’t stop there though.  In addition to becoming what she calls a woman of the world (read woman solopreneur), she has quit her day job, written workbooks, co-authored a wonderful book, and overcome breast cancer.  She is inspiring for far more than just the work she does.  Michell is creative-life-coaching-amazeballs-ukele-playing-cancer-survior with a spirit that is simply amazing.  Please check out her website and her blog for more inspiring information and tidbits.  She truly is an inspiration for women everywhere.

So, there you have it, two incredible women achieving the life they once dreamt and if they can do it, so can you!

Know of someone who is living the life of their dreams and want me to give them a shout out?  Share in the comments below or email me at lserf13@hotmail.com and I would love to include them in this series.

Gratitude: Patience & Clarity

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gratitude

I can’t tell you how happy I am that today is Friday.  This has certainly been one kind of week.  From financial mishaps that I thought were cleared up to even more confusion, I am ready to change my focus a little bit this weekend and relax.

Often when we are in the midst of the proverbial storm, it can be difficult to see beyond the mayhem.  Finding the silver lining in the middle of a chaotic situation can be darn near impossible, yet once the dust has settled a bit we realize there really is a positive side to every seemingly negative situation.

This week I was hit with a bit of a storm.  Not a huge, rock-my-entire-world-kind of storm, but a sort of chaotic-lift-me-out-of-my-comfort-zone kind of storm.  My personal financial mishap that I thought had been fixed, reared its ugly head again.  After a few more calls (hopefully the last calls on this issue) and a lot of patience, I think I have it taken care of.

I learned this week that like many other unexpected situations that arise in life, this particular situation could have caused me major anxiety, frustration, and possibly anger.  But with a little patience and calm thinking, I was able to handle the situation not once, but twice.  And what is even more interesting is the fact that one of the books I am reading in order to review is titled The Power of Patience by M.J. Ryan.  Coincidence?? I think not.

It seems that with each new batch of books I receive for review (books I don’t select myself), they are almost always the exact books I need to read at that moment in my life.  Books that speak to my soul and assist me in whatever I am dealing with at the time.  And since patience is one of the things I am growing everyday, it is so nice to see it go to good use.  Especially over a pretty large mistake.  So for that, I am so grateful and appreciative.

The other thing that hit me this week is the idea of clarity.  When negative things come into our lives or situations arise that are less than desirable, we have an opportunity to be more clear about what we would like instead.  Basically, when you know what you don’t want, you know what you do want.  (Something Michael Losier and Abraham Hicks speak on quite a bit.)  Sounds simple right?  It can be, however we often get so caught up in the thing that we don’t want, that we forget to switch our focus to what we want.

The difficult situations, frustrations, and negative things in our lives provide clarity for our desires.  It is that simple.  So instead of harping on the negative, lets turn our focus to the feelings, circumstances, and situations we want in our lives.  This week was a very good example of me focusing a bit too much on the not wanted instead of focusing on what is wanted and I am grateful for the lesson.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of all the things that bring you joy.

As always, thanks for reading!

The Importance of Owning Your Dream

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How many of you have had a dream, but you wouldn’t dare share it with anyone else for fear they may laugh or dismiss the possibility of it coming to fruition.  Maybe you have some doubts about making your dream a reality and would just as much forget the whole thing altogether.

Many of us have been there before as we wonder if we can really live the life of our dreams.  We think about it very timidly because we don’t want to get our hopes up too much and be disappointed in the long run, but in order for your dreams to become reality, you have to own them.

Why?

Because by simply setting your intention and focus on that which you desire, you automatically begin flowing energy toward it. 

It is almost like setting a specific goal.  Say you want to run a marathon and it has been something you have thought about for a while, but never really declared to yourself that you would do it.  Instead of beginning your training, this idea is nothing more than a whim that comes and goes without much energy or inspiration behind it.

But, when you say I intend to run a marathon, it becomes more real.  And the more you focus on it, the more you think about it.  The more you think about it, the more inspirational nuggets you find along your journey that will lead you to completing the marathon.

Dreams are the same way.  You have to own them and make them real to yourself.  Instead of saying “I would love to writ a book, eventually…”, declare it.  Set the intention that you will do it.  That doesn’t mean shouting it from the rooftops and sharing your dream with any person that will listen.  That can actually cause your dream to fizzle out before your fire get’s going.  (More on that in a later post.)

Declare your dream.  Visualize it.  Feel it.  See it.  Imagine it.  Feel the amazing delicious energy that stems from it and milk that feeling for as long as it lasts.

Well all have dreams, but if we don’t own up to them, they are nothing more than passing thought that may never come to be.  Take the first step and declare that you will achieve the life of your dreams.  Only you have the power to make that happen, so why not start now?

Surprise Speed Bumps

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Recently I have been on a super positivity kick.  I have been focusing on the positive that surrounds me daily, making lists of things I am grateful for, and staying focused on the things I want to create and cultivate in my life.  For the most part things are running smoothly.  I am feeling good about where I am headed and am confident in the process and while some things seem to be moving slower than I want, I continue to bring my focus back to the present.  I know all is well and all will be well.  No worries.

Well almost no worries.  While I have spent most of my time focusing on the positive, there have been moments (or many moments) when some negative thoughts creep in.  I do my best to send them on their way by thinking more positive thoughts with the intention of staying in my positive frame of mind more and more each day.  Naturally I thought my manifestation process would get easier and then today I hit a surprise speed bump.

Long story short, I had an “accidental” financial oversight that resulted in me being in the red by several thousand dollars.  YIKES!  I quickly called all necessary parties to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible, however in the back of my mind I kept thinking “What a dumb thing to do.” and “I can’t believe I did that!”.  Needless to say my self-talk wasn’t all that great.  I made a mistake and I was ok with it to some degree (provided it could be fixed), but the interesting part was the lack of emotional reaction I had.

In the past if something like this would have happened, I would likely have broken down into tears while anxiety took over my body.  My mind would have been racing while my stomach twisted into knots and I would be in the throes of a serious reaction.

As I took a moment to step back from the situation, I realized even though this mistake does require some rearranging of resources and phone calls to hopefully get it all worked out, I have grown.  I took the situation and responded accordingly without reacting to it negatively.  Sure I was concerned about the mistake, but I was able to take it in stride.  Something I would not have been able to do a year ago.

I suppose this “accident” was a way for me to realize I am making progress in my personal growth and though all of the manifestations are not here right now, I am becoming an overall more positive person.

So the next time you hit a surprise speed bump on your journey to your dreams, take a step back and see what it is telling you.  Is it evidence of changes you are making along the way, or is it a warning to focus more on the happiness you have now?  Either way I think you will find there is an underlying lesson.

 

Dreamer Highlight: Scott Dinsmore and Lilou Mace

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Live the dream

About 2 years ago, I began dreaming of a life where I could do work that I loved and make a decent living doing it.  I wanted to live the life of my dreams and simply be happy.  I wanted to get up every morning feeling excited and energetic for the workday ahead because I enjoy helping people realize the power they have to be happy.  In my search to figure out how I could do that, I stumbled upon a website that proved to be encouraging, motivational, and one of the most inspirational sites I have found.

Live Your Legend 

Scott Dinsmore made the startling discovery that it is possible to live the life of your dreams doing what you love.  He realized that when you find your passion and live it simply for the joy of doing it, you CAN be successful too.  You don’t have to continue to go to the soul-crushing job to make a fortune.  Simply put, he came up with a strategy to help others find their passion and live it, because it isn’t just possible, it is necessary.  Was it always easy?  I am sure Scott will tell you it wasn’t always the easy road, but it was certainly the most passionate and inspiring road.  There are twists and turns and adventures that he loves and now several years after launching his website and company, he is in charge of his time.  He gets to live the life he wants, helping others to do the same.  Check him out and be prepared to be inspired!

I have mentioned Lilou Mace on my blog before, but when I think of people living the life of their dreams I automatically think of Lilou.  Founder and creator of  the Juicy Living Tour, Lilou travels all over the world interviewing spiritual teachers, leaders, and inspirational people in order to share information that would not normally be shared across the globe.  She has done thousands of interviews and is living her dream.

How did she do it?

Well it all started after she lost her job and began wondering what she was going to do next.  After recording her thoughts and experiences the first month after losing her job, she turned her notes into a book titled “I Lost My Job and I Liked It“.  Shortly after, she published her second book “I Had No Money And I Liked It”.  During this time she also began living her dream, by interviewing various spiritual authors, leaders, and teachers via Skype and uploading them to YouTube.  While she wanted to be the next Oprah, her dreams were realized and implemented in a much better way than she could have ever imagined.  She is now living her dream by traveling the globe completing her wonderful interviews and sharing them for free via YouTube.  Not only that, but she does so simply on a donation basis.  All of her travel fees, accommodations, food etc. is paid for via donations made to her via her website.  In addition to interviewing and writing her two books, she has also created several meditations and other items that help her generate revenue to live.  Through implementing the Law of Attraction and living her passion everyday, Lilou has done some amazing things, but the best part is that she had a vision, she believed it, and she is now living it.

It can often be difficult for those of us on the outside of seemingly large visionaries as we are in the middle of creating our own vision.  It seems they have it all together, but one thing to remember is that everyone had to start somewhere.  Scott Dinsmore worked in the corporate world for several years before he finally quit his job to move forward with his dream.  Lilou lost her job and began flowing through life with faith that it would all work out, without ever knowing exactly how it would come together.  The excitement lies in the adventure.  The journey is the fun part and living the life of our dreams is simply the icing on the cake.  I have said it before and I will say it again.  If they can do it, so can YOU!