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‘Tis The Season To Be Grateful

November 27, 2013 by Lamisha

As everyone in the U.S. is making final preparations for Thanksgiving tomorrow, I too have been MIA on the blog front, however I thought it was important for me to do a post on gratitude. While I could go on about how gratitude is beneficial in life and in the pursuit of your dreams (and it is), I instead want to focus on the people, blogs, and many inspirations I have had in my life over the last year who have helped me (directly and indirectly) get moving on my dream.

I am grateful for:

Kenetha Stanton for inspiring me through her beautiful words to create a blog of my own (for the third time) and for providing the insight into how many of the WP functions work
Michelle Ward the When I Grow Up Coach who inspired me through her blog, her story, and the pursuit of her dreams to never let go of mine, and for tweeting a link to a post I wrote about her a few months back-pretty exciting stuff!
Jess Lively who also has reminded me through her candid details about her successes and disappointments the importance of ‘just keep going’ in life and in business
My amazing readers for following my journey, commenting on my posts, and just being here. For those of you who follow my blog, you have no idea how grateful I am to you. THANK YOU!
My lovely coworker(you know who you are!) who told me to take a leap of faith in creating my business when I thought there were so many other things to do first and who has given me many pep-talks when I needed them. That initial conversation was a game-changer for my dreams and everything else that followed.
Erin McNaughton aka my guinea pig client who took a leap of faith into the wonderful world of coaching with a newbie like myself and who has had amazing results from the 4 months we worked together. Not only is she incredibly talented, but she is also inspiring, motivated, and the best first client a girl could ask for.
My other clients who have also followed suit in working with me. You all are amazing and YOU are the reason I do the work that I do.
For those of you thinking of working with me in the future, thank you for considering me. I would be honored to be a part of your journey to live the life of your dreams.
Last but not least, all of the many blogs that lift me up, make me laugh, cry, and leave me inspired to continue doing this amazing work. There are too many to list, but know that I am so grateful for you as well.

I hope you all can spend some time reflecting on what you are grateful for this holiday season. May you enjoy your holiday if you are celebrating and I will be back in full blogging-action next week.

Happy Thanksgiving and as always, thanks for reading. 🙂

Authenticity and Intuition

November 22, 2013 by Lamisha

Everyone who sets out on a new path into a future that is unknown experiences bouts of fear, insecurity, excitement, and a variety of other feelings that come with the territory. It’s normal. It’s expected and it’s sometimes necessary to learn extremely important lessons. Do you know how I know this? Because I have had to learn some pretty big lessons in authenticity and intuition.

You see, when you start something new you might look around to others for their help and expertise in various decisions and choices you are making. Being a newbie in whatever field you are in, it is often suggested to have a mentor to provide guidance and insight into what you are doing. It’s also great to have a second eye on new projects or things that you are working on in order to help you grow your skill set. It doesn’t matter what your dream might be, but if it’s new, there will likely be some growing pains along the way.

But, what happens when you begin outsourcing decisions and opinions to a degree that you lose faith in your own ability to choose what is right and wrong for you? What happens when you lose the little bit of confidence you had to begin with?

What happens is you lose the connection with your intuition and your authentic self, which can be detrimental to dream and your wavering confidence.

But wait a minute Lamisha, didn’t you say that it’s okay to ask for help and assistance when we are reaching for our dreams and that we don’t have to do it alone???

Yes I did say that and I still stand by that statement, BUT it is also important to stay true to who you are and to stay connected to your intuition. Advice, insight, and assistance are all fine and good, but when it doesn’t feel right and goes against who you are, take note. Whatever the suggestion is might not be what is right for you in that moment.

I don’t expect my clients (or myself for that matter) to know everything there is to know in order to accomplish their dreams, but I encourage them to listen to their intuition and use it as guidance for the choices they make. Does that mean that if a suggestion is scary they don’t do it?

Not necessarily. It can take some work to learn to differentiate between fear and intuition, but once you figure it out, you can begin feeling your way to the future life of your dreams.

It also doesn’t mean you won’t ever have to experience challenging lessons along the way. Sometimes our intuition will lead us to exactly what we need to learn and experience, so take it as a gift and a lesson.

I guess what I am saying is to trust yourself. Believe in your dream and trust that the path will light up for you and the steps, advice, inspiration, and action steps on your path will come when they are meant to. If it just doesn’t feel right and you feel like you are creating someone else’s idea of your dream, then that’s not for you. Take a step back and remember what your dream is and set the intention on being open to the steps that will keep your dream authentic for you. We all have experienced those “gut feelings” now and again, so tap into your intuition and I assure you it won’t lead you astray.

Your Dream Is Ready…Are You?

November 20, 2013 by Lamisha

Many times in coaching, I come across people who might need my help, but they just aren’t ready to take action. Some of them have absolutely no clue about what they want to achieve and are merely moving from one day to the next trying to survive (and not just financially either). These people are going through their days doing the things they are “supposed” to do (ya know working, paying bills, taking care of their family etc.) and while they feel like something might be missing, they have done very little to figure out what that is. They might be fearful of what is waiting on the other side or simply have forgotten what it feels like to dream again. These are the people who do such a magnificent job living in the moment for what it has to offer, while not thinking too far ahead.

Then there are the dreamers, the visionaries, and the self-development seekers. These are the people who are always working toward something. They have an idea of what they want but may not know how to get there. They are excited for what the future may hold, but they are stuck in fear, anxiety, or lack the confidence to move forward. These are also people who feel that something is missing and are ready to find out what that is. They dream, they envision, they imagine, and more often than not they have stars in their eyes for that moment when they finally feel like they are living their purpose and enjoying the journey of growth and evolution.

Both of these groups are stuck in one form or another, but the latter group feels the pull to move forward into the unknown. They are willing to risk leaving their comfort zone in order to see what else is out there. They are ready for that first step and many times that first step begins when they reach out to me to find out how this coaching thing works. Their interest was sparked just enough to make them wonder and imagine what they can accomplish with a little help.

Have you ever thought about what category you fall into? Both groups have their strengths and regardless of where you may fall, you too have a wealth of potential that you can use in this life.

The question is, when you feel that pull and you wonder what might be missing…are you willing to take the steps to figure it out?

Here is what I have learned since taking the leap of faith into my dreams.

If you feel like you were meant to do something more than what you are currently doing…you are probably right.
Taking the leap is far more exciting than scary
All it takes is a simple, tiny step to get the momentum rolling
Once you are on the path, the pull gets stronger and the inspiration that follows will remind you to just keep going

Will you take that step? Are you ready to drop the excuses, let go of the fear, and dive into your heart’s desire? If so, I would love to chat with you. I am still offering a free full-length 60-minute session to get a jump-start on 2014. Not only is this an amazing opportunity to make progress on your plans for 2014, but it is also a great way for you to see what it is like to work with me with no obligation on your part other than an open mind. Sign-up by contacting me here and we can get your session scheduled ASAP. Seriously, what do you have to lose???

From “Meant To Be” to “Maybe Not”

November 18, 2013 by Lamisha

I had a realization today and it is one that I have been struggling with for a while now. You see, when I found out I only had 3 months left of my full-time job, I took it as a sign from the Universe that my coaching business was ready to take off. I thought I was going to have some amazing space and time to create, write, and build an ever-growing business that would sustain me. I had stars in my eyes, a heart full of hope, and no one could tell me otherwise.

I absolutely believed that this was happening and that the reason my job was ending was so I could move into my purpose more fully. But then, after 2 months passed and business didn’t explode I began questioning things. I hadn’t even thought of getting another full-time gig. I thought it was working out perfectly and that it was meant to be for me to work from home, building, creating, and expanding my ever-growing business.

But, that’s not how it has happened thus far. To be honest with you, my month of giving has really become my month of offering what I believe to be a great deal, but with no takers.

Bummer.Big Bummer.

Not only did I not want to entertain the idea of taking a full-time gig (because hello why else would I be losing my job just as I was starting my own business-terrible logic), but I was also dealing with a dwindling dream. I had gotten excited about something that I thought was meant to be, even though it might not work out that way. The funny thing is had you asked me a month before I found out my full-time job would be ending when I planned on taking my new coaching business full-time, I would have most certainly told you that I wouldn’t consider it until I had built a solid foundation. And yet after I found out about position being eliminated, I thought it was a sign just to jump! Funny how we see things so differently in varying circumstances huh?

So, what’s my point?

My point is that things happen for a reason and while we might think we know what that reason is while it is happening, we may not ever really know until the dust settles later. So instead of wishing, hoping, and standing on the belief that we always know why things work out the way they do, why not stand in a place of faith. Faith that things are working out exactly how they should without placing constraints on the situation trying to make it fit into a logical stream of thinking. If I know anything about my journey to coaching, I know that the path isn’t always logical and it is very rarely linear. My path has been more about following the inspirational nuggets along the way. Being inspired to do one thing that leads to another etc. That is how things have worked out for me and many of my clients and I know that is how it will continue to work out.

In this case that means not discounting another full-time gig or feeling badly about services and offers that go no where. Not only am I allowing myself to be open to what comes, but I am also following my own coaching advice and going where my inspiration takes me. I am readjusting my focus and seeing the bigger picture. I may not know what is next for me, but I am sure that it is going to be great.

In the mean time I am going to continue working on my business ideas, tweaking my website, and creating content that is inspiring, useful, and uplifting for you lovely readers. I am also going to continue to build a solid foundation for my business. I am learning, growing, and evolving every day as a business woman and that will never stop. So as I work on my services, offerings etc. my focus is on providing the best services I can for my clients. It also means being open to where, how, and how my next clients will be and trusting the process.

As for the job front, I’m not sure what will happen. I am following my inspiration and going where it leads me, if that means I end up in another full-time job, so be it.

As one of my dear friends has reminded me over and over again…I am letting it flow, letting it flow, letting it flow. 🙂

Where Is Your Focus???

November 15, 2013 by Lamisha

This week I have been a little MIA on my blog and for that I apologize, but I promise I had a good reason. I decided to take some time to really reset my focus for the rest of this year and into the new year. Re-focus sort of suggests I have been making plans and outlining my strategy, but what I did was a bit different from that.

I realized in the last two weeks especially, I have allowed the details of the future get the best of me. Mostly, the unknown details and the many questions that come with them. Questions about business success (or lack there of), questions about where I am headed, and what is on my path. I have spent much of the last two weeks trying to desperately solve problems, figure things out, set plans, and FOCUS on what is coming when I have no clue what that might be.

Up until a few weeks ago I was okay with the not knowing. In fact, I was more than okay with it…I was flowing with it and things were good. It wasn’t until I received comments from someone else on what I “should” be doing, that I began this crazed focus on what is going wrong.

I am sure you have been there before too right? Instead of basking in the wonderful things that are going on in life, we have a tendency to hone in on the one (or two) things that are lacking. We allow those one or two things to be the main focus, main theme, and our primary concern, until we realize it is getting us nowhere.

That is why this week I spent some time changing my focus. Instead of focusing on all the things I feel aren’t quite up to par, I have set the intention to practice flowing with what is good, abundant, beautiful, and magnificent in my life. Does that mean I won’t ever notice when my glass is half-empty? No, but it does mean that I am making a bit of an extra effort to soothe myself and know that it is okay for a glass to be half-empty some of the time, because when it is we appreciate the full glass so much more.So, I ask you lovely readers. Where has your focus been as of lately? Have you been enjoying and appreciating the magnificence that surrounds you or are you honing in on the things that are still missing? If you fall into the latter category, I invite you to change your focus up a bit. You may not have all the answers right now, but by enjoying the little things and the big things that are going well, you somehow find the answers you were looking for not only much faster, but also in the most amazing places.I hope you have an amazing weekend and turn your focus to the abundance and beauty all around you. As always, thanks for reading!