Lamisha Serf-Walls

Lessons Learned In: Unplugging & Balance

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Well friends, the weekend is coming to an end and as I end this (partial) unplugged weekend, I learned some very valuable lessons that I want to share with you.

Lesson: Unplugging from technology may be difficult, but it is well worth the time and effort for the amount of peace and serenity it provides.

I have to say that when I set the intention to spend the weekend “unplugged” I hadn’t put much thought behind it.  I knew I needed some time away from the constant feed of emails, constant Facebook feeds, and the endless supply of information simply because I spend so much time through the week connected for my day job, my business, and my side gigs, I often am left feeling depleted and frazzled.  I thought it would be easy to leave the phone behind and not scramble to check my emails every time I had a new notification.  I was wrong.  It was much more difficult than I thought.  Though on Friday, just after making my declaration in my last post, I took a book outside and sat in the mild South Carolina weather and read for about 20 minutes and I couldn’t help but feel free.  I felt the tension ease in my shoulders and a growing sense of peace fall over me as I collapsed into the nothingness that became my Friday evening.

As the weekend wore on, I had an on/off relationship with peace.  While the frazzled feeling never returned, I checked my email a few times as well as my Facebook page, though not nearly as often as I would have.  I was making progress.  Today, was by far the best since I was able to disconnect almost completely and only picked up the computer now to write this post.  What I found about this semi-unplugged time was that it is far more a habit than I realized and it is something I could stand to give up every once in a while.  In fact, I intend to be more mindful of my email/Facebook checking even throughout the week as it can end up being a drain of not only my energy, but also my time.

Another thing I realized about this time is that I was far less focused on measurements of various things such as website statistics and Facebook likes.  Things that when you think about it are nothing but numbers.  It can be far too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that certain numbers (or lack there of) mean one’s success or failure.  Taking time away from those measurements has definitely allowed me to relax about business related things as well.  All-in-all, this intention taught me that it is not only healthy, but necessary to take time away from things every once in a while to allow you to reconnect with nature, family, and friends.  It’s nice to let go of our online lives for a bit so we don’t miss what life is all about.

Lesson:  Work/life balance is even more important when you own your own business.

Since I have been juggling many responsibilities for the past few months, I have begun to feel a drain on my energy and my capacity to focus on certain things.  Not only have I placed more focus on my business and put more effort into ways to market myself and get new clients, but I have also increased my freelance writing work as well.  In the process of all this work I began to lose my sense of ease and flow.  I was so focused on doing the next thing and figuring out how to move forward that I forgot to just relax, breathe, and flow with life.  Sounds kinda airy-fairy, I know but I realized even in the early stages of my business how crucial it is for me to maintain a good work/life balance.

So, as I embraced the idea of being “unplugged” this weekend, I was eager to get out and do something just for fun with no thought to what I “should” be doing.  In fact, I didn’t do any work all weekend long which is a first for me at least recently.  I am teaching myself to get into the practice of not only taking time away from technology every now and then, but also to do things for fun.  Life is meant to be enjoyed right?

How was your weekend?  Did you unplug and enjoy time with friends and family?

Happy Friday Friends!

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It’s been a bit of a busy, focused, sometimes frazzled week for me and I am so happy it’s Friday.

I am going to spend some time this weekend unplugging from technology and plugging into family, nature, and good ‘ole fashioned fun.  I hope you all do the same!

 

Live a little this weekend and do something simply because you ENJOY it.
Live a little this weekend and do something simply because you ENJOY it.

I will be back at it Monday full of ideas, inspiration, and coaching goodness to share with you.  Until then have a lovely weekend and thanks for reading!

 

 

Let’s Talk Money…

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So it seems that money is the topic of discussion these days not only in the news with all this talk of the U.S. budget etc., but also with potential clients.  When asked why they haven’t moved toward the life of their dreams, the limiting factor is often times, you guessed it, money.

money quote
image from www.sayw.com

Whether they are wanting to start their own business, move to another part of the country, or travel the world, many of the roadblocks are the same.  They haven’t yet amassed enough money to do so.  In their minds (and mine at one time), they had the straight and narrow view of how they could (or couldn’t) accomplish their goal.

Let’s say you want to travel the world for a year.  You might think the most realistic way of doing that would be to have to save enough money to pay all of your expenses while you are away.  In order to do that you calculate what you make now, a realistic amount of money you can save, and how much you will need for your year-long expedition.  Understandably so, that calculation could not only be depressing, but it could also take the wind right out of your sails.  You might feel like it will never happen and you simply let it fall by the wayside.

But, what if instead of providing a straight and narrow view of how it is most likely going to come to fruition, you made a list of all the awesome ways it could happen.  Use the what if game I talk about here and allow your imagination to run wild.

For the example above you might come up with a list that looks like this:

  • I could win the lottery and have all the money I need
  • Someone could gift me the money
  • I could win a trip around the world
  • I could get a new job that pays more and travel sooner
  • I could find a midnight hustle to make the extra money
  • I could find a job that would pay me to travel
  • I could sell all my crap and do it
  • I could work with a life coach and she can help me reach my goal

You get the idea.  This exercise is meant to open your eyes to all of the wonderful ways you could get to your dream without following the most logical and realistic idea.  In fact, if I were working with you on this specific example I would show you how you can get clear about your dream, follow your inspiration to take a tiny step forward, and watch as some amazing things fall into place that will lead you to the next inspirational nugget on your journey.  Doesn’t that sound much better than trying to do it the way that feels so hard and so impossible?

When you limit yourself to accomplishing your dream via this one specific channel, you cut yourself off from all other possibilities.  This wonderful world of ours is full of situations, opportunities, contacts, networks, jobs, etc. that can help you get to where you want to be.  You just have to open your mind to the possibilities that are out there and the best way to do that is to tap into your inspiration.  Don’t allow your current job, income, bills, situations etc. limit you in living the life of your dreams.  Open your mind and see what happens.

Is money the thing you are lacking to make your dream come true?

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to get more juicy inspiration and updates on upcoming offerings.  I can’t wait to share with you what I am working on.

Dreamer Highlight: Tad Hargrave & Producers of Milton’s Secret

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This Dreamer Highlight edition is all about thinking outside the box and being conscious creators.  Not only are my two highlights incredibly inspiring, but they are also movers and shakers in a different way of thinking and being.  Enjoy!

I first found Tad Hargrave and his website Marketing For Hippies as I was doing some marketing research for my business.  Like many coaches, healers, and generally green business owners the traditional hard marketing can feel a bit overwhelming and down right icky and that is where Tad comes in.  He has found a way to take his passion for helping fellow business owners create marketing plans that fall outside the “traditional” ideas of marketing so it

Tad Hargrave
Tad Hargrave

creates a set-up that not only works for the business, but also feels right for the business owner.  For example, for some of his own workshops instead of setting a specific price for his presentation, he operates under a ‘pay what you want’ model that allows participants to pay a deposit and then any additional amount once they complete the workshop.

This form of pricing/marketing is totally outside the box and against what many big businesses might consider doing, but it works for him.  It allows him to help people who need it and to allow them to decide what his content is worth.  It is also where I came up with the idea to try it for my ‘pay what you can‘ offer that I set up last week.  (By the way that offer is still good, but only for a limited time so if you are thinking of working with me you should really get signed up today!)

What I love about Tad’s way of doing business is that it is a win-win for everyone involved and while business should be a win-win for both parties, it isn’t always done that way.  His way of doing things also takes the focus away from the money and places it on value, content, and helping people.  Because let’s face it, money is simply a piece of paper that allows us to exchange it for goods and services and if we could find a way to do that differently, that piece of paper wouldn’t mean a whole lot right?  If you have a business and are interested in his outside the box thinking, check him out.  He also has a ton of additional interviews to check out in addition to real case studies for potential clients to see how he works.

miltonThe other highlight involves a similar outside the box thinking for an upcoming movie called Milton’s Secret.  This film is based on the book by Eckhart Tolle and tells the tale of how a young boy learns to live utterly and totally in the moment amongst other lessons from his grandfather.  You can find out more about the film in Lilou Mace’s interview with Barnet Bain (producer).  What is interesting about this film besides the content and the conscious subject matter, is the way they are going about funding the project.  Since it is not set up as one of the big box office hits like other Hollywood films, this one is being funded by grants, private investments, and conscious co-creators that want more films like it out in the world.  Let’s face it, times are changing and in order for us to continue to grow and evolve with the changing times, we need more creative solution seekers and this project is just one example of that.  If you are interested to know more about the project or to donate to the cause you can do so here.  I for one am looking forward to seeing this inspiring film come to fruition because it sounds absolutely wonderful!

In addition to the inspiring content and the out of the box thinkers who are producing the film, this project really looks at it as a group created film.  Viewers who are interested in the work are investing their money in a vision that is greater than themselves so that others may view it and be changed.

Now just imagine for a second if the producers had only seen one way to get their film off the ground and that one way was to convince the big Hollywood companies that this would be a hit etc.  They may have either given up entirely on their dream to create the film or delayed it for a very long time.  That my friends is the power of thinking outside the box and being open to the wonderful possibilities of the Universe.  Your one way of doing things is not the only way, so open your mind and your heart for others to be revealed and remember, if you need help figuring out how, I can help.  Simply contact me for a free session to find out what amazing things we can accomplish together!

In other news, I have just set up my newsletter for you lovely readers that want to be added to the VIP list.  I promise I won’t be spamming you with unnecessary emails and nonsense you don’t need, but I do want to keep you in the loop for special offers and especially inspiring posts.  You can sign-up for my newsletter below.

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