Lamisha Serf-Walls

Lessons Learned In: The Faces Of Opportunity and Being Open

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I am coming out of my cranky fog and realizing I learned some pretty hefty lessons this week.  While it wasn’t the most progress-oriented week I have ever had, it is certainly one heavy in life lessons.

Lesson: Opportunities come with many faces, the key is accepting them even when they are in disguise. fall apart

After learning that my current full-time gig would be coming to an end at the end of this year, I recently heard that many other employees were given their pink slip with only 2 weeks to spare.  This shocking news puts a lot of people in some seemingly tough situations as they plan for what is to come.  Some are worrying about how they will pay the bills and take care of their families (understandably so), but I can’t help but see this as an opportunity to move into something better.  In fact, one of my coworkers is thinking of following a passion she has had for many years, to which I responded “YES, Do that!!”  As the saying goes, when one door closes another one opens and I believe that 100%.  It seems we are moving into a time when doing what we are “supposed” to do is not only uninspiring and boring, but it isn’t what we are meant to do.

Opportunities are popping up in some fun, exciting, sometimes shocking ways to get your attention, so listen up!  See the opportunity and be grateful that you have an opportunity to do something different.  And should you find yourself in a similar lay-off position, by golly take it as a blessing and a sign to move onward and upward.  The unknown can be scary, but it is also exciting to know that something better is coming only you get to decide what that is!  So watch as the faces of opportunities appear around you and respond accordingly by following your inspiration.  And don’t forget what I wrote yesterday…don’t borrow trouble!

Lesson: Be open to negative emotions and feelings and they will easily float on by.  Fight them and they hang on for dear life.

This lesson came full force yesterday in the midst of my gray cloud of confusion.  I had this icky feeling I couldn’t pinpoint and I wanted nothing more than to move on from the down feeling it was leaving me with.  Only when I stopped fighting it and stopped trying to rationalize it was I able to be open to it fully.  I didn’t try to change it or soothe it, I simply allowed it to be and an amazing thing happened.  It quickly began to loosen its grip on my mood and as the sun set, I was feeling better.

The next time you feel an icky, less than ideal feeling and you can’t quite figure it out, try being open to it instead of fighting it.  The more you fight, the more power you give to the mood/negativity that you are trying to avoid and by allowing it to flow through you, you create a path for it to float peacefully away.

What lessons have you learned this week?

I hope you have a lovely weekend and as always thank you for reading!

 

Don’t Borrow Trouble

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The last two days have been interesting.  I have found myself in the weirdest of moods and somehow my inspiration has fallen by the wayside.  I can’t quite put my finger on what has changed in the last two days, but I do know that it will pass.

We all have these moments don’t we?  Times when things aren’t “bad” or “good” and instead they hang somewhere in the space between two extremes and just feel “meh”.  It is part of the ebb and flow of life and while I tried many ways get out of this mood none of them worked.  So, after trying everything in my be-happy-arsenal, I just let it be.

I stopped trying to fight the inevitable feeling of blah and accepted it for what it is…a pause in action, momentum, and a chance to just be.  Does that sound too hippp-dippy for you?  Think of it as a break.  A break from whatever it is I needed a break from…sometimes even we don’t know what that is.letitbe

While I would like to say I am so good at simply being, I’m not.  I tend to fight the feeling especially when I am in moods like these.  A feeling that is hard to name and almost impossible to find the source of.  Yet, being the overachiever, I can do anything, go-getter that I tend to be…I had to know.

So, I began thinking about all the many reasons I could feel like this.  Is it the weather? Job frustrations? Personal issues? Worry about the future? Stress?  No matter what reason I gave it, none of them felt right and then I had to ask myself…

Why am I borrowing trouble?

I first heard this term from a co-worker a few years ago and if you don’t know what borrowing trouble is, it is worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet and creating undue stress, frustration, and anything else that is not needed in the moment.  That is exactly what I was doing.

Somehow I thought that if I could name it or find the source, then it would cease to exist.  That if only I could figure it out and wrestle it to the ground, I could somehow solve the mystery and get back to my bubbly, inspired self, and move forward with all the good stuff on my path.

I was wrong.

So, I settled with the feeling and decided to let it hang around for a bit, hoping that it would slowly dissipate.  Lucky for me it is working.  I am beginning to feel a bit better and hope that with some additional rest, listening to my body, and just being, I will be back to my regular self again soon.  In the meantime, I am remembering a very important lesson about not borrowing trouble and I want to pass it along to you.

When you find yourself worrying about something that is not in this very moment, you are borrowing trouble.  When you are wondering how something is going to happen and trying to think of all the ways it can go wrong, you are borrowing trouble.  When you are trying desperately to figure something out instead of allowing it to be what it is and letting go a little bit, you have the potential to be borrowing trouble.  And when you are feeling a feeling that you can’t quite figure out instead of listening to what it is telling you, you may be borrowing trouble.

There is enough “trouble” in the world without us looking for it, so why not take some time to just be in the moment and learn whatever lesson it is here to teach us, knowing that it will soon pass.

The good news about these moments and moods is that it helps us remember who we want to be, how we want to feel, and creates a sense of gratitude for the good stuff.  So, if you find yourself in a similar situation remember, don’t go borrowing trouble and in the words of Abraham Hicks, “hang on it will be over soon.”

Identifying Your Gift

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Last week I wrote a post about finding your gift, embracing it, and sharing it with the world and I wanted to go a little deeper into those three pieces.

I have come across many people in the world who don’t believe they have much to give in this world and are honestly blind to the wonderful gifts they have and use everyday.  Sure, they have interests and hobbies, but nothing they deem is of value to the world.

If you are one of those people, know that you DO have a gift to share and if you aren’t sure how to find it, read on.

While traditional society can make a big deal about doctors, lawyers, famous musicians, and artists, the truth is most of us don’t fall into any of those categories.  In fact, each gift we have, even if it is similar to someone else, is unique to us because of our life experiences.  No two singers, actors, dancers, writers, editors, boat-makers, professional golfers, or anyone else has the same experience to share with the world.  Each perspective is unique and beautiful and adds amazing value to the world because no matter how hard we try, we can’t all reach every single person with our gifts.

So how do you find what your gift might be?Gift

  • Think about what you do naturally.  What comes easy to you?  What are you known for in your social circles?  Maybe it’s communicating, organizing, styling, fixing things, etc.  It doesn’t have to be one single thing.  It can (and is likely to) be many things.
  • Think about what you enjoy doing.  Many times our thing is something we love to do.  For me, it is inspiring, writing, and helping people get unstuck along with many other things I enjoy doing.  What is it for you?
  • Ask around.  See what your parents, teachers, friends, co-workers, and employers say about you.  Many times other people can see your gifts much more clearly than we can because of our perspective and sometimes the lack of confidence that comes with it.
  • Get rid of the “shoulds”.  Far too often we have an idea of what we “should” be doing in life.  “I should do something more professional, worthwhile, more important” etc.  Let go of what others believe you should become and think of who you are.  Who do you want to become?

My last bit of advice is to be easy about it all.  The joy of life is that we can pick and choose and revamp and edit our lives as we see fit.  If one thing doesn’t feel right, we can try something else.  If we make a mistake, no biggie, we can try and try again.  Don’t allow these exercises to be so big and scary that you find yourself intimidated.  Just go with the flow and see where your thoughts take you.

Also, remember that as human beings we grow, change, and evolve, so the passion you had two years ago may not be the same.  You may also find you have many things you enjoy doing, but to different degrees.  For instance, I was once a part-time choreographer/dance coach for competitive high school teams.  It is something that is near and dear to my heart and while I am not doing much with that particular gift at the moment, that doesn’t mean I will never tap into it again.  I am simply allowing another part of myself shine and that is totally ok.

Take some time to answer the questions above and feel free to share in the comments section.  I would love to know what gifts you discover!

 

Dreamer Highlight: The Creative Chrysalis and Fat Pony Vintage & Art

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It has been a few weeks since I last shared a specific Dreamer Highlight post and this particular edition is long overdue.  I have had these two wonderful friends and artists on my mind for some time and wanted to share with you their wonderful talents and why I am so inspired by their work.

Amazing Rosary by Kenetha Stanton at The Creative Chrysalis
An amazing Rosary by Kenetha Stanton at The Creative Chrysalis

I first met Kenetha Stanton through a friend of a friend about a year ago and she immediately inspired me to start this very blog.  Since then her writing and creativity have blown me away as she continually inspires me whether she is weaving words together on her blog The Kintsugi Life or she is creating new inspirational jewelry.  I have watched as her artistry has been taking to new heights in not only her magnificent rosaries, necklaces, earrings, and other pieces, but also as her list of published writing has grown.  She is a woman of many talents and I am so happy to watch this artist, coach, writer, and yoga instructor live the life of her dreams as she follows her heart.  Please check out her blog The Kintsugi Life where she discusses finding the beauty and strength in the brokenness of life.  You can also check out her beautiful Kintsugi inspired rosaries, jewelry, prayer shawls, and so much more in her Etsy shop at The Creative Chrysalis.  I have purchased several of her pieces and they are simply beautiful.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

My custom Mosaic from Tori Beth
My custom mosaic from Tori Beth

I am also very excited to share with you an incredibly inspiring, creative, and high-energy friend of mine who I have known for many years.  Tori Beth is an amazingly vibrant and creative artist/up-cycler/radio DJ who has created some truly magnificent mosaics (one of which I am so very lucky to own myself).  A lover of anything with a story, Tori shares her vintage items and some of her amazing creations on her Etsy page with Fat Pony Vintage And Art.  If you like things that have a story you are going to love some of her finds.  And if that doesn’t make her incredibly awesome enough, she also loves digging into Earth to see what she can find with her metal detector.  You don’t have to know her personally to know that she is a woman who goes where her joy flows, but I assure you when you see some of her awesome pieces like the one featured below, you will know she is a woman living the life of her dreams.

The thing I love about these two incredible women is the fact that they are able to take something broken, damaged, and older pieces to create something new.  Kenetha literally creates a beautiful piece of work using her Kintsugi method and Tori takes old, broken items and breathes new life into them.  There is something about blending the old and new that is inspiring and reminds me that no matter how old a dream may be, you can always find a way to breathe new life into it.

Another thing I find incredible about these two women is how they have managed to find a way to satisfy their dreams, their creativity, their passions all while not limiting themselves to only one thing.  Who says you have to choose just one?? I think if we all listened to this advice, we would have more people living amazingly versatile, exciting, and inspirational lives.  Are you one of those people?

I hope you take some time to check out the beautiful work in the links above and support these awesome artists (and friends) and if you know of anyone that you think should be featured in the Dreamer Highlight posts please feel free to pass them along.  And if you should find yourself struggling to embrace, celebrate, and live the life of your dreams, hop on over to my “work with me” page or email me at lamisha@lifeoncedreamt.com to schedule a free coaching call.

 

You Have A Gift: Find It, Embrace It, and Share It!

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I may not know all of you lovely readers personally, but there is one thing I do know about you.

You have a gift.giftquote

You may not be aware of it entirely, but I assure you it is there and it is meant to be shared with the world!

You might be thinking…”Who me?”, “I have nothing to give that is of value.”, “What do I know?”

And if I were coaching you, I would say, “Yes YOU.”, “You have so much to offer the world that only YOU can.”, “You know more than you think you do.”

And I promise all of those statements are true.

The problem we come across as we ponder our gift, is that there is this belief that only really special people have a gift.  The truth is, yes really special people have gifts to give, and we all fall into that category.

Each one of us brings with us our own unique experiences, thoughts, ideas, feelings, outlooks, and perspectives to life.  Each of us have our own interests, beliefs, dreams, and gifts to give to the world.

Not all of us know it.

I want you to take some time this weekend and ponder what your gift might be if you aren’t entirely sure.  I’ll tell you a little secret, it is probably something you do easily, frequently, and without thinking.  It is probably even something you really enjoy doing.  Just take some time to think about what it might be.  If you are still unsure, ask around to the people that know you and see what they say.

If you already know what your gift is, take some time to celebrate it.  If it’s knitting, knit a new scarf or sweater.  If it’s cooking, try a new recipe.  If it’s writing, by golly get to your computer or notepad and get to work.  Are you an artist?  Dust off your paint brushes and get busy!

Embrace the gift you have been given and use it.  Love it.  Enjoy it.  Express it.

Share it!!

I strongly believe our gifts are meant to be loved, embraced, and shared with others.  That is what life is all about.  So get out there and do what you love!!!

Don’t let the naysayers, doubts, Dream Crushers, lack of confidence, or any other thing stop you from using your gift this weekend.  Just do it and watch what happens next.

I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

Until next week friends, have a lovely weekend and as always thanks for reading!