Authenticity Archives - Page 25 of 27

Your Gift, Your Dream, Your Path

January 14, 2014 by Lamisha

If I have learned anything in the last few years, it is that we all have gifts to give to the world and if we are lucky enough to realize them, we have the opportunity to make them into our dreams. With that dream comes a path that will teach us amazing lessons along the way.

The person you were when you first realized your gift is not the same person you will be when you apply it to your dreams.

You will change.

Your path might too.

And as much change, lessons, amazing insights, and growth you go through, at the core you will be the same.

At your core, in your heart, and in the midst of your creative soul, you will be the same.

That passion and love you are sending out into the world has always been with you on some level. It may have started as just a tiny seedling of interest, inspiration, and hope that eventually developed some roots of importance and passion. Through storms of confusion and frustrating questions of “how” things would turn out, you have held true to your path, your calling, and your gift.

The path to creating the life of your dreams is yours and as you travel it you get to decipher what lines up with your vision and what does not. And every “mistake”, “mis-step”, and “failure” is really an opportunity to learn and grow.

So take the first step on your path with positive expectation and open arms for all that you are going to discover about yourself and the world around you, for nothing will provide a more amazing journey than you setting out to make your dreams become reality.

One step is all it takes to get you to the next. Why not start now?
photo credit: Stuck in Customs via photopin cc

Purple People, I’m One…Are You?

January 13, 2014 by Lamisha

Chances are if you are reading this you are one of the purple people. I am not talking about the Oompa Loompa people from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory either.

When I say purple people, I am referring to the dreamers, healers, creatives, writers, and other artists of the world that Tama Kieves talks about in her book Inspired & Unstoppable. These are the people who dare to forge their own path to success and don’t need to follow in the steps of someone else. The truth is every person in the world can be a purple person, but for far too long we have been taught to follow tasks, plans, parameters, and success principles of others and have forgotten how to tap into our intuition and inspiration for guidance.

When was the last time you felt for the right decision instead of consulting some plan or to-do list that you have written down?

I have to say that when you are taught not to trust your own instincts it can be hard to believe in yourself to know what is the right way…for YOU.

I think I have always known that I was a ‘purple person’ or at least that I was different. Having done all the things I was supposed to do in life, I fully expected some moment when all the hard work would result in pure bliss, but something was always missing.

I used to say I had two parts of myself that struggled against one another. On one hand I was a responsible, level-headed, and logical person that was always striving to do what was “right”. On the other hand I had a free, creative, and adventurous spirit that was calling me to do something more. Whenever I had to make a decision the two parts collided to create a wave of confusion and frustration. I was stuck.

Even after making the choice to follow my own path and I began coaching others to do the same, I find the logical voice still creeps in during times of uncertainty.

Am I doing it the right way? Is this how a business is supposed to run? Do I have all the marketing and business know-how to succeed?

The answer is yes. Do I have all the answers I need right this very minute? Nope. But, I am ok with knowing and trusting that I will find my way as long as I stay open and true to my intuition. Things fall into place at exactly the right time and if it hasn’t happened yet, it’s not the right time…for me.

The same goes for you. You will know all that you need to. You will find your way and when you do, at first you might be amazed at how perfect it feels. You might even try following someone else’s path and direction first and realize how hard, frustrating, and forced it feels. That’s ok. It’s all part of the process, but once you tap into who you truly are and the amazing wisdom that lies within, things will be a lot more clear.

Will it always be easy?

No, but it will get easier as you move forward and I promise you, the “purple people” path is about passion, fire, and following your inspired heart.

If each step feels right for you and leads you to the very next step, how can it be wrong?

Trust yourself, your dreams, and your gifts. If you can do that all the steps in between will be clear.

Accessing The Expert Within

December 9, 2013 by Lamisha

If I have learned anything this past year, or more accurately in the past month or so, it is the importance of listening to your intuition and making decisions that are right for you. I have far too often fallen into the trap of wanting to always make the right decision whether it is in my business, family life, or other more mundane tasks like buying the right products.

You see, something you may not know about me is that I was very much a Ms. Goodie Two Shoes when I was younger. Growing up I would beam with confidence when I received my gold stars for a job well done. If the teacher was looking for a volunteer, I had my hand raised faster than she could blink. I aimed to please and I wanted nothing more than to receive an abundance of accolades from the people I looked up to. It doesn’t sound all that bad right? I mean after all, I was on honor roll more often than not and I did very well in school. But the downside to it all is that my delicate confidence depended on what other people thought of me and my decisions. (Imagine the turmoil that ensued when my mother found out I was not her straight-laced-heterosexual daughter, but instead I was her seemingly-straight-laced-gay daughter….(gasp!))

While I have managed to step out of my comfort zone and do things the non-traditional (sometimes very non-traditional) way, I realized about a month ago that I still had this habit of seeking advice, knowledge, and insight about what I should do because I wanted to do what was right. I didn’t want to make a mistake. I wanted to select the perfect logo, find the perfect business name, and set up the perfect website that would draw in clients from every corner of the world.

I wanted everything to be perfect and I wanted everyone to like my new business (and me).

But the problem was that every comment, opinion, thought, and insight created a battle inside me, a battle between my gut/intuition and the oh-so-wise thoughts of someone else. It was a battle that left me feeling more confused than ever and it wasn’t until I received a series of particularly hurtful comments that I finally realized what the struggle was about.

The struggle inside myself was a struggle against my inner knowing….the expert within. You see, when you set out to fulfill your life’s calling there is a feeling you get that doesn’t go away. It’s the feeling you feel when you first figure out what you want to do and the same feeling that keeps you moving forward when things get tough. It’s the voice that tells you that it’s going to be alright and you will have all the things you need to make it happen. It’s the resonance you feel when you meet people on your path who are exactly who you needed to meet to move to the next step.

That feeling, that voice, that resonance…is YOU.

Over the years, I have tried to live in a way that pleased those I deemed “experts” in life and when I set out on my journey to create a new business, I started moving down a similar path until my inner expert reminded me that I will find my way and know what direction to go because it will simply feel right for me. It may not be right for everyone and it certainly won’t be the same path someone else took to get there, but it is mine and my inner expert will guide me to where I need to be, and yours will too.

You don’t need someone to map out your plan for you. You have a wealth of knowledge and wisdom within you that will guide you along the way and you will know you are on your right path because it will feel right…for you.

You may be asking yourself if we all have inner experts then why in the world would we hire a life coach or anyone else to help us???

The truth is sometimes your inner expert will guide you to a life coach or someone else to help you on your path because it’s what you need. As a coach I never tell my clients what they should or shouldn’t do. Instead, we discuss the challenges, concerns, and struggles that may be holding them back from moving forward and when they are ready to make a decision, I help them tap into their own inner expert so they know what is right for them. I also hold them accountable along their journey so that pesky thing we know as fear doesn’t get in the way of their incredible potential.

Whatever decisions you have to make as this year comes to an end don’t question whether it is the right or wrong decision based on someone else’s opinion instead, tap into the expert within and know that he/she will not lead you astray.

You are wiser than you believe yourself to be!

photo credit: symphony of love via photopin cc

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.

The Real Deal: Part 2

November 7, 2013 by Lamisha

A few months ago I shared a post titled The Real Deal. It was my confession to you (and myself) that I am not perfect and I am in fact human. (Contrary to how I may act sometimes. 🙂 )

Well consider this part two of that post.

Over the last two days I have been struggling with a lot of questions, doubts, concerns, and overall worry about the future. A few comments from a friend that were meant to be helpful actually uncovered some deep insecurities and fear within myself that I thought I was managing by putting on a happy face and staying positive.

You see, when I started this life coaching business venture, I had one plan in mind. I was going to build it from the bottom little-by-little and I fully believed that what I didn’t know about the business end of things I would figure out along the way. When I got word that I would be losing my current job, I took it as a sign that I should dive more fully into my business and continue building it piece-by-piece and that things would rapidly take off. For the first time in my life I wasn’t worried about the future. I didn’t have to know how it was going to happen or what would come next and I certainly wasn’t worried about money. (If you know me personally, you know that is a HUGE thing for me to say.)

I had faith and I was trusting the process.

Then I received some rather blunt, yet constructive comments about my business and all of my faith and trust flew out the window. A million “I can’t…” thoughts flew into my mind accompanied by other dream crushing statements that seemed to multiply by the moment. I was doubting myself, my business, and my future. I was frustrated, stuck, and lost. I didn’t know what action to take (if any) and I felt like a failure.

It sucked. It was ugly. But, it was necessary.

What I now know is that the insecurities and hidden fear that bubbled up were there all along. I was simply trying to cover them up. I didn’t want to admit that there were things I didn’t know and my emotional reaction to a friend and mentors constructive comments gave me the opportunity to face them head on. I had the option to continue to wallow in self-doubt and worry or take a step back and re-evaluate things.

While there are many things that I have yet to learn, I know this: I LOVE coaching and I’m good at what I do because of experiences like this. I know where my clients are coming from when they feel lost, stuck, and unsure of what to do next. I understand how it feels when things don’t go as planned. But, I also know what it means to keep going and to keep your dream alive.

Aside from learning to deal with the fear and insecurities that came up in this situation, I have also learned the importance of standing in your power and trusting your intuition. Just because someone shares their insights and thoughts with you does not mean you have to do anything with it, especially if it doesn’t resonate with you. You get to choose whether to use the information or discard it. It’s your choice.

Trust your dreams. Trust the process, even when it doesn’t go the way you expected. But most of all trust yourself!

Onward and upward!!!

photo credit: patricklanigan via photopin cc