Lamisha Serf-Walls

Dream Changer-New Series

by

dreamchanger

I have been thinking about this series for a few weeks now and I am so excited to share with you some truly amazing fellow dreamers and achievers over the course of, well hopefully the rest of the year.  I think it’s important for anyone who is just starting out on a new goal or dream path to hear stories about others who have been where you are.  It’s not only meant to be a source of inspiration, but I hope you can take away some sage advice that can be applied to your own dreams.

So, here’s how it works.  Each week I will highlight a new dreamer and their answer to one simple question:

What is or has been your ‘Dream Changer’?

A Dream Changer can be a moment, a phrase, advice from a friend, or a feeling that changed everything in terms of your dreams.  To start us off, I am going to tell you a little about my dream changer.

If you have read my story, you know I wanted to be a life coach for a very long time, but the ‘traditional’ path I thought I needed to take just wasn’t working for me.  I felt like I was spinning my wheels trying so hard to move forward only to find I hadn’t moved even an inch.  That went on for close to 3 years.  The Dream Changer came in a few simple words from a co-worker who had just signed up to go back to school so she could do what she really wanted to do.

Her words, “Sometimes, you just have to take that leap.”

Those words hit me in my heart.  I knew she was right. That moment and those words began my path into doing what I love, my way.

Instead of following the path of another and finding a way to make myself fit the mold, I created my own path.  That was in April of 2013 and here I am not only writing about coaching, but working with clients, planning new programs, and reaching for the stars! My Dream Changer could very well be called my Dream Maker, because without those words, I might still be spinning my wheels looking for a way to fit the mold.  Luckily a dear friend and coworker shared her sage wisdom with me and I listened.

Do you have a Dream Changer or know of someone who would be great for this series?  Please feel free to contact me with their info.  I would love to highlight as many dreamers as possible in this series so others know that they are not alone in the pursuit of an amazing life.  It all starts with one step.

Have you taken that step?  Do you have a dream or passion that is burning in your soul, but you haven’t quite figured out how to make it come to life?  I am a master at untangling the web of anxiety and fear to help you realize your dreams, so shoot me an email and schedule your consultation to find out if I’m the coach for you.  If it turns out I am not, I will help you find a great fit.  It’s a win-win situation. 

Keeping Your Dreams Alive

by

dreamsalive

So you find yourself with this uber-mucho-grande dream of all dreams.  It’s a tall order and the more you envision it, the more excited you get at the possibility of it becoming reality.  All is well as long as you stay in your imagination and allow it to run wild, but at some point, ‘real life’ takes over and you start thinking about the ‘how’.

Questions flood your mind about how you will find the time, money, connections, resources, and know-how to make it happen.

It’s going to take some time, patience, inspiration, and lots of baby steps to move you toward your dreams.

So how do you keep your dreams alive while you patiently move forward?  

Boy, do I know what that’s like and it’s something I hear from my clients all the time.  When you feel like there is a bit of a standstill or specifics that need to be worked out before you can get to the ‘action’ of your dreams, then it can be hard to not allow your dreams fall by the wayside.  Real life has a way of being in our face at all times and bills, jobs, kids, family, etc. tend to take precedence.

But here is what I want you to know.

Your dreams will take some time to come to fruition, but no matter how long they take, they will happen!  All you have to do is find a way to continue to put your energy into your dreams even if it isn’t the active energy you are used to.

Lucky for you I have put together a list of 20 Ways to Keep Your Dreams Alive.  In fact you can grab your copy as a free gift for signing up for my VIP List.  (I promise you want to be on this list because I am working on a new way for you to work with me as well as some awesome free stuff that I want to get out to you in the coming months!)

Signing up for my VIP List is easy, just click here and enter your info.  I promise to keep all of your contact information safe and not to send you anything that isn’t super important or inspiring.

Do you already have some ways you keep your dreams alive?  If so, share in the comments I would love to know!

 

 

What is Your Olympic Moment?

by

 

olympics

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a huge fan of the Olympics.  I have always been amazed at the inspiration, the power, and drive the athletes have to accomplish their dreams.  In fact, I was so enthralled with the 1996 Summer Olympics (particularly when the gymnasts were performing), that I decided not to be in the room when my brother was born. (The Olympics being on and the fact that I was 14 and totally freaked out by the idea of being in the room 🙂 )

The 2014 Winter Olympics are no different.  I’m still inspired, uplifted, and amazed at what these dreamers are accomplishing and many at such young ages.

So, this weekend while watching the figure skating competition and hockey (which I have never been interested in), I began thinking about my own ‘Olympic moment’ and yours too!

If we could dissect how each individual Olympic athlete started out and how they got to where they are now, what do you think we would find?

Would we find skiers who always wanted to do amazing tricks on the half-pipe or figure skaters that were just naturally talented at doing the swizzle spin?

My guess is we would find regular people who found something they loved to do and just kept doing it.

In fact, they probably followed their inspiration and followed it with focus and action to get to where they are now.  Did they all set out to be Olympic Champions?  Maybe, maybe not.

But what I know for sure is that they absolutely love what they do.  If they didn’t, they certainly wouldn’t do the things they do every day to make their dreams come true.

So, I ask you this.  What is your Olympic moment?  Is it when you get your business off the ground or when your book gets published?  Maybe it’s when you finally quit that job you have hated for years to pursue your artwork full-time.

Whatever it is, I have a feeling that it can and will evolve.  Once you reach one moment, a new dream, challenge, or passion will look enticing and you will set a new goal.  It’s natural, it’s life, and it is what makes this journey so amazing.

For the athlete striving to make it to the Olympics, their moment might be to simply qualify and then to move into the finals and eventually win a medal or defend their title.

Like every Olympic athlete, do what you love and follow your passion.  Use your inspiration and follow it up with action. Believe in yourself!  I know you can make it to whatever your ‘Olympic moment’ may be, but the important thing is that YOU know that.

Go, dream, do! and then do it all again.

I’ll be looking for you on the podium 🙂

 

What’s Your ‘But’ Statement?

by

If you ever meet me out in public and we start chatting about your career, work, or hobbies, beware!  I might just ask you the question I love to ask and found myself asking to almost every person I have worked with in the last 10 years and that question is this:

If you could do anything in the world (and money weren’t an issue), what would you do? (Sometimes the question is phrased differently depending on if I am speaking to someone about their career or just a general hobby.)

It doesn’t matter what answer you give, I will most certainly follow it up with this:

So why aren’t you doing it?

After a string of answers like : “Because I have a family to support.” or “It’s too late.” or “I don’t know where to begin.”

I get to the nitty-gritty of why people aren’t accomplishing their dreams and it goes a little something like this.

“I would love to start my own non-profit activity center for children, BUT I just don’t have the money to do it.  I mean I do have bills to pay!”

OR

“I would love to sit in a little cabin in the woods somewhere and write books all day, BUT what if I can’t do it?”

OR

“I would love to open my own bookstore/coffee shop/literary center for the community, BUT I’m broke and I have to keep my crappy job because it’s all I have.”

The truth is we all have a ‘but’ statement and what that is, is the reason we feel we can’t/shouldn’t/will never/won’t accomplish the life of our dreams.  For many of us it boils down to dollars and cents.  For others, it’s simply knowing how to get started, but I think it’s more than that.Fear

You see, I am finding more and more that your ‘but’ statement (no matter what it is) is really another form of fear.  For the person that says they don’t have enough money, they may fear losing what they have on their dream that feels so risky.  For the person that just doesn’t know how to start, it could be fear of failure.  For the person afraid of whether they can do it or not, it could be fear of ridicule both self-induced and the ridicule of others.

Regardless of what form your ‘but’ statement takes, what it really is, is a form of fear manifesting as an excuse.  If you would have asked me 2 years ago why I wasn’t on my path to coaching already I would have told you I didn’t have the money to do it.  I couldn’t afford the training programs I thought I needed to succeed.  It took a long time for me to even entertain the thought of doing things differently.

Today, I encourage you to identify your ‘but’ statement.  The truth is, you probably have more than one, so write them down and face them.  Get them out of your head and utilize your amazing imagination to think of all the ways those fears can become irrelevant.

If lack of money is one of your fears, then think of all the ways money can flow into your life.  Some examples might be gifts, a raise, a new job, selling old stuff, refunds, rebates, unexpected checks in the mail etc.  There are an abundance of ways for money to flow and for your dreams to come true.  Don’t limit yourself to the singular road you ‘think’ will lead you to what you desire.  There is so much more out there if you open your mind to the possibilities.

The first step is identifying your ‘but’ statement.  So, if I asked you about your dreams, what would you say?

” I would really love to _____________, BUT _______________.” Fill in the blanks.

If you are ready to talk more in-depth about your ‘but’ statement and what is really holding you back from the life of your dreams, contact me to schedule your consultation.  I would love to hear more about what lights you up and how I can help make your dreams a reality.  The truth is, if more people were doing the things they love the world would be a much happier place, so let’s do our part.  

This or That: What To Do At a Crossroad

by

crossroad

Happy Tuesday Lovely readers!

How many of you have been in a situation lately or in your life when you have had to make a decision?  I’m not talking “what shall I have for dinner tonight” although for some of us this can prove to be a pretty challenging decision.  I am talking about the BIG decisions.

For instance: Taking one job over another.  Moving ‘there’ or staying right where you are.  Follow your dreams or stay where it’s secure.

In the course of my life I have made many seemingly big decisions and every time I sat down to think them through, I got anxious.  I wanted to make the right decision!  My thoughts were clouded by all the pros and cons and I was overwhelmed by the options and how they would play out in the future.

I was at a crossroads and I didn’t know which way to go.

What I didn’t know then (but I know now), is that we all have an internal-decision-maker.  It’s called the heart.  Ok, maybe not the physical, blood pumping heart, but it’s the intuitive “heart” that can feel its way through situations.  The problem is we forget we have it because we have grown so accustomed to thinking our way through issues, we immediately try to do what is logical.  If you are like me, you may have found the logical route to be more than a bit rocky and instead downright miserable.

The work I do with clients is to help get them out of their heads and into their hearts.  Instead of thinking through the pros and cons of a situation, I want them to feel their way forward.  Our bodies are amazing and they can provide a lot of information about the decisions and choices we make on a daily basis.  I find that the ‘wrong’ choices (or at least not the best choice for me in the moment) feels restrictive to me.  My chest tightens and things just feel heavy overall.  However, when I make a choice from my heart and it is the ‘right’ choice, I feel expansive and an opening occurs in my chest.  I feel uplifted and light.  Those are my markers, but you may feel differently.  The key is tapping into your body every now and again (I suggest daily) to get to know the feelings that come up as you make your decisions.  It could help you immensely as you move forward along your path.

Now, I don’t believe in making ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ choices (even though sometimes it feels like there is one or the other).  I believe that every choice we make along our paths is an opportunity for growth, learning, and experience.  Whether you feel you have made the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ decision, there is always an opportunity for you to move forward and make your dreams a reality.  Always.

But, in order to get there and enjoy it to the best of your ability, you must learn to tap into your intuitive heart and feel your way forward.  And that is why I have created something called Crossroad Coaching.  

Crossroad Coaching is for when you have those moments of uncertainty and you are unsure of which way to go.  You have a decision to make and are having trouble discerning what is best for you, right now.  That is where I come in.  I can help you tap into your intuitive heart and help you work out where the kinks might be, so you can feel good about your decision.  I want you to feel comfortable and confident in the decisions you make and I want you to step boldly into your future with the light, bright, and expansive feeling you have when you know everything is working out exactly as it should.  If you are interested in how Crossroad Coaching works, feel free to contact me and we can chat about your specific situation.

And should you find yourself questioning whether to follow your dreams now or later, take a look at this awesome video from Marie Forleo where she gives some insight to a reader who has a decision to make of her own.