Lamisha Serf-Walls

November Gift #2-Getting Clear For The New Year

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Earlier this month I decided the theme of November would be Gratitude and Giving.  On my personal Facebook page I am doing the 30 days of gratitude and focusing on the many things I have and experience that I am grateful for.  On my blog, I wanted to focus a bit more on the giving aspect of the month.

So if you weren’t here for the post, hop over here and find out how you can sign up for my newsletter and snag your first free gift.

Today, I want to share with you the opportunity for you to receive your second free gift.  This one is a big one too!

But, before I get there let me share with you where I came up with the idea and why I am gifting this to you.

First of all, I know there are many of you who have thought about working with me and you just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.  Maybe you don’t know if it’s the right thing for you right now or you are unclear about what I can help you with.  Maybe it’s a financial thing, a fear thing, or a just plain I’m not ready thing, but I want to offer you a deal you just can’t refuse…for FREE!!

Second, I have made quite a few changes to my site (with more to come in the near future) and as a thank you for hanging in there with me while I make some much-needed changes and adding a lots of new information, I wanted to offer you something as a token of my appreciation.

We all know 2014 is quickly approaching and I want to help you get started on the right foot.  So, for the rest of November 2013 I am offering a full-length 60-minute Getting Clear For The New Year session for anyone who is interested.  In this session we will discuss the top 3 goals/dreams you have for 2014, figure out the sticky stuff that is leaving you stuck (and how to get out of it), and create simple action steps (key word here is simple) you can do now that will open up a world of opportunities for you.  That’s right in 60-minutes we will define your dream, get you unstuck, and create simple steps to get you moving toward your dream.

Not only do you get to see how I work, you can actually make some serious progress toward your dreams absolutely free.  And if you take advantage of this amazing planning power session, you will also get 25% off the price of regular packages if you sign-up to work with me before the end of the year (sessions don’t have to be used this year to qualify).

To sign up all you have to do is contact me and let me know you are interested in your Getting Clear For The New Year session and brief description of what you want to work on.  I will email you back as soon as possible and get you on the schedule.  I can’t wait to get started!  Do you know someone who might be interested?  Feel free to send them a link to this post and share the love.  I want to help as many people as possible get clear on their dreams for 2014!!

Let me help you re-imagine your dreams for 2014 and help you find and follow your inspiration to get you moving in the right direction.  Let me thank you for following me on my journey, by helping you get jump started on yours.  Aren’t you ready to realize your dreams and enjoy every juicy tidbit that comes along the way?  Let’s get started together!

The Real Deal: Part 2

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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.large__4182902199

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

Inspiration From Monsters and Cavemen…Who Knew?!

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Generally my family and I implement “family movie night” at least once a week as a way to relax and regroup after a long week.  This week we had a bit of a movie marathon and watched Monster University and The Croods, both of which I highly recommend (especially if you have children).  For the most part, family movie night is a chance to get away from whatever may be on my mind from the week before, yet there are times when the movies hit a chord within me so strongly that it sends my mind into a flutter of inspiration.

This Saturday was one of those nights.

Inspiration #1

While watching Monster University I was inspired by the message that we can each use our unique gifts and perspectives to do similar work and it is our unique experiences that make that work not only different, but amazing.

What does that really mean?

Regardless of how many people we feel are doing exactly the same thing that we want to do (only in our mind much better), we each bring our own set of talents, gifts, and experiences to the table.  No one else is better or worse than us, they are just different and different is ok.  In fact, it’s better than ok, it’s great!  Different means we can extend our reach to a group of people others can’t reach simply because of who we are.

This comes up a lot with my clients.  So many people, (myself included) view what other people are doing in the same genre as ourselves as doing it bigger and better that we find ourselves comparing apples to oranges.  Sure you can have two writers who have a similar style, but the truth is each is unique and amazing in their own way.  The same goes for two business owners, coaches, stylists, or whatever your dream might entail. Don’t let the success of another put a damper on your amazing gift.

YOU have a gift that can reach people that the other person can’t, so stand in your power and celebrate the wonderful things you bring to the table!

So the next time you start questioning your dream because you feel like you couldn’t possibly live up to someone you believe is doing it better, remember the little lesson from Monster University.  Better yet, watch the movie and see if you experience the same inspiration I did.

Inspiration #2

I expected the next movie to be more entertaining than insightful, but I couldn’t help but notice some interesting themes.

The first theme is one I have heard and dealt with several times in my lifetime.  Fear of the unknown.  When we fear what we do not know and allow it to stop us from stepping outside of our comfort zone, we become caged birds (or in this case caged cavemen).  We become too fearful of taking risks that we don’t really live and experience the precious gift of life.

One quote that stood out to me came from the teenage daughter as she was talking about her dad’s philosophy on staying safe:

“That wasn’t living!  That was just…not dying!  There’s a difference!”

How many of us have lived in this way before?  Merely surviving a life that may be uncomfortable and not all that great, but too fearful of what could go wrong in the future to take that step to do something bigger.

Surviving isn’t thriving.  Living a life with your dreams tucked down in your soul never to see the light of day isn’t living life to it’s fullest and I assure you it is not what you were given this precious time to do.

You were meant to love life, explore, and experience it.  Feel it, devour the juicy tidbits of amazingness.  To identify your gifts and share them with the world.  You were meant to be happy!  So if you aren’t happy right now, is it because you are fearful of stepping outside your comfort zone?  Fearful that the next thing might be worse than now?

What if it isn’t?  What if it is bigger, better, and more amazing than you ever dreamed?  Would one single, scarey step be worth it?

Another theme that came up was the idea of “following the light to tomorrow”.  Essentially it means to just keep going.Light

When things get tough as they sometimes do, remembering your dreams and why you started to begin with can help you just keep going.  Continue moving forward toward the light of tomorrow with your dreams alive and you can do anything.  Just keep going.

So, if you aren’t living the life of your dreams and you are too worried about others doing something better than you, are you ready to take the step to move forward?  Ready to live your gifts and share them with the world? Ready to do more that just merely survive?

If so, contact me to find out more information on getting ready to make 2014 the best year yet!  I want to offer you a chance to get a head start on your dreams and to make some big things happen next year.  If you are ready, I have a special treat for you!!! Send me an email today to find out more information on your FREE session and if you choose to work with me after our free session and get started this month, I am offering packages at a discounted rate (to go along with my gratitude and giving theme).  You don’t want to miss this!!!

November Theme: Gratitude & Giving

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Happy Friday you Darling Dreamers!

It’s the end of another week and the start of a new month!  I can’t believe in 2 months we will be moving into yet another year of wonderful goodness.  Can you feel the energy speeding up with the holidays quickly approaching?  I sure can!

I have been thinking about 2014 a lot over the last few weeks.  While each year feels like an opportunity to start anew, 2014 seems even more like a clean slate.  Maybe it has to do with my current job coming to an end and the options for the future still to be determined.

Every year around this time, I get excited for the newness and a fresh opportunity to make huge strides in my life and to make it an even better year than the one before.  I tend to do a bit of reflection on the past year to identify the growth, evolution, and lessons learned as well as figure out what I still want to work on.  Then, I might sit down to write a letter to myself for the year ahead or create a vision board of what I want to achieve (depending on how I am feeling).

Do you do any type of reflection before you set your intentions for the coming year?  I asked around to some of my friends and many of them said they haven’t even begun to think of what they want in 2014.  Have you?

If you haven’t, I encourage you to take some time to do just that.  Ask yourself the following questions:

What did I accomplish in 2013?

What lessons did I learn?

What didn’t I accomplish that I wanted to?

What was holding me back?

That last question is a big one and it may not be something you can readily identify.  Many people would answer that with a simple word : Life.

When it comes to resolutions, intentions, goals, and big dreams there are a number of things that can hold a person back.  Maybe you are fearful of failure (who isn’t?).  Maybe you have a fear of the unknown.  Some people fear success.  Others say that lack of motivation, inspiration, and a plan to do what they love is the issue.  Maybe it’s time, resources, money, connections, confidence, that is keeping you where you are.  Or maybe you have no clue what it is.

Identifying what has held you back from achieving your deepest desires is a step in the right direction.  Knowledge is power, so knowing what it is is half the battle.  The other half is knowing what to do to get through it.

As we move swiftly into the November and the holiday season, I encourage you to take some time to reflect on 2013 so far.  Don’t just identify the marks you missed, but make sure to identify the things you did well.  The good, great, and amazing moments of 2013 should be celebrated!

With that said, I wanted to let you know that I have created a theme for November and that theme is Gratitude & Giving.  With the holiday season upon us and a new year just around the corner, I wanted to extend some amazing (and FREE) opportunities/gifts for you lovely readers.  While I am planning for 2014 to be an incredible-blow-my-mind-adventure, I also want to place my focus on the abundance and beauty that is in my life in this very moment.

So, for your first gift, you can download your copy of my article : 20 Ways To Keep Your Dream Alive!  All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter and I promise NOT to send you unnecessary, boring, emails just to send them.  This list is truly my VIP list, so you are going to want to take full advantage of the awesome gifts that are coming this month.

I hope you have a magnificent weekend and as always, thanks for reading!

Love

When You Just Want To Give Up…And A Free Gift

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For some people, a life coach is thought of as a personal cheerleader who is always happy, always inspiring, and always pushing you to turn that frown upside down even when things feel difficult.  The thing is, life can feel difficult sometimes and if life can feel that way, so can your dreams.

While I like to think I am in some ways a motivator and an inspirational voice to my clients, sometimes things just feel impossible.  I know that.  I get it.  I have experienced it.

Who hasn’t been in that space where you doubt why you started this journey to begin with.  When life keeps throwing curve balls your way and you aren’t sure which side is up, how can you do anything other than lose faith in your dreams???

It happens.  It sucks, but it happens.givingup

Our current reality is what we see and feel every day.  Each time we punch the clock, check our account balance, or ponder how to find time to do that thing we really need to do to make progress, reality is staring us in the eye.  Heck, sometimes it’s jumping up and down saying, “You can’t get rid of me!!!” And it is during those times that our inspiration hits rock bottom.  The Dream Crusher starts in on us telling us things that just aren’t true.

“You’re a fraud!”

“You will never write that book.”

“You just aren’t meant to do that.”

“You aren’t smart enough, strong enough, pretty enough, clear enough, professional enough…”

You get the idea.

It is in that moment you want to just give up altogether.  You think about throwing in the towel and raising your white flag because it all just seems too hard!!!

If you are in that place right now, I want you to know that you are not alone.

Every successful person in the world has at one time or another (likely many times), felt like they were never going to get there.  They have had their Dream Crusher sweep in and steal their dreams, leading them to believe it just isn’t meant to be.  They have heard the same voices and wanted to throw in the flag.  They have wondered why they keep going and have thought about just quitting altogether.

Only they don’t.

Instead, they take a step back.  Breathe a little, regroup, revise, revisit plans, and allow their inspiration to return.  They meet with friends who believe in their vision.  They sleep.  They go for walks.  They get some exercise and by golly they get back up and keep going.

They remember why they had this dream to begin with.  They remember how far they have come to make it happen.  They remember the passion and drive that brought them to where they are today.  But most of all, they remember the faith they had to get started in the first place and remind themselves that while they don’t have the answers now, they don’t have to have it all figured out at once.  It’s going to happen.  In fact, it already is happening before their very eyes.  They are learning what kind of strength and fortitude they truly have.

And so can you.

So if you are ever find yourself just wanting to give up, just breathe, relax, and remember why you started to begin with.  Your vision, your power, your purpose, your passion is why you started and those are the things that will keep you going.

For those of you looking for some concrete practices on keeping your dream alive, sign up for my mailing list (so you get first dibs on product launches, new offerings, and free stuff) and snag your free copy of 20 Ways To Keep Your Dream Alive.  I promise you won’t be sorry you did!