Lamisha Serf-Walls

2014: Theme of the Year

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Moving along with my end of year planning posts, I wanted to share a bit with you about my theme of this coming year.  If you have been following me for a while now, then you may remember last year my theme for 2013 was to “Be Open”.  I wanted to simply allow myself to be open to the possibilities, opportunities, and ideas that came about for 2013.  I can honestly say that those words were perfect for this year and they led me to create my coaching business from the ground up.

So, as we move into 2014, I had a bit of trouble figuring out what my theme would be.  I had a lot of ideas that came to mind, but none of them really felt just right.  Some of the words that came to mind were “Service” and “Beginnings”, but neither really made my souls say “YES”!

When I allowed myself the space to let the words just come to me, I came up with the perfect theme…Show Up.

What does that mean?tama

It means that no matter what this year, I am making a commitment to myself to show up to the opportunities and changes that I am making even if they scare me.  The inspiration came from a book by Tama Kieves called Inspired & Unstoppable where she reminds lovely creative souls to show up to their work, their craft, and their calling no matter what.  Her words touched my heart and really resonated with me and when the words came to me, I knew they were perfect for 2014.

In a few days of putting this theme to practice, I  have learned that the simple act of “showing up” creates the space for inspiration to occur.  For example when I am intimidated by the blank page, if I commit to just sitting down, then something always comes out.

Simply put, regardless of the insecurities, fear, uncertainty, doubt, and any other reason that might cause me to procrastinate on something that is important to me, I commit to showing up.

I have learned that nine times out of ten the fear and worry are unwarranted and the simple act of showing up allows me to continue to grow and evolve as an individual and as a coach.

Have you thought about setting a theme or a word for the New Year?  If you haven’t ever tried it before, I encourage you to give it a try.  Think about it, write it down, and revisit it throughout the year.  You might be surprised at how your year progresses when using this simple practice.

There are a lot of other bloggers and coaches using this same practice if you want to check them out before you decide on your own word.  Check out Tiffany Han‘s word of the year to see why she chose the word she did.  If you decide you want to choose one of your own, I would love to hear it.  Share in the comments below!

When OTHER Things Come First…

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I have been working on this post for quite a while now and it seems the more I wait to post it, the more inspiration I have to do so.

In working with a client a few weeks ago, we had a conversation about why our dreams take the backseat to more pressing things.  I realized in that moment I too had been putting off many things that would progress my dreams for one reason or another and then it hit me.

Even when we have the inspiration to dive head first into creating the life of our dreams, LIFE still happens.

There are deadlines, work stuff, family stuff, and in general other stuff that seems so much more important in the moment.  Those things take our attention, focus, and energy and leave little for us to use for the things that truly matter to us.  The things we are meant to do and truly love doing.

It puts us in a quandary of sorts.busy

We make excuses as to why we can’t get started on our book or do research for our business.  We make a laundry list of reasons why we simply don’t have the time or the money to give to that thing that we really want and need to.  Laundry, cleaning the house, fixing the car, going to work, taking the kids to soccer, basketball, and ballet all come first.  We argue with ourselves about how selfish it is to think that we should take time away from our children, our jobs, our spouses, our responsibilities to do what we want to do, but is it really a selfish act?

We have to ask ourselves if following our hearts and making room for the things that bring us joy is selfish.  Is it really?  Maybe in the world we are living in it is and what an unhappy place that is.  A place that makes us feel bad for doing something we enjoy and presses upon us the need to serve others and make other people happy while sacrificing our own.

Before I head down a rabbit hole of how terrible the world can be, let me stop and say that I don’t believe our choice lies between selfish and selfless living.  Nor is it a question of doing one thing over the other.  I suggest a compromise.  A meeting and melding of two worlds that creates a necessary balance between selfish and selfless acts.  A space where needs are met and dreams are lived.

Are you with me?

What I propose is simple.  So simple you may even wonder why you didn’t implement it long ago.  That simple step is this.

Instead of diving into your day checking off items on your to-do list and rushing to and fro, why not set a sacred space for your dream?

Call it the Dream Hour or Selfish Session or something a bit more personal ( and catchy).  It doesn’t matter what you call it, what matters is what you do with that time.

Set a specific amount of time each day at the beginning of your day to give to your dream.  You don’t have to operate using lists and an agenda either.  Simply show up for a set amount of time and commit that time to making progress on your dream.  If it’s writing, then write or read what you have written.  Are you a singer?  Then sing your song or listen to inspiring artists.

Make your dreams, your purpose, your passions a priority in your life, otherwise they will always end up being an afterthought in your long, busy day.  

Your dreams deserve the space to thrive, so what difference does 30-60 minutes a day make when you are creating a life that you love?  If you are like many, you might even spend more time than that on social media sites.

Don’t wait for the New Year to get started either, start today.  I promise you won’t be sorry you did.

2013 Reflection-Look How Far You’ve Come

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Hello my lovely dreamers!

I apologize for my sudden time off of the blog, but with Christmas and some pending deadlines just before the holiday, I found myself a bit scattered.  As I work to get back on track, I thought I would share with you a bit about what the next week and a half will be about here on the blog.

As the New Year approaches, many of us are looking to make some changes.  Some big and maybe a few small changes and as we plan to make 2014 the best year yet, I have a few things planned here on the blog.

Last year, I wrote a few posts about how I was going to plan for 2013 with a Letter to Myself, a vision board, and selecting a theme for the year.  This year, I have a few ideas for making changes for the new year along with some other inspiring posts to get us all started on the right foot.  I hope you will join me in this end of year reflection and planning as the new year approaches.  I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one for all of us.

The process of reflection is an important piece that many of us miss as we look to make changes.  We get so excited for what is to come, that we often forget to look back at all of our accomplishments and challenges.  This is meant to give you a clear picture of how far you have come as well as provide an opportunity to really celebrate the past year.  The lessons, challenges, and successes are all part of how you got to where you are today and reflecting on that can be invaluable for the future.  Michelle Ward keeps track of her “wins” throughout the year so she can reflect back on it at the end of the year in celebration.  You can read her 2013 re-cap here.

Even if you haven’t collected your wins throughout the year, this exercise is a great way to get started on your reflection.  Think back to all the things you started, made progress on, and completed in the past year.  Write them down, celebrate them and recognize your progress.  You might even take it one step further and take note of any challenges you overcame during the year that you are particularly proud of.

Every year is something to celebrate and before you begin to make plans for 2014, take a step back and review how far you have come.

My list of wins include:

  • Taking the leap to create my coaching framework (April)
  • Successfully working with my wonderful guinea pig client (May)
  • Reaching my 1 year mark of blogging (October)
  • Working with a total of 5 clients (from August to December)

While I am sure there are many others that I am missing, the biggest thing for me this year was taking the leap into my dream career and committing myself to helping clients live their dreams.  It is my gift, my calling, and my purpose and I love doing what I do.

Take some time this week to reflect on 2013.  What wins would you put on your list?

When Is The Perfect Time???

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How many times do you find yourself waiting, planning, scheming, and trying to get everything just right before you move forward with a big goal?  Something like moving or changing jobs can require a bit of planning in order to do it without a lot of unnecessary stress, but when it comes to your dreams, when is the perfect time to get started?

It has been my experience that there isn’t a specific moment when the clouds part, the sun is shining, and you just know that everything is perfect.  Let’s face it, perfect is word that tends to cause us to procrastinate on the things we want most in life because we want it to be just right.  And my perfect may not be the same as yours and I would bet that your perfect may not even be all that realistic right?

What I am really talking about here is how you know when it’s time to move forward and take that leap you have dreaming of.  For me, it took some visualization, excitement, and inspiration I gained by watching others take that big scary leap.  It was then that I realized the perfect time I was waiting for was just a ploy for me to, well keep dreaming.  In the dream phase my goal was beautiful, exciting, but not quite real.  I mean, I wanted it, but it was more of a figment of my imagination than it was something I could accomplish.  When I put the perfection aside and took the leap, I had more inspiration than I knew what to do with and it seemed that things were coming together by my not waiting for the perfect moment.

How could it be?

How could it all come together in the most organic, unplanned, yet almost magical way?medium_10799618335

It came together because I always had the potential to accomplish my dreams and one day I just decided to take that first step.  I didn’t have to know the whole dance, hell I still don’t know the whole dance, but I’m learning more and more each day.  I guarantee you will too.

You see, that perfect time you are waiting for is now. Today. Or Tomorrow.  Or whenever you choose for it to be.  It’s not about getting specific things lined up so you can take that first step.  It’s about taking the first step and trusting that the rest will fall in line.

It’s about believing in yourself and allowing your path to be guided by the magical intuition you have been gifted with because it will always lead the way if you listen.

Do you hear it now?  What is it saying?

Whether you make today, tomorrow, or next week your “perfect time”, you will be right because you get to choose.  The question is why wait?

Things are getting busier with the holidays creeping up, but if you are ready to take the leap into your dreams I am ready to help you get to where you are going.  Send me an email at lamisha@lifeoncedreamt.com to get more info or to sign up for your free session today. 

photo credit: symphony of love via photopin cc

Inspiration Round-Up

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It has been awhile since my last Inspiration Round-up and I am long overdue especially with so many awesome and inspiring things I have run into recently. So, sit back, relax and enjoy a bit of inspiration on the house!

Articles of Interest:

  • If you want to know what it’s like behind the scenes of a highly successful entrepreneur/life coach, check out Michelle Ward’s post that gives readers the inside scoop on what a typical week looks like for her. It seriously made me re-evaluate how I balance my days between day-job and midnight-hustle.
  • Are you putting a particular project off more and more each day, knowing you really need to get busy on it?  Check out how Jess Lively made her pending project first priority each day.  Such a simple practice that really works. (I even implemented it myself!)
  • Wanna feel better about where you are in your dream journey/business/path to fulfillment?  Rebecca Tracey shares how she got started in her business and how lowering her expectations actually caused an increase in her courage and ability to pursue what was right for her.  It’s incredibly inspiring and if at times you feel like you have no idea what is going on, it will make you feel better I promise. 

Books to blow your mind:

  • I just started reading Inspired & Unstoppable by Tama Kieves and with each new chapter she manages to tap into my heart and soul a little deeper.  Her quotes have me thinking “Yes!!!” and I’m only a few chapters in.  If you are buying yourself a gift this season, do yourself a favor and get this book.  I can already tell this is going to be a life/business/game-changer for me and will be a book I read again (and I NEVER read books more than once). 
  • I am also hoping that Santa will deliver a book that has gotten rave reviews by many business/personal development peeps on the interwebs.  I haven’t received it yet, but I am looking forward to reading The War of Art and Turning Pro.  I sure hope Santa is reading my blog. 🙂

2014 Planning Tools:

  • I personally cannot wait to get my hands on Leonie Dawson’s 2014 Create Your Amazing Year book and planner. I have seen all kinds of rave reviews about her planners in the past and this is the first year it is available for hard copy ordering.  If you are into pretty pages with awesome illustrations to spark your inspiration and creativity I encourage you to pick one up.

I hope you found the above items super inspiring and helpful as you move into planning your new year.  I also want you to know that I am filling my calendar with as many FREE 60-minute coaching sessions as I can in order to do a bit of research on my client base as well as provide a little gift to anyone interested.  With that said if you would like to sign up for a free session to chat about anything and everything you might need help with…i.e. planning for 2014, working on a current challenge, getting out of cubicle hell, a current life transition, please contact me at lamisha@lifeoncedreamt.com .  I am looking to reach out to as many people as possible and am even willing to take this giving season into January.  It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s fabulous so don’t miss out!