Lamisha Serf-Walls

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!

 

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!

Fruits Of Flow (Not Force)

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flow

As I continue to move forward in my business I have had at times felt a sense of urgency to get everything done all at once. That part of me (which some call the Ego), is slowing down a bit while a more focused and intentional part of me emerges. Several weeks ago as I was writing in my journal, I wrote a phrase that felt so right in regards to my business.

“Joy, love, expansion, and endless opportunities are the fruits of my flow.”

It became a simple, yet profound phrase that resonated to the depth of my soul. I knew it was true.

So many times we think (as we have been trained to) that we will only accomplish our goals through sacrifice, hard work, challenges, speed bumps, setbacks, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears and that may have been true at one time, but now I am beginning to believe there is a better way. A way that doesn’t require us to break our souls and sacrifice our being to create a life of meaning, joy, and happiness.

There must be another way.

I have often thought about quickly getting things done so I can move onto the next thing, but I found in planning this blog and my coaching business, that isn’t what my intuition is telling me to do. As a woman who as always operated out of the “gotta go, gotta go, I want everything right this very minute” mentality, I am slowly finding myself accepting that things will fall into place as they are meant to and I don’t have to bulldoze my way to the future. Chances are if I did, I wouldn’t be nearly as successful.

I don’t have a business degree, nor have I read the latest and greatest books on how to succeed in creating your own business, but I am finding that listening to my heart is the best way for me to accomplish my goals. In fact, Jess Lively (who I have spoken about several times on my blog) wrote something similar in her weekly newsletter this week (if you haven’t signed up for her newsletters you can do so here). She discusses the difference in “pushing” to make decisions in business(and life in general) as opposed to following the “pull” of your intuition.

Does that mean you simply sit around and wait for your next “aha” moment?

No. At least I don’t. I continue to think, dream, and imagine my future, but instead of setting the exact way I want it to happen (right now), I allow myself to follow my heart and inspiration. While I may have a “timeline” of when I want a particular service to roll out, something may come up that feels even better. The key is to follow what feels right, not what you think you are supposed to be doing.

Does it mean your dreams may move more slowly than they would normally?

Maybe.  Maybe not.  When I made the decision to start this blog, I did so with the intention of having it roll into my future life coaching website (which it has).  I wanted the name to be just right and yet I didn’t sit around trying to force a name that was just so-so.  Instead I allowed myself to be open to ideas.  Some days I wanted to just get started already, but I am glad I waited until I had the right idea because the name is what really inspired me to keep moving forward.

Today, I encourage you to look at the areas of your life where you are forcing the outcome.  Where can you ease off the gas a little to allow the space and energy for the situation to transform?  Are you listening to your inner voice or are you listening more to what you think you are supposed to be doing?  I am a firm believer in following your inspiration, in fact my coaching philosophy is centered around that point.

Imagine just for a moment what your life would look like with more flow and less force.  Set your intention and follow your heart and I promise you can’t go wrong.

Dreamer Highlight: Leah Pearlman of Dharma Comics

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One of many wonderful pieces at dharmacomics.com
One of many wonderful pieces at dharmacomics.com

I am so excited to share with you this week’s Dreamer Highlight.

Last week while I was perusing the internet I stumbled upon an interview Lilou Mace did with Leah Pearlman in Japan and after hearing about her journey and viewing her website, I fell in love with her creativity, drive, and her artistry.  In the video (that you can view here), Leah tells Lilou how she stumbled upon her inner artist as she was on her own spiritual journey to find her life purpose.  As she followed her inspiration to different places in the world she found herself drawing these stick figure comics that served as documentation of some of her favorite memories, thoughts, or inspirations.  She later found that what started off as a hobby, quickly escalated into something greater and that is when Leah Pearlman found her inner artist and Dharma Comics was born.

Dharma Comics is a concept unlike any other I have seen and upon seeing one or two of her illustrations you will instantly fall in love.  Leah takes lovely spiritual quotes, musings, thoughts, and her own inspirational sayings and couples them with her unique illustrations to make genuine works of art.  Check out her website here to see her collection of thought-provoking and inspiring comics that speak to the soul.  I have highlighted some of my favorites here, here, and here.

One of the things I love so much about her story is that she followed her heart every step of the way.  She did the things that felt good to her by traveling the world and while she was “searching”, she wasn’t doing anything that felt like struggle, work, or stress to find her passion.  She allowed it to unfold organically as she followed each little inspirational nugget along the way.

Simple?  Maybe, but it works.  The more we struggle and fight to do anything, the more resistance we bring to it.  When we allow ourselves the joy of doing what we love and follow our inspiration on the way to our dreams, we are allowing the energy to flow and we remain open to the possibilities around us.  It is there you may realize that thing you were reaching for was there with you all along.  You couldn’t see it because you were trying so hard to find it.

If you are looking for a lot of inspiration and some wonderful work, check out Dharma Comics.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Do you have an idea for the next Dreamer Highlight post?  If so, feel free to contact me with the info.  I would love to check it out!

Dreamer Highlight: Eyoälha of Jump For Joy! Photo Project

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This week I wanted to take the time to highlight one very unique blog I follow.  I first found the Jump For Joy! Photo Project through one of Lilou Mace’s interviews and I was struck by the simple joy the founder Eyoälha is able to capture.  I chose her for this week’s Dreamer Highlight because she has taken something that brings her so much joy and turned it into an incredibly creative project that makes her happy.  She proves that following your dream can be as simple as just doing what you love.

What she is doing:  Eyoälha is “Showcasing the beauty of the human spirit – in mid-air – around the world!”  She has taken something she loves (photography) and turned in into a project that follows other creative, soulful, inspirational people doing great things in the world and capturing their joy on film to be used later in a book.  I love the fact that her photography not captures the joy of others, but also invokes joy in those that follow her work.  She brings joy with her in every photo she shares as she inspires others to find their own joy in life.

How she did it:  She simply took her vision, her camera, and her passion on the road.  She created a blog to share her journey as she travels all over the world to take pictures of inspirational people who are full of joy.  Some of you may be asking how she can support her vision and where she gets her resources.  Well, she has set up a page where people can donate air miles or money to her project.  (Where there is a vision and purpose, there is a way to make it happen…always).

Another thing I love about this project is that with each photo, newsletter, and jumper highlight she does, she is reminding us all to play a little more and to do what makes us happy.  She reminds us to bring back more of our playful nature we had as children and to enjoy this beautiful life we have been given.  And if you need a bit of inspiration to do so, check out her pictures and try your own jump session.  I have said it before and I will say it again…life is meant to be enjoyed and if you aren’t enjoying yourself, there are some changes to be made.

Check out her wonderfully playful project and ask yourself what you jump for.  Is it writing, dancing, singing, or something less creative?  Whatever it is, do more of it and follow your bliss.  And remember, if Eyoälha can live the life of her dreams with a camera and her vision, you can too.  Nothing is impossible!