Lamisha Serf-Walls

Purging: Stuff, Ideas, and Clutter

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While many people tend to do the whole “Spring Cleaning” thing, I tend to do it sporadically throughout the year.  I have no rhyme or reason to it and I don’t really schedule it either.  I simply get this incredible urge to clear out my physical space to create a better flow.  One of those times tends to come at the end of the year.

It’s that time again.letgo

I have been feeling this incredible urge to organize, purge, and open up the space around me, but it doesn’t just stop there.  I am also doing a lot of mental and spiritual work.  I am setting some internal intentions for how I want the rest of the year to go and making plans for 2014 as well.  While I haven’t done much physical purging as of late, I have a feeling I am going to be doing so much more in the coming weeks to make room for all the amazing things coming in the new year.

There are a few reasons I tend to get this way particularly around the new year.  One is the fact that I am somewhat of a minimalist.  I don’t need a ton of stuff and I can easily part with most items if I don’t like them anymore or don’t use them.  Clothes are the easiest for me.  I have a closet full of clothes now, but much of what I have I don’t wear since I work from home.  I guess knowing new things typically come in around the holidays, I want to make sure I am making room for them and keeping things I know I will be using.

When it comes to ideas, I have a tendency to reflect on the past year while planning (loosely) for the year ahead.  I can see a lot of growth in the past year and look forward to what is coming in the new year and letting go of some of  my old beliefs can be helpful in that regard.  This one isn’t always smooth sailing.  I tend to learn lessons throughout the year and learn them again and again as time wears on.  Some things are easier for me while others remain sticking points much longer than I would like and as I am growing my business I have lots of ideas that I want to get rid of.

When I talk about clutter, there is the very physical clutter that I just can’t stand (i.e. piles of papers, unnecessary items etc.) as well as the unnecessary time clutter.  This can come in the form of practices that are no longer working for me, habits, or commitments that no longer fit my bigger vision.  This is probably going to be the toughest thing for me pare down as I like to be busy.  I also have a tendency to pride myself on longevity in a task or position and letting go of something that no longer fits my bigger vision can be difficult.

My Purging Lists:

Stuff:

  • Clothes and shoes I no longer fit or like
  • Papers, magazines, books that I won’t be reusing or don’t need
  • All of my full-time work “stuff” once this job ends (shredding documents I no longer need now and recycling them)
  • Odds and ends taking up space in closets and storage bins that are not needed/necessary

Ideas:

  • Thoughts that I should be further than I am with my business
  • “Realistic” beliefs that I can only earn a certain amount of money from my business in the first year
  • Comparing where I am in my business progress to others who have been doing it longer

Time Clutter:

  • Excessive Facebook/email checking
  • Too much technology usage during weekend time
  • Jobs that do not interest me

I hope that by letting go of some of the overall clutter above, I will be allowing myself to be much more intentional about what I do with my time, energy, and thoughts.  Let’s face it, you have to be willing to let things go for new things to come in and what better way to get started than to let go of the old stuff that may be holding you back?  As my current position comes to an end, I know my time, schedule, and surroundings will clear out and that will invite new projects, ideas, and inspiration to flow in.

What are you willing to let go of?

Imagine This…

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I have always enjoyed daydreaming and envisioning the life I want to have.  Sometimes I envision the perfect vacation or the ideal job.  Sometimes it’s the ideal day or situation I am dealing with at the moment.  What is interesting is while I am thinking about the best case scenario it is really an expected outcome I am aiming for.  Aren’t we all?

But, what if instead of aiming for the end result, we instead imagined an inspired, happy, and good feeling journey to whatever it is we are looking for?journey2

Take your ultimate dream job for instance.  If you are finding yourself constantly taking score of the fact that you aren’t at your ideal job and you are working really hard to get there, you are probably going to be somewhat frustrated and over time just miserable.  But, if while you imagine your ideal job you take note of the opportunities, situations, people, and other great things that come your way as you move along your journey, you are likely to be much happier and more fulfilled.

What a concept!

To enjoy the journey of life and the inspired actions that lead you to your ultimate dream is really the ideal life right?  If you can not only enjoy the end result of whatever you want to achieve, but also enjoy the journey to that thing, you have it all figured out!

That is what is a little different about how I work.  I don’t just help clients work really hard to get to where they are going.  I help them follow their joy to whatever they are wanting.  There is a difference.

What is pretty amazing about this process is that the more you follow what feels right for you, the more progress you make.  Sound a little “woo-woo”?  Let me give you an example.

Say you want to quit your job and become a full-time world travel writer.  You have no idea how to do it, but your logical mind says you must first save enough money to travel the world and still pay your bills while you meander your way around the world.  You decide to work with me and learn how to let your logical thought process fall away for a moment and instead embrace the idea of following your inspiration.

followheart

You decide to take the first step toward your goal and ask a friend (who is also a writer) what they know about the topic.  While you are discussing your big dream with them over coffee, you see a flyer for a writing class that peaks your interest.  Since you are following your intuition and inspiration, you go to the class to brush up on your writing skills.  In the class you meet several other writers who have big dreams too.  Some want to write fiction, others non-fiction, and to your surprise you find out the teacher has experience writing travel guides for a well-known publisher.  Wanting to get some writing gigs under your belt you speak with your instructor to find out more about that type of work.  You take away some really great info from speaking with your instructor and decide to do a bit of research on your own.  In doing so you find some other writing gigs that really interest you and while they aren’t directly related to travel, you apply.  Fast forward a few months and you have not only managed to lay the foundation to your new writing career, but you have an amazing opportunity to travel outside the country to work alongside another travel writer(incidentally your writing teacher) to help do research on a new travel guide.  Not only that, but you are getting most of your expenses paid and a small stipend during the project.  You are on your way to quitting your job and becoming the next world travel writer and enjoying every single step along the way.

To some this story may seem unrealistic and unbelievable, and I understand, but I promise you if you allow yourself to think beyond just the end result and follow your inspiration along the way, magical things happen.  It is as if the universe is responding to every little step you make and providing another wonderful experience to help you on your journey.

I can see you thinking about your ultimate dream and wondering if this could happen for you and it certainly can.  You have the ability to following the inspirational nuggets along your journey to your ultimate dream.  It doesn’t have to be logical, realistic, and hard.  It can be easy, fun, and fluid.

journey

I know some of you have been thinking about your dreams more and more every day and each day your passion and excitement is building.  Don’t let your current reality be the thing that stops you from taking the leap.  Maybe you have been thinking of working with me and haven’t taken that step.  Do it now!  Contact me for a free 30 minute session to chat about your dreams.  And remember I am still offering my ‘pay what you can’ special for 2 sessions so you don’t want to miss this! 

Feeling The Pull, But Need A Push

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I recently read a book called The Gift of Adversity and in it was a story about how the author (Norman Rosenthal, M.D.) was in a work environment that was just “ok”.  He had a feeling he wanted to do something more, to make a change, and expand upon what he had learned at this given place of employment.  Instead of following this feeling, he stayed and after some time he realized with new management and new structuring, he was essentially being pushed out.  He then remembered the words of a colleague who had been trying to recruit him for another position.

“In order to leave, you need both a push and a pull.  Right now, you have no push.”led by dreams

How many of us can say that about taking that step into the life of our dreams?  Sometimes our dreams pull at us quietly like a young child tugging at our hand to gently guide us into another room to play.  As the pull gets stronger it can feel like a magnetic force pulling us into the future, yet our feet remain planted on the ground.

Why is that?

I think it is because we have settled into our reality for what it is.  We have become friends with our lives as they are and think to ourselves “It’s not so bad.”  But a “not so bad” life also doesn’t mean it’s passionate, exciting, and fulfilling.

I have heard people say they feel guilty about wanting what they want.  Selfish for wanting something more than what they have.  Mothers wanting a moment of peace, feeling guilty when they get it or feeling bad when they decide to do something that will fulfill their deepest desires like writing a book or starting a business.

Dreams are not selfish.  They are natural, beautiful, and amazing.  They are the reasons we have all the wonderful technological advances we have.  A dream is just a thought fueled by passion and desire.  Dreaming is what kids do without being taught to do so.  They have wide open imaginations that exist in surround sound and technicolor.  Ask a child what they want to be when they grow up and you will get a multitude of magical answers.  It’s refreshing when you think about it because they think without limits.  They want to flying superheroes by night and comic book authors by day.  They want to save the world and everyone in it, never once thinking if it is possible.  We could learn a lot from them.

So if you have your pull (and I assure you, you do), where is your push?  For me it is knowing my full-time employment will be ending in a few months.  The picture in my head looked a little different when I first thought about how my dreams would manifest.  But who am I to question the push?  It is here and by golly it is exciting!  Am I a little uneasy in the not-knowing?  I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t.  Of course I am!  But I am also excited to see what will come of it and have faith that it is all going to work out.

If you feel the pull, but need a little push to get you going, send me a message and we can get you started with a free coaching session.  Let’s explore the amazing possibilities of what your ultimate dream could become.  Are you ready?

 

How The Coach Coaches Herself

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inspirationOne of the things I love about my entrepreneurial journey is my ability to share my lessons, inspirations, and insights on my blog.  Even when I have moments of doubt or when I am feeling frustrated about how things are unfolding, I am glad that I am able to share my experience with you.  It not only helps you to know that we all go through rough times, but also helps me become a better coach in the process.

Lately I have felt a bit like a firefighter, constantly responding to what is going on around me and taking care of things without really being intentional about life in general.  That lack of intentionality goes against a lot of what I believe in, yet in the past few weeks it seems I have had to put out a lot of urgent fires in order to make it through each day.  Whether it is with my day job, home life, or family, I have been far more reaction oriented rather than intention oriented.  I am finding this is not only feeding my anxiety about the future, but also leaves me wondering how to best find balance.

I have written a lot about accepting ‘what is’ in the current situation and not fighting it and I still believe that is important, but I can’t help but wonder how we can balance it all?  How can we remain open and present in this very moment, while still setting our intentions for the future?  How can we loosely plan for our future while still being open to what happens to come our way?

I guess all the questions come at a time when my future is a bit foggy and I fight between two extremes of surrendering to ‘what is’ and falling on faith or jumping into action mode to make things happen.  I know that having faith in what is happening and leading with my inspirational foot is really best.  And as a coach, I know I am simply allowing normal doubt to creep into my otherwise positive thoughts and they will pass as long as I don’t hang on to them for too long.

So, if I had a client in my exact shoes what would I tell her?

Well, I would encourage her to take a step back and breathe without making any decisions one way or another.  This helps us gain some perspective on the “issue” and can often result in nudges from our intuition that leads us to the next step.  Sometimes when we are so close to a situation, we allow our limited view to send us into a tailspin of unnecessary worry.  Sometimes we just need to press the reset button and allow ourselves a chance to regroup.

Message received coach!

Instead of trying to fit my future into a container of reality, I am going to be like the bird in my logo.  Free-flying and open to the endless possibilities that are out there.  I know that by taking a step back and regrouping a little bit things will become clear again.  The momentum will pick up again, and things will fall into place.  Until that happens, I am going to do what I tell my clients.

“Do things that feel good and feed your soul.  Allow yourself some time to just have fun and once you take the stress off a little bit, the inspirational nuggets will return and things will get moving again.  Just be easy, this is all part of the journey.”

Thanks Coach!  🙂