Lamisha Serf-Walls

Seeking Balance Amongst the Chaos

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I have to admit that I am generally a person of extremes.  When it comes to my time commitments, I generally have found myself either super busy or super bored.  I don’t do it intentionally, but it happens more often than not and I find myself desperately seeking excitement or desperately seeking peace and I am almost never in a space where I feel balanced.

That is going to change very soon.

I currently have a full plate and while much of the fullness is the result of my own expectations and choices, I still have a lot going on.  In addition to finishing up my last 7 weeks of my current full-time job (eek!), I am also taking on a bit more freelance work, building my business layer-by-layer, coaching a few clients, and tending to my family.  Did I mention I am also looking for other work on and off and trying to figure out where I will end up come January 2014?  Needless to say my schedule is full.

I am proud to say I haven’t reached a point of total overwhelm, but sometimes I feel like I am aimlessly juggling noodles which if you haven’t tried is not an easy task.

I know that many of you are going through similar challenges.  You are venturing into the land of your dreams while still handling your current responsibilities so it can get a little crazy.  The good news is it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.  Below I have come up with a few tips to help create more balance and to ease the chaos.  These are steps that I plan on implementing and I hope you find them helpful too!

  1. Brain dump- Write down every single thing you need to do.  You may choose to do this daily, weekly, or monthly but the key is to get every thing down on paper so you don’t have to remember it all.  You might want to divide the list into categories.  For instance, you might have Work, Business, Home, etc. and list all the tasks you need to complete and by when (if there is a deadline).
  2. Learn to say NO– Too often we find ourselves saying yes to every invitation and opportunity that comes up even when it is something we don’t really want to do. It’s ok to say no sometimes.  Heck it’s ok to say no a lot of the time if it isn’t in line with what you want for your life.  Before you go adding another item to your list, think about whether it will add value to your life and your vision.  If it is simply a time filler, say no and move onto something that you are inspired to do.
  3. Cut the fat- Go through the list you just created and figure out what you can get rid of.  Are there things that someone else can do for you?  For instance, if you have on your list to “fall clean” for the holidays, maybe you can hire someone to come in and do that for you.  Get creative and figure out what you can drop now and more importantly think of the things you can put in its place that are more enjoyable and more aligned with your vision.  If you can be writing two chapters for your upcoming novel in the time it takes to clean your house from top to bottom, by all means hire someone!
  4. Listen to your body- I have learned that when I am overwhelmed with the tasks I have to do I often feel tension and stress in the center of my chest.  When I start feeling that way I know I need to take a step back and relax.  Sometimes I go for a walk, meditate, or take a nap.  The key is to notice how your body responds to stress and not only listen, but respond to what you need in that moment.  I guarantee if you listen you will find you need to take a break.
  5. Ask yourself what do you WANT to do- This may seem counter-intuitive when you have a lot going on, but doing something that you truly want to do can give you enough energy to get through 2-3 more tasks on your list.  If you aren’t used to asking yourself what you want to do, set scheduled check-in times.  Stop what you are doing, be still, and feel for the answer.  Are you hungry?  Thirsty?  Tired? Antsy? What do you want to do?  You might be surprised at what you get.
  6. Have fun- This one is a big one.  Despite all the things we put on our plate even after we cut the fat, we need to make sure to make room for fun.  Do things that you want to do simply because you enjoy them.  Do you want to go to a museum or a concert?  Feel like going dancing?  Do it!  You might just find that following your inspiration to just enjoy yourself may lead you to the very next piece you need to keep moving forward.

I hope some of the tips above help you find balance as you move forward on your journey.  Do you have a practice that you do that wasn’t included?  Feel free to share in the comments section.  I would love to hear about how you find balance in your everyday life.

As for me, I am going to listen to my body and get some much-needed rest.

 

Have you been thinking about your intentions for the New Year and want some assistance getting clear about our dreams?  Let’s chat about how I can help you get a jump start on your vision for the future.  There is no time like the present to start.  Contact me to find how you can get started. 

Visualize, Be Inspired, Take Small Steps, Repeat

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Last week I posted about being open to the many possibilities regarding how money can flow into our lives and there by opening opportunities to living the life you want to live.  For many, money is the limiting factor before they even get started.  It’s a roadblock they throw up as they begin thinking about what their dream life might look like.  They tend to not get very far in their vision because the pesky idea that they must have the money first, causes them to stop dead in their tracks.bliss quote

I have heard many times over the years that when you do what you love the money just follows.  I always surmised that in order for me to do what I love, I had to have the money first.  In my linear way of thinking that is all I could come up with and so I worked backwards.  If I needed the money before I could do what I loved, then I would have to find a way for me to get the money and most often it meant doing something that I didn’t like doing to get it.  I was stuck.

I realize now what all that talk about doing what you love and allowing the money to follow was about.  It’s not about you doing something to make money as much as it is doing something because it brings you joy.  Isn’t that worth more anyways?  I know there are bills to pay and responsibilities to take care of, but who says right this very moment you have to quit your job and take a flying leap into the land of who knows what?  That’s not what I am saying at all.

What I mean is that when you take a step (no matter how small it might be) to follow your heart, things just seem to line up and opportunities fall into place, many times from resources you didn’t even think about.  Life is full of these situations and I am sure you have had something like this happen once or twice before.

I have had it happen a lot and each time I smile, laugh a little, and feel the amazing feeling of pieces falling into place.  I remind myself even in times when things are lackluster and feeling stagnant, that these moments happen all the time, and as long as I am doing what I love and following my heart, the pieces will fall into place.  For me those pieces are often money, resources, contacts, opportunities, and amazing gifts that I had never thought about.

Still not convinced it can happen for you?

I have a little exercise for you to try.  Think about your ultimate dream.  Maybe it is starting a business, writing a book, traveling the world, or writing and producing an amazing film that will change the world.  Whatever it may be, think about it.  Visualize it.  Feel it and allow your imagination to run wild for a moment.  Don’t think about the steps to get there.  Don’t think about whether it is realistic or not, just envision it.  See all the details and feel the excitement you will have once it is real.  Smile and be inspired. Got the image?

inspirationNow, I want you to take one step toward that vision.  Something that feels easy to do.  If you are writing a book, think about the title or the main characters name.  Write it down.  If you are wanting to start a business, do an internet search for others like it.  The key here is to do something that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but is a step in the right direction.  Take note of what you find or what you write and when your inspiration fades, let it go.

For the next week take note of the things that happen around you.  For instance, you might hear your main character’s name while you are out shopping and it leads you to think about a specific storyline for your book.  Or you might hear a song that would be perfect for your film you want to create.  Make note of all those seemingly simple, yet incredibly inspiring moments.  Allow them to feed off of the other and follow your inspiration to the next thing.

Visualize.  Be inspired.  Take small steps. Read the signs. Be Inspired. Repeat.

Try it and see where your path leads you.  I would love the opportunity to share your story with other readers so if you are up for the challenge, try it out and email me with your results.

This is going to be fun!

Happy Friday Friends!

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It’s been a bit of a busy, focused, sometimes frazzled week for me and I am so happy it’s Friday.

I am going to spend some time this weekend unplugging from technology and plugging into family, nature, and good ‘ole fashioned fun.  I hope you all do the same!

 

Live a little this weekend and do something simply because you ENJOY it.
Live a little this weekend and do something simply because you ENJOY it.

I will be back at it Monday full of ideas, inspiration, and coaching goodness to share with you.  Until then have a lovely weekend and thanks for reading!

 

 

Let’s Talk Money…

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So it seems that money is the topic of discussion these days not only in the news with all this talk of the U.S. budget etc., but also with potential clients.  When asked why they haven’t moved toward the life of their dreams, the limiting factor is often times, you guessed it, money.

money quote
image from www.sayw.com

Whether they are wanting to start their own business, move to another part of the country, or travel the world, many of the roadblocks are the same.  They haven’t yet amassed enough money to do so.  In their minds (and mine at one time), they had the straight and narrow view of how they could (or couldn’t) accomplish their goal.

Let’s say you want to travel the world for a year.  You might think the most realistic way of doing that would be to have to save enough money to pay all of your expenses while you are away.  In order to do that you calculate what you make now, a realistic amount of money you can save, and how much you will need for your year-long expedition.  Understandably so, that calculation could not only be depressing, but it could also take the wind right out of your sails.  You might feel like it will never happen and you simply let it fall by the wayside.

But, what if instead of providing a straight and narrow view of how it is most likely going to come to fruition, you made a list of all the awesome ways it could happen.  Use the what if game I talk about here and allow your imagination to run wild.

For the example above you might come up with a list that looks like this:

  • I could win the lottery and have all the money I need
  • Someone could gift me the money
  • I could win a trip around the world
  • I could get a new job that pays more and travel sooner
  • I could find a midnight hustle to make the extra money
  • I could find a job that would pay me to travel
  • I could sell all my crap and do it
  • I could work with a life coach and she can help me reach my goal

You get the idea.  This exercise is meant to open your eyes to all of the wonderful ways you could get to your dream without following the most logical and realistic idea.  In fact, if I were working with you on this specific example I would show you how you can get clear about your dream, follow your inspiration to take a tiny step forward, and watch as some amazing things fall into place that will lead you to the next inspirational nugget on your journey.  Doesn’t that sound much better than trying to do it the way that feels so hard and so impossible?

When you limit yourself to accomplishing your dream via this one specific channel, you cut yourself off from all other possibilities.  This wonderful world of ours is full of situations, opportunities, contacts, networks, jobs, etc. that can help you get to where you want to be.  You just have to open your mind to the possibilities that are out there and the best way to do that is to tap into your inspiration.  Don’t allow your current job, income, bills, situations etc. limit you in living the life of your dreams.  Open your mind and see what happens.

Is money the thing you are lacking to make your dream come true?

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to get more juicy inspiration and updates on upcoming offerings.  I can’t wait to share with you what I am working on.