Lamisha Serf-Walls

Dreamer Highlight-Leonie Dawson

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Welcome back to the week dear readers.  I hope you enjoyed your lovely (hopefully long) weekend and that you were able to squeeze in some relaxation amongst the other festivities you had planned.

I have a treat for you for this weeks Dreamer Highlight.  And because she is so incredibly inspiring and there is so much to her story, I decided to highlight just one dreamer this week.

I stumbled upon Leonie Dawson about 3 years ago as I was doing some research into coaching and dreaming.  I can’t tell you how I linked with her site, but I can tell you that it felt like it was meant to be.  Everything from her website to blog posts, to inspirational newsletters spoke to every fiber of my being.  I hope you find her equally inspirational.

Leonie Dawson is a self-proclaimed “self-help author/artist/hippy who has also evolved into an entrepreneur + philanthropist”.  Not only is she living the life of her dreams (at one point living in a tree house), she helps other women from various backgrounds live and create the life and business of their dreams.  She has created a ton of products, workbooks, journals, and other inspirational tools to guide her clients along their individual paths to greatness.  She is a more spiritual coach and really walks her talk by living her soul’s purpose every day.  She shares her life and journey as well as her products and services on her website here.  Read about her life and her dreams on her about page and see how this wonderful dream goddess has come into her calling to help others.

So how did she get to the life of her dreams?  She followed her heart.  She listened to the deep yearning that kept her moving forward and acted on it as long as it felt right to do so.  She also treated each move as an adventure.  Moving from place to place, she did so with a sense of wonder and magic.  Leonie is the perfect example of following your intuition and using inspired action to get to the life of her dreams.  It was by following her heart, her soul, and the passion she had within that got her to the wonderfully abundant business, beautiful family, and the incredible life she lives each day.

Please check out Leonie Dawson’s website and blog.  I guarantee you will feel the magic of her energy just by reading more about her journey.  I encourage you to embrace that magic and use it to propel you forward into your dream life.  Remember, if she can do it, you can do it too!

 

(Note: I did not receive any compensation for this or any dreamer highlight.  These are simply examples of inspirational people living the life of their dreams meant to motivate and inspire you to do the same. )

Gratitude: Surrendering & Simple Things

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When I wrote my last post, I was convinced my “issues” were behind me and I was ready to move forward.  What I didn’t know was there was a lesson looming that I had to learn before I could truly move forward.  The lesson?  Sometimes we need to surrender to the power of the Universe.  That’s it.

I took some measures into my own hands yesterday to be proactive in checking on my financial mishap to ensure it wouldn’t continue to haunt me.  In the process, I ended up with more confusion and frustration than I had in the prior two weeks.  After speaking with several people who I thought would be able to assist me, I was told “there is nothing you can do”.  Excuse me what?  This situation that I want so desperately to “fix” is out of my hands?  I don’t understand.

After fighting with that thought for an hour or so, I gave in.  I accepted the fact that this particular situation had to play out however the Universe saw fit.  I had to surrender in order for it to resolve itself.  And while I wanted to fix it, I couldn’t.  So, I opened my arms, said a little prayer giving the situation and outcome over to the Universe with faith that all would be well in the end.  At that point something amazing happened.  I didn’t worry or fret about it as much and I simply moved through my day changing my thoughts to whatever I was currently working on.  I couldn’t worry about it anymore, for it was now out of my hands.

This morning I woke up refreshed from a good night’s sleep and grateful for the free feeling I had upon waking.  I could feel a freshness in the air and a new energy for my day that made me smile.  I didn’t even think about the financial situation for I was able to see past it and into the many blessings I had around me at the moment.  My son, my partner, and our lives together.  I had finally let go.

When I checked on the issue this morning, it had finally been resolved and not only that, I was able to get all of the fees associated with this issue reversed as well.  In that moment I opened my heart and gave a heartfelt prayer of thanks to the universe for taking care of the situation as tears of joy flowed.  I learned my lesson and am so grateful for knowing that all things work out no matter how bad they seem if and when you surrender.

In the midst of my surrendering, I became very aware of the many simple things that I often overlook.  For instance, the amazing blue sky that greeted my son and I on the way to his t-ball game last night or the white fluffy clouds that caught our attention on the way home.  I was reminded of the simple yet abundant pleasures we have all around us.  I felt the soft breeze coming in my office window this morning and appreciated the warmth of the sun on my face as I took a moment to truly be in my body.  These are moments we take for granted far too often when we rush around worrying about a time that has yet to arrive.

With a long weekend ahead of us, I hope you find many simple things to be grateful for and that you slow down long enough to enjoy them.

Have a wonderful weekend and as always thank you for reading!

Re-frame, Re-focus, and Move On

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I often find it difficult to write when I am having a particularly challenging day and yesterday was that kind of day.  The financial mishap I thought I had taken care of not once, but twice had reared its ugly head again and I had a difficult time with it.  In the midst of trying to clear it up and ensure it wasn’t going to happen again, I kept wondering how in the world I had created such a mess.  Sure everyone makes mistakes, but why wouldn’t this particularly large mistake just go away??

Where had I gone wrong?  I just couldn’t figure it out.  Each day I meditate, write my gratitude list, read inspiring blogs and other blogs, and try to keep a generally positive attitude.  How could this happen to me???

When I was finally able to step out of my drama-filled cloud of confusion, I realized some stuff just happens.  And while I may have done all of those generally positive things, I am not perfect.  I have a tendency to complain with the best of them about seemingly small details and while those complaints may not be directly related to this financial mishap, it certainly doesn’t help.

Instead of continue to ask questions about why this happened or wonder where I had gone wrong, I took a step back and decided to re-frame, re-focus, and just move on. 

Re-frame– Sometimes things happen and while we (read I) want to figure out the cause behind the mishaps in everyday life, sometimes it’s just a mystery.  The key is not to dwell on the insignificant things and to re-frame the negative into a positive.  In my case, things could have been much worse.  It could have been a situation that couldn’t be fixed and I would have been stuck with trying to find several thousand dollars to make it right.  Lucky for me this situation is something that can be remedied despite the extra fees that I am incurring for a seemingly innocent mistake on my part.  So, it could always be worse.

Re-focus- After a challenging situation it is important to take some time to turn your attention back to what is important.  In this case it means re-focusing on my coaching business, writing, and other projects I have in the works.  Turning my attention away from the situation moves my energy in a more positive direction and creates a flow toward my goals instead of harping on the past.

Move On- Once you have re-focused your energy, it is time to move onward and upward leaving the challenging situation or frustration behind.  Simply put, just let it go.

This three-step process can apply to everyday life as well as disappointments and challenges that happen while working toward the life of your dreams.  Things happen and the speed bumps, detours, and disappointments we encounter can lead us to more clarity, desire, and drive for the things we want, so don’t allow them to destroy your momentum.  Simply re-frame, re-focus, and move on.

Dreamer Highlight: Jordana: My Meandering Trail & Michelle Ward

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I am so excited to share two amazing dreamer highlights with you this week.  The first one is a little different from what I normally share, but is equally inspirational.  Enjoy!

When I first began my blog, I stumbled across Jordana from My Meandering Trail as she was in the middle of preparing for her hike up the Appalachian Trail.  I had no idea at the time what a huge achievement that truly was, but I was consistently inspired by her dream.  In case you were wondering the hike is over 2,000 miles and entails many nights spent camping outside, lots of new people, and lots and lots of hiking.  Just the sound of it makes my legs ache, but I was thrilled to follow Jordana as she strategically documented her plans.  She shared her thoughts on picking her gear, food choices, as well as her adventures as she makes her way up the trail.  So, how did she begin this journey of her dreams?  She just decided to do it.  She researched her way through it.  From talking to others that have hiked the trail to spending early mornings in line to get the best and most affordable gear she could, she did it.  And now, she is hiking to her heart’s content and is sharing her journey on her blog.  While hiking and outdoorsy things may not be your cup of tea, rest assured that her journey will enlighten and inspire.  Remember a journey of (in this case) 2,000 miles begins with only one step.

The other dreamer I wanted to highlight here is Michelle Ward the When I Grow Up Coach.  I have mentioned Michelle several times on my blog and it is partially because it was her blog that really got me thinking about becoming a life coach in the first place and also because her story is so great.  You can read more about how she got to be the wonderful coach she is here.

What she did.  She walked away from what she thought was her dream of becoming an actress and stepped into a space of coaching other creatives to the career of their dreams.  Michelle worked in the corporate world and did her time in the 9-5 job for many years before she finally found her thing.  That thing was coaching others to take a leap toward their dreams.  The inspiration doesn’t stop there though.  In addition to becoming what she calls a woman of the world (read woman solopreneur), she has quit her day job, written workbooks, co-authored a wonderful book, and overcome breast cancer.  She is inspiring for far more than just the work she does.  Michell is creative-life-coaching-amazeballs-ukele-playing-cancer-survior with a spirit that is simply amazing.  Please check out her website and her blog for more inspiring information and tidbits.  She truly is an inspiration for women everywhere.

So, there you have it, two incredible women achieving the life they once dreamt and if they can do it, so can you!

Know of someone who is living the life of their dreams and want me to give them a shout out?  Share in the comments below or email me at lserf13@hotmail.com and I would love to include them in this series.

Gratitude: Patience & Clarity

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I can’t tell you how happy I am that today is Friday.  This has certainly been one kind of week.  From financial mishaps that I thought were cleared up to even more confusion, I am ready to change my focus a little bit this weekend and relax.

Often when we are in the midst of the proverbial storm, it can be difficult to see beyond the mayhem.  Finding the silver lining in the middle of a chaotic situation can be darn near impossible, yet once the dust has settled a bit we realize there really is a positive side to every seemingly negative situation.

This week I was hit with a bit of a storm.  Not a huge, rock-my-entire-world-kind of storm, but a sort of chaotic-lift-me-out-of-my-comfort-zone kind of storm.  My personal financial mishap that I thought had been fixed, reared its ugly head again.  After a few more calls (hopefully the last calls on this issue) and a lot of patience, I think I have it taken care of.

I learned this week that like many other unexpected situations that arise in life, this particular situation could have caused me major anxiety, frustration, and possibly anger.  But with a little patience and calm thinking, I was able to handle the situation not once, but twice.  And what is even more interesting is the fact that one of the books I am reading in order to review is titled The Power of Patience by M.J. Ryan.  Coincidence?? I think not.

It seems that with each new batch of books I receive for review (books I don’t select myself), they are almost always the exact books I need to read at that moment in my life.  Books that speak to my soul and assist me in whatever I am dealing with at the time.  And since patience is one of the things I am growing everyday, it is so nice to see it go to good use.  Especially over a pretty large mistake.  So for that, I am so grateful and appreciative.

The other thing that hit me this week is the idea of clarity.  When negative things come into our lives or situations arise that are less than desirable, we have an opportunity to be more clear about what we would like instead.  Basically, when you know what you don’t want, you know what you do want.  (Something Michael Losier and Abraham Hicks speak on quite a bit.)  Sounds simple right?  It can be, however we often get so caught up in the thing that we don’t want, that we forget to switch our focus to what we want.

The difficult situations, frustrations, and negative things in our lives provide clarity for our desires.  It is that simple.  So instead of harping on the negative, lets turn our focus to the feelings, circumstances, and situations we want in our lives.  This week was a very good example of me focusing a bit too much on the not wanted instead of focusing on what is wanted and I am grateful for the lesson.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of all the things that bring you joy.

As always, thanks for reading!