Lamisha Serf-Walls

Surprise Speed Bumps

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Recently I have been on a super positivity kick.  I have been focusing on the positive that surrounds me daily, making lists of things I am grateful for, and staying focused on the things I want to create and cultivate in my life.  For the most part things are running smoothly.  I am feeling good about where I am headed and am confident in the process and while some things seem to be moving slower than I want, I continue to bring my focus back to the present.  I know all is well and all will be well.  No worries.

Well almost no worries.  While I have spent most of my time focusing on the positive, there have been moments (or many moments) when some negative thoughts creep in.  I do my best to send them on their way by thinking more positive thoughts with the intention of staying in my positive frame of mind more and more each day.  Naturally I thought my manifestation process would get easier and then today I hit a surprise speed bump.

Long story short, I had an “accidental” financial oversight that resulted in me being in the red by several thousand dollars.  YIKES!  I quickly called all necessary parties to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible, however in the back of my mind I kept thinking “What a dumb thing to do.” and “I can’t believe I did that!”.  Needless to say my self-talk wasn’t all that great.  I made a mistake and I was ok with it to some degree (provided it could be fixed), but the interesting part was the lack of emotional reaction I had.

In the past if something like this would have happened, I would likely have broken down into tears while anxiety took over my body.  My mind would have been racing while my stomach twisted into knots and I would be in the throes of a serious reaction.

As I took a moment to step back from the situation, I realized even though this mistake does require some rearranging of resources and phone calls to hopefully get it all worked out, I have grown.  I took the situation and responded accordingly without reacting to it negatively.  Sure I was concerned about the mistake, but I was able to take it in stride.  Something I would not have been able to do a year ago.

I suppose this “accident” was a way for me to realize I am making progress in my personal growth and though all of the manifestations are not here right now, I am becoming an overall more positive person.

So the next time you hit a surprise speed bump on your journey to your dreams, take a step back and see what it is telling you.  Is it evidence of changes you are making along the way, or is it a warning to focus more on the happiness you have now?  Either way I think you will find there is an underlying lesson.

 

Gratitude: Progress and Motherhood

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gratitude

Too often when we are on this journey called life, we are so focused on the ultimate outcome of various goals that we miss the beautiful progression along the way.  The stepping-stones that lead us up the mountain to our dreams are what keep us going.  They too must be celebrated.

With that said, I am so very grateful for progress.  In just a few conversations this week I have received some much-needed knowledge that is one of the many stepping-stones along my journey.  The information I received came in the natural flow of conversation with a friend and I love how those little inspirational nuggets pop up so organically.  It seems that when you take a breather from trying to figure it all out, you make the most progress and I am so grateful for the wonderful progress I made this week.  I look forward to continuing my journey with more breathes in between to allow more of the details to fill in naturally.  I don’t have to have it all figured out now, and neither do you.  Just be grateful for the wonderful flow and progress of life.  It’s the flow that makes life so sweet.

In addition to being grateful for progress this week, I am also so very grateful for the journey of motherhood.  While Mother’s Day is typically a time for appreciating the mothers in our lives, I find that it is also a time where mothers are grateful for having the incredible opportunity of mothering a child.  I find that it is an incredible blessing that I don’t take for granted.  Time flies when you are having fun and it seems that before you know it little ones are towering over you.  Luckily enough my little one is far from towering over me, but he certainly is growing like a little weed.  Knowing that time doesn’t exactly slow down, I am savoring the wonderful moments we have together now.

I hope you find many things to savor and be grateful for this weekend and a very Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there!

Imagination vs Reality

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In speaking with a friend today, I was reminded of how many of us live in a world where many of the choices we make in life revolve around what we deem “realistic”.  Many of us are working, living, and simply planning our lives in a way that allows us to get through the next week, month, or year without ever focusing on what it is we want in this life.  We have somehow allowed our lives to be a matter of survival instead of a life of abundance and joy.

The creative thought we once had as a child has been put to sleep while reality has infiltrated our minds, giving us a false sense of security.  We are made to believe that we must follow a path that makes the most sense and stick with it.  After working and living a mediocre, just getting by life, we may be able to retire and then get to the things we always dreamed about.

But isn’t that backwards?

I always thought the sequence of events from High School to College to Adulthood seemed too swift for my liking and nonsensical.  How in the world was I supposed to decide what I wanted to do with my life when I hadn’t ever explored the world?  Shouldn’t I have some knowledge of my choices before I blindly choose a career?  As they say: hindsight is 20/20.

Since I didn’t know any other way, I followed what many of my peers were doing.  I decided on a career that I thought would carry me forward for the rest of my life.  I decided to major in Exercise Science and minor in Dance.  Seemed easy enough right?  The truth is, I didn’t think doing something else was an option.  I didn’t know I could use my imagination to create the life of my dreams.  I thought in order to be successful you had to find a box that you fit in and follow the path like many other boxes before you.  It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized I could get out of that box and meander along a new path on my own.  I finally realized, I do have a choice.  You have a choice too.

Consistently focusing on what you or other people think is reasonable or realistic in terms of your career or other life choices is the perfect way to maintain a mediocre life.  If you allow reality (however you define it) to dictate your choices in life, you are bound to feel like there is something missing.

It is only when we allow ourselves to reawaken the imagination that lies dormant in so many of us, that we can finally take a much-needed step outside of our comfort zone.  A comfort zone that has kept us in one place and in some ways has limited our personal and sometimes professional growth.  Sure it can be somewhat scary, but it can also be incredibly rewarding and an amazing ride.

The next time you make a choice, whatever choice that may be…consider if it is coming from a place of “reality” or a place somewhere in your imagination.  I think you will find your creative choices will make life, not only more interesting, but wildly fulfilling.

Use your imagination to create the life of your dreams.  In your imagination anything goes!  And remember thoughts become things so as you ponder the most fulfilling life you ever imagined, you are creating a flow of energy to make those dreams become your future reality.

Gratitude: Abundance In All Things

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Photo courtesy of calmtoday.com
Photo courtesy of calmtoday.com

It seems like a common theme in today’s society for us to focus on the things that we lack.  We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for the latest fashions and gadgets that are just the “thing” to make us happy.  It seems those ideas have festered within us to a point that we feel so much lack in our lives, that we miss the magnificent abundance that exists in spite of the things we think are missing.

Today I wanted to take the focus away from the idea of “lack” and place it on abundance.  While I have often thought I needed more knowledge, information, training, or money to do various things in my life (including start my coaching business), I am realize now more than ever before that I have an abundance of all of those things and then some.

I live in an area with gorgeous trees, lakes, and wonderful weather most of the year.  I am close to the beach and the mountains and am blessed to have a beautiful home to share with my family.  We have enough money to take care of all of our needs and an abundance of love to share between the three of us.  We have great neighbors, jobs that provide for us, and dreams, goals, and inspirations that fuel our imaginations.  We have more than enough “things”, but beyond that we have each other.  We delight in time spent as a family and appreciate the quiet time alone.  We are blessed beyond measure.

Instead of focusing on the things that I sometimes feel like I need more of, I am focusing on the things that I have.  The things that mean the world to me and the things that make my life incredible.

Today I am so grateful for the magnificent abundance that is in my life right this very moment.  I hope you take a moment today or this weekend to take stock of the abundance that surrounds you too.  I promise it is an instant mood enhancer.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

Fearless Living…The “How”

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Let me first apologize to you lovely readers for taking so long to continue my thoughts from last weeks “fear” theme.  Sometimes the things we plan are not the things we must do in the moment and I am learning that more and more each day.  With that said, I am back and I am excited to update you on some recent developments in my world.

I ended last weeks post with a promise as to how I was going to begin living a fearless life as a way to teach my son (and future children) to do the same.  At the time my thoughts were on taking some much-needed action toward my goals and leaving fear in the dust.  Before I do that, let me give you a little insight into why I haven’t been moving forward as much as I would have liked.

I have talked a little bit about my plans to write a children’s book and I set the intention to begin writing on a certain date.  I thought the best way to do it was to jump right in, but I soon realized (after scheduling conflicts) that maybe I should wait until I have more inspiration before I begin writing.  I still stand by that decision, but the more I found myself waiting for the inspiration to hit me, I realized I was also allowing fear to dictate my plans.

I had a moment (or two) where I thought if I don’t start this book, I can’t fail.  But then again if I don’t start it, I can’t succeed either.  So, in order to accomplish my dream of writing a book, I have to write, but in order to write the best book, I have to be inspired.  To be completely honest with you fear was not only dictating my plans for writing a children’s book, but also my plans on starting my business and many of my other dreams.  Looking back, I can see my vision was a bit skewed.  I thought I needed certain pieces to fall into place in order to execute my plan of action.  I realize what that really was, was fear.

I was procrastinating and in a way sabotaging my dreams by not even getting started.  I did a lot of good talking about my dreams, about my plans, about the many things that had to happen first, and then I could start working on my dreams only to find they were excuses.  Excuses not to start for fear of failure.  Excuses not to begin for fear of not being good enough.  Excuses not to dream bigger, for fear my reality wouldn’t live up to the picture in my head.  And when I jumped off the boat of self-pity and self-sabotage, I remembered this…

The best part of our dreams is the journey we take in reaching them.  The mistakes we make, the lessons we learn, and the amazing experiences we have along the way make our lives worth living.  And to be completely honest with you, if all of my dreams came true in the blink of an eye, what fun would it be?  Sure my book series would be a success and my business would be booming, but would I appreciate it as much without the journey?  Probably not.

So, with that said I am accepting the journey ahead of me with open arms and while fear may accompany me a little bit along the way, I vow that I will not allow it to become the captain of this ship.  Instead, I am moving forward with my dreams and as I do, I will go where my inspiration leads me and I hope you do too.

(Tomorrow I will give you a little insight into the inspirational nuggets that have appeared to me in the last few weeks. )