Lamisha Serf-Walls

Visualization: A Tool For Manifestating Your Dreams

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visualize

When it comes to living the life of our dreams most of us ideally know exactly what we want.  We have said on more than one occasion, “If only _____ would happen, then I could finally be happy!”, but how many of us really know what we want?  Sure we may have a general idea of the life we want to live…money, partnership, love, and happiness, but thing is those things are different for each of us.  My version of the life of my dreams won’t necessarily match yours and vice versa.

So how can we figure out what that life looks like?

One way is to use visualization.  When was the last time you took a few minutes to visualize the ideal situation?  Maybe you have a big meeting coming up that you want to go really well or an appointment that you want a certain outcome?  Have you ever thought of visualizing it before it happens?

My guess is that many of us tend to use visualization in a much less productive way.  For instance I know some people (myself included) that have the tendency to visualize the worst possible outcome as a way of convincing themselves that if the worst happens, it’s not so bad.  They are often times met with a similar situation and may think to themselves, “See, it happened and I was prepared.” But is that what it really means?  Couldn’t it also mean that you put out the vibe for negative situation to occur?  Maybe.  So what if you did the exact opposite?

Let’s say you have a situation coming up that you would traditionally worry about, maybe you are selling your house, moving to a new location, or starting a new business.  The logical part of you says to plan, plan, plan for the worst case scenario.  So, you begin thinking of all the things that could go wrong and the ways you could combat it.  Maybe you save some extra money, find alternative places to live, or start looking for a part-time gig as you venture down the logical road.  But what if instead of thinking through all the terrible things that could happen, you begin thinking of how you would like it to unfold.

For instance, if you are selling your house you could imagine putting it on the market for the exact amount of money you wish to sell it for and within 2 weeks have a contract.  If you want to take it a step further, you might imagine what type of person or family would enjoy living in your house.  Or if you are planning on moving to a new area, think of the ideal situation.  Do you want to rent or buy?  What type of area would you ideally like to live in?  Can you see it, feel it, and experience it in your mind’s eye?

The key is to stop worrying and fretting about what might go wrong or what the worst case scenario is because chances are the more you focus on the worst case, the more likely it will come true.

About 7 years ago I was moving out-of-state without having a job already lined up.  I had never done something like this before and while I had a little bit of money saved, I didn’t have enough to last me for a long time, so I needed to find a job rather quickly.  When asked what my plan was my answer was always the same…”I’ll look when I get there, but worst case scenario if I can’t find something I’ll just get a job at Starbucks or something.”  A few months went by and my thinking remained the same and I still had no job and was losing faith in myself.  The first job I got while living in the new city was…you guessed it, working at Starbucks!

The process works the same way if you can visualize the ideal situation.  Before my partner and I moved to where we live now, we had planned on using our previous home as a rental property.  We made all of our arrangements prior to leaving and all the while we kept thinking that the ideal situation would be to have someone sign a lease shortly after we left.  We didn’t have a lot of worry or concern about the situation because we had so much going on with the move and coordinating the purchase of our new home and found out within 2 days of leaving that we had a renter for our home.  Our ideal situation was playing out before our eyes and we were so grateful!

The point is this…

If you have a choice to worry about a situation or to visualize the ideal, why waste your energy thinking of what disaster may come?  Why not make the best of it and think of the most amazing and beautiful outcome possible?

The same thing applies to your dreams…

Instead of thinking of all the ways you can fail or thinking of the most logical path to your dreams, think of the ideal situation.  Feel the excitement and inspiration for your ideal situation and watch as your dreams begin to manifest before your eyes, sometimes in ways you never imagined could happen.

Use the power of your imagination for good and the next time you find yourself worrying over the worst case scenario of a situation, turn it around and visualize the ideal.

Still not convinced it works?  Experiment with it and see what happens for you.  I promise you won’t be disappointed as long as you believe it can come true.

Beta Isn’t So Bad…

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Perfect

When it comes to doing things we are passionate about, many of us strive for optimal perfection.  We work, analyze, plan, and strategically lay out the action steps and pieces that need to come together for our vision to be just right.  As it begins to take shape we may notice areas that need more work, attention, and focus only to find our vision of perfection is always slightly out of reach.  There is always something else that can be added, tweaked, and changed to make it better and if you are like me, you may find yourself pondering how to make it better or frozen as you wait for the perfect idea to make it well, perfect.

I found myself in the perfectionist conundrum over the last few weeks as I began over thinking the necessary pieces that need to fall into place in order to have the perfect launch for my business.  In my mind I had to have what many other coaches offered on their websites in order to do it the right way and to be successful and while I knew that comparing my business vision with others was a sure-fire way to lose my confidence, I still felt like certain pieces had to be just right before I could move forward.

I realized I was very wrong.

As I was reading this weekend, I stumbled across an idea that was exactly what I needed to read at that moment.  In a book called The Gift of Adversity by Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., I read a chapter that focused on the idea of perfection.  According to Rosenthal, most things don’t have to be perfect to do what you want them to do.  For instance, many companies will knowingly release a product that still has some bugs to be worked out as long as the bugs don’t compromise the integrity of the product known as a beta version.  The beta version is somewhat of a tester that can be improved along the way.  That is why we have so many versions of apps, phones, and computers.  No matter what product you have purchased it is likely a work in progress since developers are always working on the next best thing.

You may be asking yourself how this applies to your dreams and my business vision.

Well, here’s how I see it.  My business (and ultimately your dreams, goals, and aspirations) are always in transition.  Life is nothing but a constant change of events and circumstances, so nothing ever remains the same.  With that said, as I create my business intentions, services, and products I now realize whatever I create will not be what I offer for the entire life of my business.  Just as I will continue to evolve as a person, so will my ideas, creations, and my business.

So, if what I begin with isn’t exactly perfect, that’s ok.  I am sure there will be some mistakes and lessons along the way, but I will also learn a lot as my business progresses and I will likely learn many lessons I couldn’t learn if I wasn’t simply taking the leap.  In fact, I have always been far better at on the job training that pre-training with the expectation that I just know it all.  So, why should this be any different?

It shouldn’t.

I would venture a guess you too have struggled with your own progression toward your dreams/goals because you feel not ready enough.  Maybe you feel like you need more classes, more training, more knowledge, or more life experience.  Well I am here to tell you that’s not true.  You will learn far more by moving toward your goals than you will sitting back and planning them.  If you are inspired to do something, do it whether it feels perfect or not.

Beta versions aren’t all that bad, because when you think about it, aren’t we all just beta versions growing, learning, and evolving all the time?

 

Dream Discovery Pt. 2- Exercises

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Yesterday I talked about the two types of people that generally have trouble defining their dreams; the Reality Seekers and the Survivors.  Today, I want to give you some exercises that anyone can use to help get your imagination going in order to make room for your aha moment.

4 Ways To Find Your Passion

Set Your Intention:  Sometimes all it takes is mentally setting the intention to find your passion.  Maybe you want to write it down as a formal goal or create an affirmation that states you want to remain open to discovering your dreams.  However you choose to set the intention, do it.  Simply deciding that you want to do something sets the energy in motion enough that seemingly miraculous events take place to catapult you toward what you desire.

Meditate:  I know I have talked about the benefits of meditation, but I have to mention it again.  Meditation allows you to calm your mind and be open to inspirational ideas, thoughts, and inklings that will guide you along your journey.  If you aren’t sure how to meditate or find it difficult to sit still for even 5 minutes, check out guided meditations online.  You can find some really great videos and information that will help you get to a regular meditation practice.  Often when our minds are so cluttered with day-to-day responsibilities, we don’t hear the little voice inside that is giving us the information we need.  When you quiet your mind, you release the resistant thoughts that keep your inspiration at bay.

Make a List: Sometimes when we aren’t sure what we want it helps to create a clarity list*.  It is very easy to do and can provide a ton of information for what you really want in your life.  Simple take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle.  On the left side include things you don’t want and on the right side list what you do want.  Using your life experience, make a list of items you don’t want. For instance, if you are looking for a passionate career, you might say “I don’t want a boss that is a micro-manager” and that might mean “I want to be my own boss or have the freedom to do my work independently”.  Make the list as long as you need to in order to provide some clarity to what you want.  Once it is complete fold the paper back and look at the items you have listed for what you want.  Now you have a starting point for your discovery process.
*This exercise is one Michael Losier uses in his Law of Attraction books.  For more information click here.*

Have Fun: You may be wondering how having fun can lead you to a life of your dreams, however if you are like me, when I am trying to figure something out, I can get a little obsessive about it.  I find myself searching and thinking and worrying about it far more than I should.  This only creates more resistance in your thought process and can inhibit your inspiration completely.  Sometimes to gain momentum you have to not try so hard.  That can be difficult for some of us to learn since we have been taught that if you want something you have to work really hard at it.  That’s not always (or mostly) true.  Often when you are having fun and thinking about something entirely different, you get a major aha moment that sparks your interest and inspiration.  So if you find yourself thinking about this too much, take a step back and go do something else.

While these exercises may seem pretty simple you will be amazed at what they can do.  I hope they help you move toward the discovery of your dreams and if there is anything I can do to help let me know!

Happy Dreaming!

Flowing vs Forcing

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After my big announcement yesterday I had a difficult time sleeping last night.  I don’t know if it was the excitement of sharing the big news or if it was my mind running wild with all kinds of ideas and insights.  One thing is for sure though, my inspiration is high and I am so excited about moving forward with my dreams, I can hardly stand it.  I am trying to stay in the inspirational mindset and not allow myself to float away on a sea of questions that seem to be popping up here and there.

Questions like:

How are you going to get clients?

When will you start?

How much will you charge?

Are you sure you can do this?

How? How? How?

I am letting go of all of those questions right now and focusing on the current task…building my model.  Instead of worry about all the details, I am taking it one step at a time and allowing my inspiration to lead me and to be honest, my model is coming together faster than I expected.

I am allowing my inspiration to lead me as opposed to my logic.

I am choosing my dreams over what reality tells me.

I am choosing hope over doubt.

I am flowing with my ideas instead of forcing them and I must say it feels great!  Who knew letting go of the how could feel so good?

Acting On Inspired Thoughts

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Recently I have been thinking about my list of dreams and wondering if I should actively be working toward them, or if I should be following my inspiration and see where it takes me.  I have often wondered which is better.  In the business/goal-oriented world, it seems setting a game plan is the best way to move forward while in the art world, leading through inspiration is best.  But what about a person like myself who is a blend of both?

I am learning that if I act on my inspired thoughts, the action feels good.  For instance, as a choreographer I found I did my best work when I was strongly inspired by the music.  I didn’t have to think too much about what I was going to do because I was so inspired, my dances created themselves.  The same thing goes for my writing.  When I feel like I am forcing myself to write about a particular topic, it doesn’t flow very well and I find myself struggling a bit.  This is exactly why I have yet to begin my children’s book.

When I initially had the thought to write a children’s series, I was so inspired and should have taken that time to write down all my ideas and words that were flowing.  And while I told myself I was going to set a date to start writing, it didn’t really work out that way.  I really want to start writing, but am not feeling the passion and fire at the moment, so I suppose it is best for me to wait and allow the fire to come back.

While I tend to believe less in a world of extremes and believe it is best to take a more balanced approach to life, I am beginning to think that acting on inspired thoughts is the way to go.  Sure, I could set a writing schedule in order to get my book written or I could allow the inspiration to flow and act on it when the feeling is right.  Does that make me a lazy procrastinating writer?  I don’t think so, I think it means I am an inspiration driven writer amongst other things.

I have tried to make my vision of being a life coach come to fruition in various ways.  I tried setting a plan to get certain funds in place, to find the right program, etc., but those options haven’t really worked out thus far.  So, I am taking a step back a bit.  I am trusting that if I keep my vision clear about what I want, follow my intuition and inspiration, the pieces will fall into place the way they should.  Instead of working to make things happen, I am flowing with inspired thoughts.  Is it the right thing to do in all areas of my life?  Maybe not.  But, as for where I am right now, it is the right move.

What is the right move for you?  Do you set a plan and execute it accordingly or do you fly by the seat of your pants a bit?  Let me know what works for you!