Reflection Archives - Page 4 of 5

Where Is Your Focus???

November 15, 2013 by Lamisha

This week I have been a little MIA on my blog and for that I apologize, but I promise I had a good reason. I decided to take some time to really reset my focus for the rest of this year and into the new year. Re-focus sort of suggests I have been making plans and outlining my strategy, but what I did was a bit different from that.

I realized in the last two weeks especially, I have allowed the details of the future get the best of me. Mostly, the unknown details and the many questions that come with them. Questions about business success (or lack there of), questions about where I am headed, and what is on my path. I have spent much of the last two weeks trying to desperately solve problems, figure things out, set plans, and FOCUS on what is coming when I have no clue what that might be.

Up until a few weeks ago I was okay with the not knowing. In fact, I was more than okay with it…I was flowing with it and things were good. It wasn’t until I received comments from someone else on what I “should” be doing, that I began this crazed focus on what is going wrong.

I am sure you have been there before too right? Instead of basking in the wonderful things that are going on in life, we have a tendency to hone in on the one (or two) things that are lacking. We allow those one or two things to be the main focus, main theme, and our primary concern, until we realize it is getting us nowhere.

That is why this week I spent some time changing my focus. Instead of focusing on all the things I feel aren’t quite up to par, I have set the intention to practice flowing with what is good, abundant, beautiful, and magnificent in my life. Does that mean I won’t ever notice when my glass is half-empty? No, but it does mean that I am making a bit of an extra effort to soothe myself and know that it is okay for a glass to be half-empty some of the time, because when it is we appreciate the full glass so much more.So, I ask you lovely readers. Where has your focus been as of lately? Have you been enjoying and appreciating the magnificence that surrounds you or are you honing in on the things that are still missing? If you fall into the latter category, I invite you to change your focus up a bit. You may not have all the answers right now, but by enjoying the little things and the big things that are going well, you somehow find the answers you were looking for not only much faster, but also in the most amazing places.I hope you have an amazing weekend and turn your focus to the abundance and beauty all around you. As always, thanks for reading!

I Got The Message, “Let Go and It Will Grow”

October 24, 2013 by Lamisha

In light of being completely and 100% authentic with you lovely readers I wanted to share something that happened a few weeks ago. It is something that I have only shared with 2 people for fear others might think I’m crazy and while the “crazy” part is likely true, I think it’s an important message to share with you.

A few weeks ago I was dealing with some major fear, anxiety, and frustration around what was or wasn’t happening in my business. I created my business Facebook page, I set up a pay what you can offer and created my mailing list sign-up and they were going nowhere. Add to that the anxiety of what may or may not be coming next for me job-wise and you can imagine I was a mess. Even as a life coach, I still find myself fighting back the doubt sometimes.

So there I was, trying desperately through anxious-action to make things happen. (When will I ever learn??) I was researching, reading, writing, and trying to come up with a plan. A solid, no-nonsense, fool-proof plan to bring in the right clients. I could feel the stress building and my Dream Crusher was coming in loud and clear.

I heard her say, “You have NO idea what you are doing.”, “You don’t know anything about business.”, “You should really just find another job and be done with it.”, “You have a family to help take care of for goodness sake.” “You are a fraud!”

She wasn’t being very nice and while I could have continued to let that voice take over my thoughts and cause me to give up, I didn’t. Instead I meditated.

I knew I had to quiet the fearful thoughts that were flowing through my mind so I sat down, closed my eyes, and let them go.

My 15 minute meditation felt much longer and much deeper than what I am used to and I was not at all prepared for what happened next. Just as my thoughts floated away, I saw a beautiful butterfly in my mind’s eye with two fingers holding onto one of the wings. The other wing was furiously flapping as the butterfly was trying to get away. In that moment I heard “Let go and it will grow.”

What?!

I meditate at least 5 times a week, sometimes more and during my morning meditations, I very rarely hear or see anything. I have heard experiences where some people get great inspiration and insight from their meditations, but I don’t experience it quite as clear. That is until that moment.

A few days later, after hearing the message 2-3 more times (not in meditation), I really felt the significance.

The fluttering and frantic butterfly was me and the fingers holding one of the butterflies wings was also me. I was the one holding myself back. Instead of following my intuition and inspiration and allowing that to lead me to the next thing (the way I coach others), I was trying too hard to make something happen. I was acting out of fear instead of inspiration. I allowed the doubt, fear, and frustration to send me into a tizzy that resulted in a lot of needy action.

I wasn’t thinking clearly.

I wasn’t following my own advice.

I wasn’t listening to my intuition.

Until that moment.

The message “Let go and it will grow.” has come back to me time and time again. When I find myself struggling to find a solution or plan right this moment, I know I am trying too hard. When I am trying to force things to work a very specific way, I know I have lost my faith. When I am too focused on what I feel is going wrong instead of seeing what is going right, I have lost my way. When I am too focused on blog views, new followers, new likes on Facebook, and the lack of clients, I am forgetting what is important.

My intuition tells me that letting go of the outcome and detaching from whatever I believe should be the end result is going to help things along. When I let go of the butterfly and allow it the freedom to fly, I free up energy that can be used for other things. I know this to be true because I have seen it happen over and over again in other areas of my life.

With a strong vision, belief in myself, and my work, things will keep moving forward.

Do you have something you need to be easy about instead of trying so damn hard? Take a step back for a while and do things you truly enjoy. You just might be amazed at what happens next.

Intention and Small Actions=Progress

September 4, 2013 by Lamisha

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about how quickly things have happened in terms of my dream of becoming a life coach. Just last night as I worked on getting my new Facebook page up and running, I remembered a time not too long ago when this was just a dream. My coaching business was a thought, a hope, a desire that felt like it was off in the distance somewhere. It wasn’t until I took the leap of faith, that it all became real.

In an instant.

I have seen this phenomenon happen over and over again. It seems that when we make a choice to do something and put even the smallest action into it, things seem to unfold almost magically. The intention and thought have a way of creating a bit of momentum and even the smallest step adds just enough energy to allow everything to align and progress is made. Add a little more action and the pieces continually fall into place.

Is this a formula for guaranteed success? Not necessarily. There are some things that require more intention, a bit more action, and what seems like a lot of momentum…while you are in it. I can tell you there have been many times when I feel like I am standing still in terms of progress and then when I look back on it, I realize I have come much further than I realized. Sometimes you just have to be easy about your dreams.

What I find interesting is how often we hear people talking about setting a goal, creating an action plan, working the action plan, working hard, etc. in order to reach your goals. I think this method works for some people, but I find myself taking score of what I have yet to accomplish. I am constantly looking at if I have arrived in order to move on and if I haven’t, I tend to get discouraged.

I find that setting an intention to do, be, or have something sets the energetic wheels in motion and when you follow your inspiration to the next step because it just feels right, there lies another opportunity for progress. Continue to follow that feeling and you will find yourself much further than you ever thought you could be.

Sometimes you don’t need a step-by-step map of how to get to your dream. With a vision, an open mind, and a little action, you can trust that your intuition and inspiration will lead you to the very next step. And if you aren’t sure where to start, just take a tiny step and watch as your path is illuminated little-by-little.

What can you do today to get you to the very next step? Share in the comments below, I would love to hear your intentions!

Giving Dreams Room To Breathe & Grow

August 22, 2013 by Lamisha

I have seen my fair share of people working hard to have a happy life. There seems to be a universal campaign for accomplishing goals through back-breaking work, blood, sweat, and tears. Many of us have grown up with the idea that if we could just do more by working longer or harder than we would finally reach the platform of success. And while I certainly believe in the benefit of (inspired) action, I feel like something is missing in this formula for a successful life.

People that know me, know that I have always been a doer in life. I have always focused on doing the next thing and looking for the next step in my dreams and only recently have I been able to understand the importance of non-action, and allowing the space for our dreams to breathe and grow.

Not sure what I mean? Let me explain.

When we decide we are going to move forward with a new goal, career, or project typically there is some sort of planning phase. After the planning phase comes the execution. And since we are so accustomed to instant gratification in our everyday living, we seem to be chomping at the bit to make things happen by working long hours and in some cases spreading ourselves too thin. The fear of failing has caused us to overcompensate in the action arena to a point that we never allow ourselves (and our dreams) a chance to breathe.

I know I have struggled with this many times in my life where I want instant results for the work I am putting in, but the reality is things take time.

I have also learned that when I am able to take a step back and stop measuring my progress (or lack thereof in some cases), I find things almost magically happen. The right people flow into my life effortlessly and the next inspirational nugget appears before my very eyes and each time it happens I am reminded of the importance of allowing my dreams to breathe and grow.

I was reminded of that just a few weeks ago.

While I was having a conversation with a friend about some things I needed/wanted to take care of for my business, I mentioned needing to find someone to design my logo. I had actually thought about it several times, but wasn’t trying to make anything happen with it as I had other things that I was working on. About an hour after that conversation I saw a post on FB from a friend of mine that said “Designing a logo!”. I almost fell out of my chair. I couldn’t believe it! I immediately sent my friend a message and inquired about her services and found that not only was it affordable, but she does absolutely amazing work!

Was it just dumb luck? Or, did I allow enough space and time for things to unfold in the most organic and perfect way for me?

I truly believe that by giving my dreams/needs the space they need to grow and evolve, the resources I need will continue to unfold in the most beautiful of ways.

Not sure it will work for you? Try it out!

The next time you find yourself forcing something to happen or working long hours trying desperately to make something happen, take a break. Step back from it and leave it be for a while and open yourself to what you see and hear around you. Just be easy about it and allow your next inspirational nugget present itself to you. I promise you it will.

Have you had something like this happen for you recently? I would love to hear how your dreams are unfolding as you give them room to breathe and grow. Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Gratitude: Telling A Different Story

July 12, 2013 by Lamisha

Over the last few weeks in my rush to get things done, I have missed my gratitude posts and I am feeling the effects. Instead of reflecting back on each week with wonder and appreciation, I am finding myself returning to a mindset of “if only” and lots of frustration about seemingly small blips on my emotional radar. I have also found that my meditation practice has been very hit or miss and that is also affecting what I like to call my emotional feng shui. With that said, I wanted to make sure I got back on track with both meditating and my gratitude practice because I know how important both practices are for my growth and sanity.

Coming back from a week-long vacation can be a bit jarring and uncomfortable for some and I had a few ups and downs myself trying to get back into my daily groove. While I found myself appreciating the time off, I was also more cranky than usual. Outside my moments of crankiness I took on an observer role to figure out the cause (if any) and to see what it was that was causing me to head down a much-traveled-never-turns-out-good-road that I have experienced before.

Here’s what I realized…

I have read many blogs and articles about “telling a different story” and while I understood what the phrase meant, it never hit me emotionally. It seems I only understood it on an intellectual level and never really applied it to my life. Maybe I was in denial or maybe as a student of life, I wasn’t ready to receive the message. Either way, I now understand.

We all have certain characteristics that have become a part of our emotional, psychological, moral and spiritual fabrics. Many times we don’t take the time to question if the story we tell is still true as we say things like, “I’m not a good communicator.” or “I’ve never been good with writing.” We even use these stories to describe others based on how we perceive them and yet we never once question if the story we are telling about ourselves or others still holds true.

We have grown so accustomed to living in a space of familiarity that we will hang on to an understanding of someone, something, or ourselves so much that we assume we have it figured out. (And you know what they say about assuming.) Instead of coming into situations and experiences with fresh eyes and a sense of discovery, we use our memories as the be-all, end-all truth. But the funny thing about life is that things are always changing.

The person I am today is not who I will be tomorrow and the person I was yesterday is gone, yet when we have a death grip on what we know to be true about ourselves or someone else, we leave no room for learning anything different. And when we have a set expectation of how someone is going to act or react (including ourselves), we generally experience the exact expectation we set forth in the beginning.

So, this week as I was going through some personal challenges, I began thinking about my story. My story about success, work, relationships, my partner, and the story about who I am and I began to wonder what would happen if I told a different story in each of those areas? What if instead of telling the same old tired story of lack, frustration, hurt, and any other negative emotion I thought was the truth, I told a different story? How different would my experience be?

I must admit the idea felt refreshing yet foreign. I had never consciously attempted to change my own description of what I had always known myself and others to be. What I found is that like any life or perspective change, it takes time. I won’t magically begin describing myself as a laid back, go with the flow person in every scenario that I experience, but slowly I can begin changing my story to reflect the person I am becoming.

I am so grateful for this life changing thought that has allowed me the freedom to change how I experience the world around me. I now know I don’t have to live in the confines of who I always was (or thought I was) and can move into new territory where I am the writer of my reality.

You are too.

I challenge you to take some time this weekend to explore the stories you use to describe yourself or others and see how those same old stories are creating your very existence. See some things you don’t like? Try to re-frame and re-phrase your story to reflect what you want to see. It may feel foreign at first, but just as the caterpillar takes time to transition into a beautiful butterfly, your new story will take some time too.

Be patient and kind with yourself as you explore new territory, but most of all enjoy the freedom of creating your reality, including living the life of your dreams.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and as always thank you for reading!