Lamisha Serf-Walls

I just turned 2 and Things I Learned Along the Way

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heart

August 1, 2013 I did something I never imagined I’d do.

I started a business.

Not only did I surpass the 1 year mark when most business die a quick, painful death, but I have just hit the 2 year mark and I’m pretty freakin’ proud of myself.

Not because of the money I’ve made, but because I’ve stuck with it and have met, coached, and supported so many amazing souls.  Thinking back on it , I’ve learned some pretty amazing lessons that I want to pass along to you.

  • You can do more than you think you can. As if the fact that my business is still alive isn’t enough proof, I’ve done way more than I ever thought I could.  I’ve run marketing campaigns, group coaching programs, webinars, and coached countless women as I worked to get my message out into the world.  If you would’ve told me 10 years ago that this is what I’d be doing…I’d probably laugh in your face.  Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, know that you can do more than you think.

 

  • Your intuition is an amazing gift…use it! There have been LOTS of moments when I thought other people knew better than me when it came to what I should do next, except they didn’t.  We all have an inner GPS that is more powerful, more aware, and better equipped to support us in figuring out the next step than anyone else, we just have to learn to listen to it.  This is a muscle I am still working, but I can tell you I am far more tuned in now than I ever was before I started this journey.  Listen to your heart, it will never steer you wrong.

 

  • You don’t need to know the ‘how’. As a recovering control freak here, I sometimes forget this detail and I usually regret it.  As much as the world tells us we need a plan, an outline or a blueprint for our success, the truth is you really don’t.  If you follow your heart and act on the inspiration it provides, that will be enough.  The only thing having a blueprint does is make you feel more secure while also cutting you off from the amazing opportunities that are out there for you.  The Universe has far more resources available than we do…so why would you cut yourself off from that?  Follow the next step and trust that you’ll always figure out what is next because you will.

 

  • Just keep swimming.   In moments when I’ve wanted to give up (and there have been plenty), I had friends tell me to “just keep swimming” and as much as I didn’t want to hear it, I knew they were right.  Had I quit when I wasn’t booking any new clients for 4 months or when I had lost all confidence in my ability to actually run a successful business, I’d never have made it to the point I am now.  Now I know that I not only can make it, but I AM…every single day. Whatever your dream is or what your end vision may be…just keep swimming.  Trust your vision and purpose and let it guide you, but never give up…unless of course you no longer feel the passion for what you are doing.

I am in awe of how far I’ve come from the time this was only a dream.  In fact, this week I recorded this video reflecting on what prompted me to take the leap in the first place.

Listen, I know that whatever your BIG LEAP is, it feels scary right now.  That business, new career, or stepping into your true purpose feels bigger than life right now.  The steps to get there feel overwhelming and you aren’t quite sure how to make it all come together. You might even feel a little stuck…

You are not alone and you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.  The truth is you have the power to create ANY life you desire.  I want to help you make your dream life a reality.  Not tomorrow, next week, or next year when you feel more prepared.

I want to help you NOW.

If you are feeling the call of your soul to take the leap now…let’s chat.  I’ve got something special for you and I only have room for 4 people so if you are ready to dive in and make your dreams come true finally…hit the button below and let’s schedule a free chat.

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Are You In Danger of This? (And how not to sacrifice your happiness.)

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Danger

 

What if someone could tell you without a shadow of a doubt the way your future will likely unfold if you continue on the exact course you are on this very minute?

Would you be interested?

No, I’m not switching businesses and becoming a psychic 🙂

I ask you that because I know something that you might not be aware of and again I’m no psychic, but I have seen this enough to know that you might be in danger.

**********

Meet Joni* (Names have been changed for privacy sake.)

Joni is an incredibly talented entrepreneur.  She’s sweet, charismatic, caring, compassionate and people adore her!  She’s married to her soul mate, has a gorgeous home, and is blessed with creativity that flows like an open faucet.  Her business is booming and her calendar is booked out 9 months!

BUT…

She’s got a problem and it’s a BIG one.

She is having a hard time finding balance amongst all the awesomeness that is her life.

When she is in work mode, she’s hard-core.  She works long hours, stays up late, and often burns the candle at both ends.

When she manages to find time to focus on her ‘home’ life with her hubby, she is constantly trying to make up for lost time.

She’s lost on the teeter-totter of two extremes and no matter what she does she can’t quite find the happy medium.

The result:

She’s frustrated and cranky most days.  When she’s focused on her business, she worries about her relationship and the many things at home that feel half-assed or un-done.  When she’s at home, she worries about being at work. She thinks: “What if my clients need me?  What about the next deadline?  The next launch? Did I return all important emails?”

She’s stuck, overwhelmed, and feels guilty about not being where she needs to be and often feels like a failure.

She frequently discounts her successes or over looks them completely because she becomes hyper-focused on the things that aren’t working (aka not being able to find balance).

What on the outside looks like an awesome life, on the inside feels unbalanced and incomplete.  She frequently thinks that “if only” she could find the balance between her two very important worlds, she could finally ease into relaxation mode and actually enjoy the magnificent life she has created.

But without being able to see the core issue (which is not the lack of balance in her life), she is destined for a life of exhaustion, fear, frustration, and stuck-ness. She is blind to the belief that is holding her back because she is simply too close to see it.  What she thinks is a simple fix that centers around time management and taking a break every now and then is really just a symptom of a deeper issue.

She has a choice.  She can continue to try to treat the symptom (i.e. the lack of balance in her life) and experience the brief reprieve that it provides for her or she can choose to seek help.  And to be honest, she must first understand and be aware of the consequences of not clearing this issue.

Examples:

  • A stressed work life can result in physical illness
  • A stressed home life can result in relationship trouble
  • A stressed inner life can result in incredible fear, lack of confidence, self-sabotage, and even worse…an unhappy, unfulfilled life.

Getting to the end of her rope and being truly ready to move through this challenge once and for all, Joni reaches out for help.  She knows the magnificence that lies on the other side of this struggle and she’s ready to identify and clear the belief that is holding her hostage in exhaustion, fear, and frustration.

The question is are YOU?

happinessMany of you may be able to directly relate to the specific challenge or symptom that Joni has struggled with or you have your own issue that manifests itself in your life or business in your relationships, self-care, time management, procrastination, marketing (or lack thereof), or maybe it is something different.

The point is we all have that one thing that keeps showing up for us over and over again that leaves us feeling drained, frustrated, and just plain stuck.  There are some of you who are ready to throw in the towel and accept that ‘this is just the way life is’ and you may even believe ‘you just can’t have it all’.

But I am here to tell you, there IS a solution to your problem and it starts with this first step: You must first know the consequences of continuing on the path you are on and refuse to sacrifice the joy and fulfilling life you are destined for any longer.

That’s it.

Life is supposed to be amazing and you are meant to work through the lessons, beliefs, and challenges that hold us back from that incredible joy.  It is part of your journey, but you get to choose if you are ready to move forward and clear it and some of the biggest challenges are those we can’t see directly because we are simply too close.

With that I ask you:

What amazing-ness are you sacrificing by staying stuck? AND Are you ready to take the first step to free yourself from the struggle and frustration?

If so, I invite you to schedule a 30-Minute Consultation to chat with me about your challenges and to see if (like Joni) you are ready to clear them once and for all.  No strings attached.  So what do you say? Are you ready?

P.S. Don’t forget that the 7-Day Resolution Refresh challenge begins on Monday so if you are in need of some inspiration to get some of those amazing goals knocked off your to-do list, get signed up so you don’t miss a beat!

 

Have You Identified Your B.S. (It’s not what you think.)

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B.S. _

Hey Lovely!

I know you.

You’re the kind of woman who knows what she wants and has no problem making shit happen.  Your vision is clear and you are no stranger to putting in the effort to make your dreams come true.  That’s how you got to be where you are.

People look at you and are in awe.  Your power, energy, magic, and positive vibes make people come out of the woodwork to connect with you.

It’s no surprise really, I mean you exude success at every turn and people are taking notice.  You are a force to be reckoned with for sure and there are tons of people who admire you.  Truth be told, they want what you have so they can make that magic happen in their own lives.

Passion pours from your soul and whether you are writing, designing, coaching, crafting, singing, dancing, performing, selling, speaking, consulting, organizing, healing, teaching, or anything else that happens to be your gift, you are simply fantastic….

At least that’s how they see it right?

But you and I know the truth, we know the WHOLE story.

Beyond the magic, miracles, success, drive, passion, and purpose there is something that you just don’t want to think about (let alone discuss with your admirers).

It’s the challenge that keeps rearing its ugly head no matter what you do.

That area of your life that can at times cause you to forget about all of the other amazing things that you bring to the table because that one thing is off.  And try as you might, you have not been able to tick that box.

You’ve read the books, repeated the affirmations, and maybe even tried to wrestle that damn thing to the ground, but to no avail.

You know what I call that?

That my dear, is your BLIND SPOT (or rather a symptom of your blind spot) and before you worry your pretty little head about it, I want you to know that we all have one (or two or three).

Your Blind Spot is the thing you can’t quite see that is holding you back.

Have you ever wondered why life coaches have their own coaches?  It’s because of that dreaded Blind Spot.

When you are immersed in your own life or business, you are simply too close to see what you are unconsciously saying, doing, believing, etc. and you likely aren’t aware of what is holding you back.  And knowing what isn’t working in your life or business (i.e. the symptom) is the first step in identifying and clearing your Blind Spot.

The truth is this: Our Blind Spots bull shit us. 

They make us believe we aren’t good enough in some capacity and can leave us feeling frustrated, sad, angry, and at times worthless which causes us to ignore our greatness.

Tell me this: What is your Blind Spot costing you?

Happiness? Money? Clients? Bliss? Your dreams? Love? Romance? Adventure? Time?

Is it worth it?

I can tell you from experience it’s not.  Life is too short to go on with a block that can be illuminated and cleared with a bit of assistance.

Lucky for you, I am the Blind Spot Expert and have recently been through my own clearing that has taught me some amazing lessons that I will be sharing with you along with information on how I can help you identify and clear your own Blind Spot.

But for today I want to know this:

What is that thing that isn’t working in your life or business and what is it costing you right now? (I’ll give you a hint.  It’s the first thing that you thought of when you read that line.)

Share your answer in the comments below.  We are in this together because I guarantee we all have one! Let’s get it out in the open so we can clear it and take your life, your business, and your dreams to amazing new heights!

Re-Framing the Green-Eyed Monster

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envy

When we are growing into our dreams and taking action in the world to create the life of our dreams, there are times (sometimes many) when we come up against the dreaded green-eyed monster.  We see all these amazing people doing what we want to do and doing it WELL.

Some of us get discouraged and begin to feel ‘less-than’ that other person that is doing it better, faster, and more beautifully than us.  Others feel like giving up because they convince themselves that they won’t ever measure up.

Well I have a re-frame that will turn that green-eyed monster into a joyous, happy, and celebratory friend.

Check out the video below to find out how you can use this re-frame the next time you feel a bit of envy, jealousy, or ‘less-than’ someone else.

 

P.S. If you are interested in some FREE coaching hop on over to my Facebook Coaching Power Hour that I am hosting TONIGHT from 8pm-9pm EST.  I will have a special thread open for your questions and will be offering my insight and coaching for an hour.  Got a burning question about creating the life &/or biz of your dreams? Ask away!  All you have to do is be a fan of my FB page and come with your questions. 🙂 Talk to you tonight!

Why I SUCK at “Business” & Choose the Heart-Centered Path Instead

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Image from enlightenedbusinessacademy.com
Image from enlightenedbusinessacademy.com

So it might sound strange to you to read that a life & biz coach sucks at ‘business’ especially when she helps her clients expand their business and make more money and just launched a program for business owners right?

Allow me to explain.

I never really thought of myself as the ‘business’ type. I mean, when I finished college I was just focused on getting a J-O-B (any job really) to pay the bills.  I wasn’t in business school and really didn’t aim to be my own boss.  Heck I even went so far as to say that I couldn’t be a contracted employee or be commission based because I needed to have a steady income.  And the idea of being in sales made my stomach turn.  I just didn’t want to be that scummy used car salesman that was trying to get any Tom, Dick, and Sally in the door to make a buck.

It just wasn’t my style and yet I found myself working for not one, but TWO organizations that had a main focus on numbers.  More specifically I worked in proprietary education.  And while I don’t believe ALL organizations like this operate with one thought in mind, I found myself in two that were very similar.

Getting butts in seats meant I still had a job.  It just so happened that some of the people responsible for getting butts in seats weren’t necessarily concerned with if they were the right fit.

For almost 6 years I dealt with this internal and sometimes ethical dilemma of working in an organization that operated with this very hard to swallow way of doing ‘business’.  (You know like some of the unethical Wall Street Bankers etc.)  Set a goal, meet the goal by whatever means necessary, and don’t worry about the rest.

I hated it.  Hated that many students were treated like numbers and not individuals.  Hated the fact that despite the curriculum and expedited programs not being a good fit for many students, no one said anything.  That’s not entirely true.  We did speak up, but ultimately it wasn’t our decision to make.

So, after watching this dance occur over many years, I decided I didn’t want to be a part of that type of ‘business’ strategy.  I promised I wouldn’t get pushy, treat people like numbers, and spam my followers with ‘GET THIS NOW’, ‘SALE, SALE, SALE’ emails because let’s be honest, that shit is just annoying, not to mention it’s just not my personality.

Now you may be saying, “But what about all the business coaches out there that say you have to create urgency, get your products in front of a billion people, and throw statistics at you about sales funnels and landing pages?  Are they WRONG?!”

Maybe, maybe not.  I’m sure those tactics work to some degree since so many people employ them, but I have found another way to do business that feels better.

It’s what I call the heart-centered way.  sales

The heart-centered path is about connection, communication, compassion, and honesty.  It’s about sharing your journey with your tribe and being genuine with your words.  It’s about giving what they want and need while still understanding they are individuals.  It’s about serving your community and helping.  It’s empowerment. It’s service.  It’s grace.

It’s a different road for sure and it is also the premise behind Tama Kieves book Inspired & Unstoppable (a book I recommend to every heart-centered business owner I know).  Follow your heart and do what feels right.  If it feels unnatural and like a used car salesman just trying to make a buck, well that feeling is going to come through to your tribe.

I have found (pretty recently) that even when I am trying to loosely use the advice from the ‘pros’ who are making millions of dollars, it doesn’t always come across in the most authentic way.  It feels forced and what’s worse is my message doesn’t connect to the souls I am meant to work with.  When I am thinking about selling, products, and numbers the waters get a bit murky for me.  I get a bit uncomfortable and my message comes out disjointed and a bit ‘salesy’ which is not my intention.

However, when I focus on my intention of changing lives and helping people do what they love and succeed at it…it comes across as love and service.  THAT feels lighter, brighter, and much more inspiring and incidentally I find I connect with more of my tribe.  (Funny how that happens right?)

So, if you have a business or are thinking of starting your business, the best advice I have for you is this.  Choose to communicate, act, and serve from your heart.  If it feels like you are playing a role or wearing a mask, it probably isn’t right for you.  Connect with your purpose, why you started to begin with, and who you want to serve, that is where your heart-centered business will thrive.  With love.

If you are unsure of where to begin with this heart-centered path and are prone to ditch the traditional ‘business’ plan that can feel a bit icky, there is still time to get signed up for the 90-Days to Biz Brilliance program and receive the bonus gift of my self-study Invest in Yourself program ($97 value) before you can buy it.  If it feels like the right program to take your business to another level (with love), I invite you to join this community of amazing heart-centered entrepreneurs who are changing the world with their work.  The world needs you and your biz to shine and I want to help you make that happen.