Lamisha Serf-Walls

You’re stuck, but are you LISTENING?

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photo credit: Even If via photopin (license)
photo credit: Even If via photopin (license)

Over the years I have been known for being so busy thinking, analyzing, planning, strategizing, and making things happen that I can’t actually hear what I need to do.

I get caught up in the action and doing of life instead of being.

I have often forgotten about the wealth of knowledge and information I have within if only I would listen.

It makes sense that as humans, we often try so hard to make things happen that we also end up making things much more difficult than we need to.

We miss the signs and signals about when it’s time to act and when it’s time to lean back.  We miss the messages that are around us all the time.

I talk a lot about inspired action and how important it is in creating a life you love and I get a lot of questions about what inspired action really is.

Simply put, it’s listening and responding.

Hearing the message and acting on it.

Feeling the inspiration to act and not questioning it…just doing it because it feels right.

And often times that feeling isn’t the most logical thing in the world.  In fact, at times it can seem downright insane, but every time I’ve acted on my inspired thoughts, it’s always worked out. Always.

So, if you feel STUCK and are wondering what the next step is for you, it may be that you just aren’t listening to the messages that are coming through.

Here are a few ways that I’ve found messages to show up for me:

  • Seemingly random thoughts in the shower (the shower is where I often come up with many program ideas or article titles)
  • Billboards with messages that resonate with me strongly
  • Song lyrics or quotes that feel especially powerful
  • Thoughts that float in with ease and feel simple and easy
  • Ideas that come quickly and just click
  • Inspiration that comes through when I am journaling or working with a client
  • Messages for others that I get while I am coaching that are also messages for myself

And sometimes I even get that earth-shattering lightning bolt of a thought that sends me running to find paper and a pen to get it all down before I forget it.  But, most of the time the inspiration flows in and out with ease.  It’s not pushed, pulled, or forced.  It’s just easy.

So, today as you think about a particular area of your life where you may feel stuck, I want you to think about the messages you may not be hearing.  What are you missing?  What feels almost too easy for you? Go do that.

Even if it doesn’t turn out to be THE thing that gets you unstuck in the moment, it will most definitely lead you down the path that will.

And if you are still struggling with feeling stuck and want more info on 5 ways to break free from stuck.  Check out this FREE audio that will help you get unstuck instantly.

Want more info on how to get the answers yourself and to learn how I tapped into the wealth of knowledge I use everyday in my life and business?  Check out the Universal Toolbox.  We still have spots open for you to get into the group AND get the bonus of 1 free 1:1 coaching session with me.

Last but not least- if you missed your chance to schedule a FREE 30-Minute Connection Call, I still have some spots available.  I’ve had SO much fun with these calls that I increased it from the original 25 to a total of 40!  I only have a few spots left, so if you are interested, hit the link below and schedule your call today.

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My Crazy May Challenge-Yep I’ve lost it!

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When I get inspired I go to the far edge of my sanity at times and stretch myself beyond belief and this week I’ve done it AGAIN.

If you are on my VIP list you know that I opened my calendar for 25 FREE 30 Minute Connection Calls to help women with:

  • Mindset issues

  • Manifesting challenges

  • Feeling STUCK in some area of life or career

  • Needing a bit of insight into life purpose

  • Next steps for making your dream a reality

I’ll admit, it’s a pretty crazy offer to throw out there especially considering I have a calendar full of clients and I’m taking a week off this month BUT I wanted to do this because of the recent response I received from my latest article in the Elephant Journal titled: When You’re Struggling to Find Your Purpose. 

I realized the work I do is incredibly important and I wanted to take some time to gift these sessions to those who could use them.  I currently have 15 spots left and would love to gift you one if you are interested.

I’ve done a few of these calls already and they have been AMAZING.  So much connection, help, service, and aha’s are happening in this 30-minute call and I can’t wait to chat with YOU.

Ready to sign up?  Hit the button below and get scheduled asap, I promise they won’t last long.

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P.S. Have you signed up to receive your FREE AUDIO: 5 Ways to Break Free From Stuck?  This 20-minute audio will help you get unstuck in no time!  Grab it while you can.

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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. 

 

We Need More Of This In The World…

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Being that I am in the business of uplifting and encouraging women to follow their hearts and go for their dreams, I find it extremely difficult to process when I see women (and people in general) poo-pooing on the dreams of others.  It infuriates me because while I know that their comments are not about anyone but themselves, I also know words hold a ton of power and our dreams are like delicate flowers.  Dream crushing comments (no matter how small) can easily cause dreamers to give up all together.

It is also why I created the Group Coaching Program for Business-Minded Women.  I believe women can come together in support of one another without the catty competition and crass comments.  Jealousy that someone has something that we want doesn’t have to be how we connect with one another.  I have felt this sense of competition in a variety of ways and even in some groups I have been in.  One person’s success doesn’t mean another person’s failure.  It also doesn’t mean that two people doing similar work have to compete.

What happened to collaborating, community, and compassion for one another?

CrystalKylieWhat about sharing, supporting, and uplifting one another in our desires?  I want to celebrate everyone’s success because I know that we are all capable of creating the life of our dreams doing work we love.  And each time I see another soul-sister’s dreams come true, I am inspired to keep going, keep dreaming, and keep following my heart.

I just wish everyone felt the same way.

Purchase your own copy here: www.azureassurances.com
Purchase your own copy here: www.azureassurances.com

The fire and passion I feel as I write this stems from reading a not so nice comment about an extremely talented and amazing woman (also one of our guest teachers for the group program) Crystal Davis.  Recently one of Crystal’s amazing dreams came true and she published her book Azure Assurances. ( You can check out an awesome article about their work here.)  This book is a collaboration with an equally talented artist Kylie Fogarty to create a masterpiece of poetry and art that is nothing less than gorgeous.  I had the opportunity to check it out and as a poet myself, I can tell you it is simply fabulous.

Not only do I love their work, but I also am so incredibly inspired by the powerful collaboration between two talented women with an amazing vision.  It reminds me why I am creating a space for community, collaboration, and support for business-minded women to come together.  THIS is exactly the kind of thing we need more of in the world.

More sharing, celebrating, and supporting one another.

With that said I want you to know that there is enough room in the world for everyone to succeed.  There are infinite possibilities of how your vision can come together and collaboration is the way of the future.  We are not on our paths alone and surely aren’t meant to create the thriving life of our dreams by ourselves.  They say it takes a village to raise a child and I say the same goes for cultivating a community of dreamers and achievers.  Join me in celebrating the success of others and congratulate, connect, and commune with other like-minded souls.

I also encourage you to check out Crystal and Kylie’s masterpiece, Azure Assurances.  Buy it, give it as a gift, and support two amazingly talented women who have made their dreams come true.

 

February Mini-theme: Authentic Connection

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I can hardly believe that we are at the end of January!  Did the month fly by for you as much as it did for me?

How are your 2014 intentions holding up?  This is usually around the time things start to turn south and people begin forgetting the reasons they started in the first place.  Missed goals, frustration, roadblocks, and sometimes just overwhelm can be enough to cause some people to fall back into old habits.  But, I am not going to let you do that.

Tomorrow is a new beginning (as is each day), but it is also a new month.  So, whatever ‘failures'(I hate that word) you feel like you had this month, wipe them clean and start fresh! Re-set yourself and keep moving forward.  Life happens and while we can’t stop it, we can flow with it, so here is your chance to FLOW.

With that said, it might be a good time to set a mini-theme for the month of February.

I was thinking about this a few days ago and decided that since my overall theme of the year is to “Show Up” and I had decided that December and January would be used to do as many introductory coaching sessions as possible (with a mini-theme of Service), it might be nice to set a mini-theme for February.

The purpose of setting a mini-theme is not to add one more thing to your to do list, but instead to help you focus on a specific area for the month.  You may decide you don’t want to change your theme every month and that’s ok.  Do whatever works and feels right for you.

The mini-theme I settled on is Authentic Connection.  Connection can mean so many things, but I want to take this month to really focus on connecting with my readers (you lovely dreamers), my Facebook and Twitter followers and other coaches/writers/blogs etc.  I want to support and connect with people from all over the world in a variety of ways.  This also applies to my ‘real life’ and not just my online life.  I want to chat with people in line at the grocery store and really see and hear people.  I don’t think we do enough of that overall, so that is my focus!

If you want to join me in selecting a theme for the month, I would love to hear what you choose!  Before you decide on a word, take a moment to tap into what you really need for the month.  Maybe it’s self-care, compassion, or kindness.  Maybe love for yourself, your clients, your neighbors, and strangers (February is the month for love).  Whatever you choose make sure it resonates with you and your path.

Feel free to share your mini-theme in the comments below and I would love to have you follow me on Twitter to post updates about your mini-theme.

Have a wonderful weekend and as always, thanks for reading!