heart-centered Archives - Lamisha Serf-Walls

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

July 14, 2014 by Lamisha

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.

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.

Your Heart-Centered-Passionate-Path Needs This To Thrive…

June 24, 2014 by Lamisha

photo credit: Alexandria LaNier via photopin cc

In the last year or so I have had the honor of meeting some truly amazing women with incredible talent yet I see far too many struggling to make their dreams a reality.

With such awesome gifts and healing work that can change the world forever, they are struggling to create thriving businesses.

How can that be?

I have experienced first hand some of these awesome gifts and am blown away at what EFT Tapping, Chakra Healing, Muscle Testing, Reiki, Yoga, and many other healing modalities can do to shift our energy and vibration so we can live happier and healthier lives. It’s like magic…literally.

So, why the struggle?

The magical abilities and ideas that these women have can literally heal the world. They can get rid of diseases, help others manifest amazing abundance, and heal a ton of emotional junk that we all experience (and need to heal) and yet actually taking those ideas and putting them into action often feels restrictive and against their very nature.

As a fellow airy-fairy, woo-woo-centric, hippy-dippy, out of the box-thinker, I know how incredible it is to have a dream that is so vivid and colorful that you could stay in your head forever, but I am also blessed with an uncanny ability to put those dreams into action. Inspired action that is.

The magic happens when we can effectively bring our glorious ideas down from the heavens and implement them in inspired-actionable-steps. And if you are like many of my clients, I know what you are thinking. “Ugh, actionable steps sounds pretty in the box to me.” or “I just like to go with the flow and see where the tide takes me.”

I get it. The idea of structure and schedules and dare I say accountability can make us enlightened folks cringe because it goes against all the free-flowing, belief-bustin’, let-me-do-it-my-own-way, nature, but I can promise you two things:

Without action & accountability, your dreams may stay fully alive in your imagination, but that is as far as they go.

AND

You CAN have structure and freedom while creating a thriving life & biz of your dreams.

The key is in following inspired action and creating structure that works for you.

There really isn’t a one size fits all plan on how to make your work come alive and if you have been fighting the good fight against a ‘schedule’ or ‘to do list’ because you want to keep your freedom status, then I invite you to look at freedom a bit differently.

Freedom implies you have a choice or an option to do as you please and when you can create a schedule or structure that works for YOU, you still have the freedom you crave. And when your business is thriving and soaring to new heights, you are capable of hiring out a ton of work that you don’t enjoy doing, but the choice is still yours.

So get out there and don’t be afraid of creating a bit of free-flowing-structure (that’s totally a thing) and begin following your heart to take inspired action.

The world needs your gifts & it’s up to you to share them.

What’s the #1 thing you have been resisting in your heart-centered biz because it feels too restrictive? Leave it in the comments below and share this post with your friends who could use a nudge to send their gifts out to the world!

If you need a bit of extra help in the structure & accountability department, this is for you. I have opened up a few spots for my 1-Month Jump Start program for July 2014 that will get you moving in 30 days or less. 4 sessions in 4 weeks = major progress. This offer expires June 30th so if you want in on this incredibly affordable and powerful opportunity, you can sign up here.

The Formula You Might Be Missing

June 10, 2014 by Lamisha

Many of the heart-centered business owners I work with are so deeply passionate about what they do that they want to share their message with the world…some of them literally. They KNOW how transformational their work is and they want to reach more and more people not just because it makes them money, but because they believe in what they do and they know they make a difference. They also realize that we are moving into a world of collaboration, community, and compassion for one another.

As a whole, the world is beginning to step out of the reality that we have to fight, compete, and compare ourselves to one another in order to succeed. Our new reality is one that allows us to combine our passions to create unique alliances that fulfill the equally unique needs of the world.

But HOW do you do that?

It has taken many business-owners years to figure out how to expand their vision so they can reach more people AND feel comfortable collaborating and creating the right alliances to make a bigger impact in the world. For most people it is a matter of trial and error while learning lessons along the way, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

You now have the opportunity to learn the FORMULA that will not only change how you operate and grow your business, but also how you interact with and contribute more to your community and the world.

On June 24th Creative Entrepreneur Crystal Davis is sharing her simple, yet powerful Formula for Collaboration + Expansion along with brief video on how to begin using it in your life and biz…and it’s FREE!

With this information you will understand how to:

• Create powerful collaborations in all areas of your life (business, friendships, love-ships + more)

• Understand how to use your strategic alliances to effortlessly contribute more to your family, community + the world

• Stop wasting time with alliances that don’t serve your highest purpose

• Honor your own truth whilst attracting abundance – the key to loving life!

This formula is too powerful to keep a secret and I am so honored to have Crystal share it with you lovely readers first! Sign-up now to get added to receive this exclusive, life & biz changing formula. I promise you won’t be sorry!

Transformation, Growth, & Group Coaching for YOU!

April 28, 2014 by Lamisha

If you would have told me 5 or 10 years ago that I would be a business owner with no other full-time income other than my business, I certainly wouldn’t have believed you. I never really wanted or thought about being my own boss as much as I really wanted to love what I do and have the freedom and flexibility in my life to do more of what I love. Seems obvious that being my own boss would provide all of that, but I didn’t put the two together until I realized life coaching was my calling.

Since then, I have found this path to be one of the most amazing and life transforming experiences. I have learned (and continue to learn) a ton about myself, my life, my preferences, and how I work best. I am learning to let go of the old story of success and what that means in traditional society and am stepping into my power more and more every day. I am reaching beyond my previously set boundaries and am expanding my reach, my knowledge, and my faith in the Universe that all things are working out exactly as they are meant to.

I am also stepping into a bit of a new direction business wise that is causing me to learn, grow, and evolve even more quickly. It’s a process and a journey that I wouldn’t give up for the world and I am so grateful for the opportunity to stand in my power helping other business owners and freedom-seekers do the same.

What is a freedom-seeker you ask?

Simply put, it is a person who desires to walk their own path and find (and live) their true calling. They wish to do what they love, stand in that power, and live the life of their dreams…as they see fit. Whether it’s a mansion by the beach or a life of travel, they want to create a life that allows them to do as they please. They want to grow, learn, evolve, and become more of who they are and be comfortable and confident in themselves. These are people who are similar to the ‘purple people‘ in that they feel the call to follow their inspiration and intuition as opposed to logic and reality. Crystal Davis (an amazing, talented, and very creative woman and friend) owner of Poetic Empire posted on Facebook yesterday that “Reality is irrelevant.”(I love that quote!) and freedom-seekers know this on some level and the more they live it, the more they feel their calling and truth.

These are the people I know I am meant to work with because I am one of them. I am proud to say I had the courage to step out on faith and step into my calling, my purpose, and my passion. I have learned a lot on this path and my hope is that I can pass a bit of that knowledge to others who are doing the same.

That is why I have created a program specifically for heart-centered business owners (and soon to be business owners) that are doing work they love. This 3-month group coaching program(beginning in June) provides you the coaching, support, community, and practical tips to break through the blocks and barriers you may be experiencing in your business life. It will help you grow stronger in your confidence for your craft, provide tools for dealing with fear, self-sabotage, abundance issues, address self-care and anything else holding you back. This is an opportunity for 20 people to connect, commune, and grow together with a common goal to stand more fully in their power, passion, and purpose.

I will be providing more information about how to get signed up for this program and the nitty-gritty details about what it entails in the next week or so. So, if you are looking to get your business started or are looking to expand, grow, and stand more fully in your purpose and this is something that you want to take advantage of, please sign-up for my VIP List today so you don’t miss any of the details and deadlines to sign up. I know that this program is going to bring like minds and hearts together to create powerful change and collaborations that will make your business flourish, so if your heart is telling you to sign up, respond to the call and don’t miss this amazing opportunity to grow, evolve, and become the free-flowing business owner I know you can be!

May you all have a magnificently magical Monday!

P.S. Don’t forget Friday is the last day to contact me if you are interested in individual coaching sessions at my current rate for a period of 2 months. That is 4 individual sessions for $300 which is an amazing value! If you are interested please contact me to get your 30-minute consultation scheduled as soon as possible. Remember, you must contact me by Friday in order to be eligible for this limited-time offer. Rates are doubling on Saturday May 3rd.