Lamisha Serf-Walls

Let’s Talk Money…

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So it seems that money is the topic of discussion these days not only in the news with all this talk of the U.S. budget etc., but also with potential clients.  When asked why they haven’t moved toward the life of their dreams, the limiting factor is often times, you guessed it, money.

money quote
image from www.sayw.com

Whether they are wanting to start their own business, move to another part of the country, or travel the world, many of the roadblocks are the same.  They haven’t yet amassed enough money to do so.  In their minds (and mine at one time), they had the straight and narrow view of how they could (or couldn’t) accomplish their goal.

Let’s say you want to travel the world for a year.  You might think the most realistic way of doing that would be to have to save enough money to pay all of your expenses while you are away.  In order to do that you calculate what you make now, a realistic amount of money you can save, and how much you will need for your year-long expedition.  Understandably so, that calculation could not only be depressing, but it could also take the wind right out of your sails.  You might feel like it will never happen and you simply let it fall by the wayside.

But, what if instead of providing a straight and narrow view of how it is most likely going to come to fruition, you made a list of all the awesome ways it could happen.  Use the what if game I talk about here and allow your imagination to run wild.

For the example above you might come up with a list that looks like this:

  • I could win the lottery and have all the money I need
  • Someone could gift me the money
  • I could win a trip around the world
  • I could get a new job that pays more and travel sooner
  • I could find a midnight hustle to make the extra money
  • I could find a job that would pay me to travel
  • I could sell all my crap and do it
  • I could work with a life coach and she can help me reach my goal

You get the idea.  This exercise is meant to open your eyes to all of the wonderful ways you could get to your dream without following the most logical and realistic idea.  In fact, if I were working with you on this specific example I would show you how you can get clear about your dream, follow your inspiration to take a tiny step forward, and watch as some amazing things fall into place that will lead you to the next inspirational nugget on your journey.  Doesn’t that sound much better than trying to do it the way that feels so hard and so impossible?

When you limit yourself to accomplishing your dream via this one specific channel, you cut yourself off from all other possibilities.  This wonderful world of ours is full of situations, opportunities, contacts, networks, jobs, etc. that can help you get to where you want to be.  You just have to open your mind to the possibilities that are out there and the best way to do that is to tap into your inspiration.  Don’t allow your current job, income, bills, situations etc. limit you in living the life of your dreams.  Open your mind and see what happens.

Is money the thing you are lacking to make your dream come true?

Also, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to get more juicy inspiration and updates on upcoming offerings.  I can’t wait to share with you what I am working on.

Dreamer Highlight: Tad Hargrave & Producers of Milton’s Secret

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This Dreamer Highlight edition is all about thinking outside the box and being conscious creators.  Not only are my two highlights incredibly inspiring, but they are also movers and shakers in a different way of thinking and being.  Enjoy!

I first found Tad Hargrave and his website Marketing For Hippies as I was doing some marketing research for my business.  Like many coaches, healers, and generally green business owners the traditional hard marketing can feel a bit overwhelming and down right icky and that is where Tad comes in.  He has found a way to take his passion for helping fellow business owners create marketing plans that fall outside the “traditional” ideas of marketing so it

Tad Hargrave
Tad Hargrave

creates a set-up that not only works for the business, but also feels right for the business owner.  For example, for some of his own workshops instead of setting a specific price for his presentation, he operates under a ‘pay what you want’ model that allows participants to pay a deposit and then any additional amount once they complete the workshop.

This form of pricing/marketing is totally outside the box and against what many big businesses might consider doing, but it works for him.  It allows him to help people who need it and to allow them to decide what his content is worth.  It is also where I came up with the idea to try it for my ‘pay what you can‘ offer that I set up last week.  (By the way that offer is still good, but only for a limited time so if you are thinking of working with me you should really get signed up today!)

What I love about Tad’s way of doing business is that it is a win-win for everyone involved and while business should be a win-win for both parties, it isn’t always done that way.  His way of doing things also takes the focus away from the money and places it on value, content, and helping people.  Because let’s face it, money is simply a piece of paper that allows us to exchange it for goods and services and if we could find a way to do that differently, that piece of paper wouldn’t mean a whole lot right?  If you have a business and are interested in his outside the box thinking, check him out.  He also has a ton of additional interviews to check out in addition to real case studies for potential clients to see how he works.

miltonThe other highlight involves a similar outside the box thinking for an upcoming movie called Milton’s Secret.  This film is based on the book by Eckhart Tolle and tells the tale of how a young boy learns to live utterly and totally in the moment amongst other lessons from his grandfather.  You can find out more about the film in Lilou Mace’s interview with Barnet Bain (producer).  What is interesting about this film besides the content and the conscious subject matter, is the way they are going about funding the project.  Since it is not set up as one of the big box office hits like other Hollywood films, this one is being funded by grants, private investments, and conscious co-creators that want more films like it out in the world.  Let’s face it, times are changing and in order for us to continue to grow and evolve with the changing times, we need more creative solution seekers and this project is just one example of that.  If you are interested to know more about the project or to donate to the cause you can do so here.  I for one am looking forward to seeing this inspiring film come to fruition because it sounds absolutely wonderful!

In addition to the inspiring content and the out of the box thinkers who are producing the film, this project really looks at it as a group created film.  Viewers who are interested in the work are investing their money in a vision that is greater than themselves so that others may view it and be changed.

Now just imagine for a second if the producers had only seen one way to get their film off the ground and that one way was to convince the big Hollywood companies that this would be a hit etc.  They may have either given up entirely on their dream to create the film or delayed it for a very long time.  That my friends is the power of thinking outside the box and being open to the wonderful possibilities of the Universe.  Your one way of doing things is not the only way, so open your mind and your heart for others to be revealed and remember, if you need help figuring out how, I can help.  Simply contact me for a free session to find out what amazing things we can accomplish together!

In other news, I have just set up my newsletter for you lovely readers that want to be added to the VIP list.  I promise I won’t be spamming you with unnecessary emails and nonsense you don’t need, but I do want to keep you in the loop for special offers and especially inspiring posts.  You can sign-up for my newsletter below.

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Missing Link-Imagination

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I recently took a poll of my Facebook friends to find out what it was exactly that they felt they needed to tackle their ‘ultimate dream’.  I wanted to find out what my potential clients are struggling with so I can create more resources, programs, and content to assist them.  The responses were interesting to say the least because what they were lacking falls into one of three categories: resources (time, money, space), belief in self (courage, confidence), or knowing where to start.  I knew as soon as I read their comments that I was on to something because these were many of the things I struggled with in the last 2 years as I contemplated how I was going to begin my life coaching business.

While all of the responses fell into one of the three categories, most people said the lack of time, money, or space to create their ‘ultimate dream’, was the thing they were missing.  This isn’t all that surprising when you figure how many people are juggling a multitude of responsibilities and are simply trying to keep up with their busy schedules.  From what I gathered, a lot of the people who responded in this way had some idea of how to couragemake their dream a reality, but they only saw one way to make it happen.

Many of the responders also said that they were lacking the courage and confidence to make it happen in addition to the resources.  So before even setting out to achieve their ultimate dream, they were felt like they just couldn’t do it.  It seemed just too big to tackle right now.  Interesting…

The last response came from people not really knowing how to begin.  These are people who know what they want to do, but just haven’t put anything into action to find a way to make it happen.  These may be people who feel like their dream is so far out of reality, they can’t even fathom how to make it happen.  In fact, they may not even allow themselves to think about it too much because it is that far out.

So what do all these people have in common?  They are all using their logic to get them from point A to point B.  They are using their memories, knowledge, current reality, and logical thinking in order to figure out how to make their dreams come true and if they come up against a roadblock, many people tend to give up.  I think I have a better way of doing this.  imagination-11

Instead of looking at the reality of your situation (the responsibilities, bills to pay, kids to care for, schedules to keep up with, the fact that you have never had enough money to travel, or you are too afraid to fail etc.) and using that to find the most realistic way of doing things, I encourage you to use your imagination. Out of the box thinking allows you to be open to other possibilities of how your dream may come to fruition.  Instead of seeing a straight and narrow path to your goal or dream, you see a beautiful web of possibilities with fun stuff all along the way!  It’s there that you begin to feel the magic.

When you tap into your imagination and follow what feels good and right for you, the journey is enjoyable too.  You aren’t constantly taking score of where you are in relationship to where you want to be, but instead are enjoying the little nuggets along the way.  One piece leads to the next and to the next and before you know it you have unlocked your potential to create the ultimate dream regardless of what that entails.

There are an infinite number of possibilities to creating the life of your dreams and by hanging onto the one most likely way (in your mind), you are blocking out all the rest.  The only true limitation in achieving the life of your dreams, is the illusion you can’t do it, don’t have the means, or that it’s just too good for you, because the truth is you can have all you need.

Are you ready?

For Love or Money

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I have thought a lot about satisfaction in the workplace in recent years and can’t help but wonder how many people are actually doing work that they love?  My guess is not too many.

For many years I have surveyed (for my own interest) different people who I have worked with and asked them how happy they are in their job.  Most of them look at me quizzically, not understanding the question.  It seems a large portion of our population has succumbed to the thought that the work that you do is just that…work.  Work is not meant to be enjoyed, not meant to be fun, and is simply a means to an end.  The end being paying bills, saving for retirement, and taking care of everyday expenses etc.  And even though I just recently (in the last 2 years or so), have come to the realization regarding the work I am meant to do, the idea that work is just work has never been something that sat well with me.  In fact I realize now, all the time I had been asking different people if they enjoyed their work, I was trying to figure out how they got there.  The challenge is that I never found one person that said, “Yes, I love this!”  That is not to say those people aren’t out there, I am sure there are many people who enjoy their work, I just haven’t spoken to them.

 
I understand for the most part why a lot of people aren’t doing work that they love.  It stems partially from the society that we live in that requires us to make a decision in our college years to determine what we want to do for the rest of our lives.  The reality is that what we choose during college doesn’t always translate into work after college(says the writer who has a Bachelors in Exercise Science and a Masters in Psychology, but isn’t doing either of those things and is looking for a new career).  For instance, I had an interest in fitness, but didn’t know where I wanted to go with it after college.  By the time I realized it probably wasn’t something I would enjoy for the long haul, I already had too many credit hours to switch to something else, and I didn’t even know what I wanted to switch to.  I wanted/needed to graduate so I stuck with the fitness degree.  Fast forward a few years and you would find me enrolling in a Masters program for Psychology with an idea of helping people.  Still unsure of the path I would take, I finished the degree and finally (a few years after that) found my calling.  I was meant to be a life coach.

I think another reason many people don’t follow their dream career is because sometimes dreams don’t seem “practical”.  I had a friend in college who was (and still is) a wonderful artist.  She was accepted into a prestigious art program not far from her home and because her mother didn’t think that art could pay the bills, she was forced into a career in business and finance, a far cry from the creative outlet she was looking for.

I have often thought about the conundrum of doing work for love or for money and wondered how many people have ever really thought about the work that they do.  Most people probably do their work for the income it brings in, even if it isn’t as much as they would like to make from it.  In an economy that still seems unsteady, it seems irresponsible, frivolous, and some may say just plain stupid to give up a “sure thing” job to dive head first into a dream that you may never achieve.  I beg to differ.  While I am absolutely a numbers gal and can be very practical when it comes to money and finances, I am also a dreamer, creator, and artist.

I was meant to do work that I love.

Looking back I now realize a part of me has always pushed me into work that I love be it choreography, being a dance teacher and coach, but most of all talking to people and motivating them to do the things they love.  I have always been doing this, only now am I seeing it from the stand point of a career.  A career that would make me excited to get up everyday.  Something that would allow me to help others and to push people to realize their dreams and have the courage to achieve them.  For me it hasn’t ever been about money.  I have taken “jobs” just because I need to pay the bills, but I have a bigger vision in mind.  I want to do the work that makes my heart sing.  For me it’s more about the love of what I do than the money I make doing it.  Sure, I have bills to pay, retirement to save for, and a family to help support, but I know that if I am doing the work that I love, it will all work out.  It won’t happen magically in a year or two and it will take some hard work, financial planning, and dedication to my career, but if I can do work that I love, it is icing on the cake.

So let me ask you this…do you do what you do for love or for money?  And if it isn’t for love, can you do what you love as a career?  It might require a bit of outside the box thinking, but I am sure there is a way.