Lamisha Serf-Walls

Inspiration & Impact: My Why

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photo credit: Diary: 23rd of September 2013 via photopin (license)
photo credit: Diary: 23rd of September 2013 via photopin (license)

Last Friday, I had the honor of being part of a monumental moment for one of my first mentors ever, my high school dance coach.

To paint the picture for you, when I was in school, I wasn’t the most positive person in the world.  I was dealing with a lot of personal pain from family junk of the past and finding it difficult to walk my true path.  I didn’t really know who I was or how I fit into the world.  All I knew is that I loved to dance.  It was my outlet, my passion, and the thing that changed my life forever.

By senior year, I had gone through 3 dance coaches (one per year) and after going a few months without a coach at all, we were lucky enough to find Mrs. Haggard.  The Universe must have known how much I needed her during that year because it was that moment everything in my life changed.

Her guidance, encouragement, and belief in not only me, but so many others on the team shifted the trajectory of my life.

When I heard that she was officially retiring from her long career in being an educator, uplifter, and dance teacher, I knew I had to be a part of it in some small way.  And while I couldn’t be there physically I did have an opportunity to write a letter to let her know how much she has inspired me and impacted my life for the better.  I even had my best friend FaceTime me from the event so I could “be” there.

It was an emotional moment for sure.  Seeing the woman who I haven’t seen in probably 10 years saying her goodbyes to the school that meant so much to her was a bit overwhelming, but it reminded me of why I’m doing what I’m doing.

It reminded me of my why.

I do what I do because I HAVE to.  It’s part of my soul’s calling and really, there’s no better way to put it than that.

This work…

Inspiring, uplifting, teaching, sharing, and helping my clients and tribe heal is a huge part of my path.  It’s how I am changing the world.  One soul, dream, desire, and beautiful client at a time and to be honest, it all began with Mrs. Haggard.

If someone would have told me 16 years ago what I’d be doing now, I’d say they were crazy.

Back then, there was no way I could ever imagine being at this level teaching and help clients create lives they loved.  I didn’t have the confidence or power or belief enough in myself and yet those are the very things I help women with.

It’s pretty amazing right?  How everything comes full circle in life.

The very thing that saved me and helped me build the confidence in myself is also the thing that set me on this path.

Simply put my why boils down to helping, uplifting, and teaching other women how to tap into their inner power that they may not know they have because I understand what it’s like to not understand the power you wield.

And now I know what’s it like to use that power consciously to create amazing experiences and that’s exactly what I want to help you do.

I’ve opened up some spots in my calendar through the end of May to invite in the souls who know they are ready to change their lives for the better, but aren’t exactly how to do that.  If you are ready to take the next step and uplevel your life and invest in YOU, click the link below and let’s chat.

Schedule FREE 30-Minute Consultation

 

“Is this as good as it gets?” The story of how I found my path.

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photo credit: Sunset via photopin (license)
photo credit: Sunset via photopin (license)

If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, you’re not alone. 

I’ve actually wondered this myself at a time when I felt stuck in a job I hated with no way out.

I wondered if being an ‘adult’ truly meant just getting any old job, paying bills and making my way to retirement.

If that was what being an adult was, I didn’t want any part of it.

I wanted more out of life.

More creativity, joy, connection, passion, and soulful living.  I wanted…no needed to feel the freedom my soul was craving. 

The problem was, I had no idea how to make it happen or if it was even possible.

That is, until the Universe started leaving little breadcrumbs in the form of insightful thoughts in my mind.  Lucky for me I was able to follow them, bit-by-bit.

My journey began when I realized I had to find a way to do what I could, from where I was, with what I had.  (A fantastic lesson that Mike Dooley highly recommends in his book Leveraging the Universe.)

In addition to working my full-time job, I was coaching and doing choreography for a high school dance team part-time.

I loved it!  The passion, creativity, and connection I got from that position was amazing and when it came time for me to move on, I knew I had to find something else that was equally fulfilling.

Then I got the idea (aka the Universe gave me a nudge) to look into some freelance writing.

I have always been a writer at heart and tried my hand at writing book reviews for spiritual and new age books.  In my research I also found an outlet for my creative writing and managed to write inspirational greeting cards having several of them published and sold in stores all over the U.S. (exciting!).

I continued to work my full-time job as I followed the golden nuggets from the Universe.  Knowing I was meant for so much more while at the same time not knowing exactly what I wanted or how to get it.  This was also during the same time I went back to school to get my Masters in Psychology thinking that was the way I was going to create an impact in the world.

In a round about way I was right, except the path I would eventually be led to wasn’t exactly what I envisioned.

As time wore on the Universe continued to send me messages and ideas to follow including…

  • Researching ‘how to find your passion’ and landing on the When I Grow Up Coach blog (love Michelle!)
  • Having a conversation with a coworker who was finding a way to work from home and inspired me to look for opportunities to have a bit more freedom in my life
  • Manifesting the perfect opportunity to work from home and experience the freedom I desired (seriously the job landed in my lap!)
  • Starting a blog (on 3 separate occasions!) to try and share my inspiring thoughts and insights with the world

It wasn’t until I had read all there was to know about Michelle Ward and devoured all the “how to be a life coach” material I could find, that I realized this is exactly what I was meant to do.

But, like many people I got hung up on the ‘how’.

How was I going to do it?

Where do I begin?

What do I need to do?!

I obsessed over those questions for 2.5 years before I finally heard the most powerful message from the Universe (through one of my coworkers).

Here exact words..”Sometimes you just have to take the leap.”

And for once I didn’t over analyze or question her to death.  I heard the message loud and clear and took the leap.

The rest as they say is history.  (To be fair, it hasn’t always been an easy road and there have been many lessons along the way, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.)

One thing I know for sure though, is that if you are asking yourself “Is this as good as it gets?”, the answer is no.

You were meant for so much more and as soon as you allow yourself to hear (and act on) the messages and nudges from the Universe, you will begin to see that “so much more” take shape.

If I could give you a formula to follow based on what I experienced and what I help my clients achieve it is this:

  • Trust, believe, & KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that you were meant for so much more in life

 

  • Follow the signs from the Universe.  It might always make logical sense and you likely won’t see the connections from where you are to where you are going, but keep trusting and just keep following the signs.

 

  • Listen to your intuition…always.  You have incredible power that lies within and when you tap into it, magic happens and it happens quickly.  (In other words, get ready to grow, learn, and evolve rapidly.)

 

  • And last but not least…don’t worry about the how. I know how hard it is to trust the process when you have no idea what you need to do, but trust me when I say, the how isn’t your job.  Just keep moving forward and I promise it will all work out.

If you are wondering how you can get some support to move forward along your path a bit faster or you are feeling the nudge to reach out for help, I’d love to chat with you.

Schedule free 30-minute consultation here

Passion & Purpose: How to find and live both

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MY VACATION(2)

For as long as I can remember, I have known that traditional ‘life’ didn’t make much sense and in my heart I knew that the way we had been taught to live…was just one big misunderstanding about how life is supposed to be.

You see, it didn’t make sense to me that I had to just pick a course of study and commit my life to it so I could be an adult and be responsible.  Despite it not making any sense, I picked something I thought I’d like to do (exercise science) and went on my merry way.

When I graduated, I did what many people did when they graduated.  I got a job that had nothing to do with my degree.  In fact it was likely the furthest thing away from what I was ‘trained’ to do that it didn’t make any sense.  I was an office assistant.

It was in that job that I learned a lot about myself, my path, and how so many other people live in what they thought was the ‘normal’ way.

Does this sound familiar?

You study, get a degree, and then hop on the first job out of college.  You commit yourself to working your way up, provided the gig is something worthwhile and it’s not too terrible.  You may not be happy, but you find yourself on a path to abundance and better job titles if you can just hang in there.  You build a life and a career based on the discomfort that everyone else feels right? 

Work is supposed to be work and only a lucky few actually enjoy the jobs they do.  If you don’t hate your job (even if you don’t love it) you consider yourself lucky.  Yet…all the while something feels like it’s missing.  Some cosmic piece of your personality, your psyche, your joy is fundamentally missing from the very foundation that you have built your life on.  Who are you to complain though right?  I mean SO many people don’t even have jobs and you do.  So, you ignore the discomfort and vow to take fun vacations and save for the future when you can finally do the things that you love.

That is exactly what I was taught and for a brief moment in time, I believed that was going to be my life.  Until, I decided that I wasn’t cut out for that kind of living or just merely surviving.

I knew I was a creative soul with big dreams, interests, and a desire to make a difference.  I didn’t know how I would do it.  I didn’t even know where to look, but one thing I knew for sure was that I was meant for more than what I was currently doing.

That was also the moment I vowed to follow my heart and find my passion and truly live my purpose.  It is also the experience that taught me how to help other people in similar shoes do exactly the same thing.

What I now know is that we aren’t put here to just struggle through life doing things we hate.  We are actually meant to be happy, to overcome struggles, and to do the things we love.  It is what drives many of us everyday in the search.

If the above illustration speaks to your soul and you find yourself searching for the missing link in your life, I have a gift for you.  A brief 30-minute audio that will give you actionable steps to find and finally live your passion and purpose in this life.  I guarantee, your purpose is closer to you than you think.

Click the button below to access the audio and feel free to come back to share your thoughts!

Download your FREE audio HERE

Ask the Coach: Q & A Part 3

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How do I know that my life purpose is indeed my purpose?

The simple answer is that if you are doing something you love and you are following your heart then you are indeed living your life purpose.  One misconception many people have about their life purpose is that it has to be one ‘thing’ and the only thing.  Or that when they realize it that the clouds part and angels sing and everything feels right with the world.  While that might make things much more interesting as far as life goes, it’s not exactly how it happens.

You know you are on the right path and doing what you are meant to do if it brings you joy and you are following your heart.  The truth is your life purpose can evolve in the same way we do as individuals.  Don’t worry about choosing one thing or feeling like there is something wrong with you if you don’t choose one thing.  Listen to your heart and do what you love.  That’s all we really need to do anyway.

What does it mean when you lose motivation and what can I do to reignite it once it’s lost?

This is a great question!!  If you think about the question above you might think that if you have lost your motivation for something or you feel a bit sluggish in one area that somehow your purpose has shifted.  That certainly could be the case if it happens over and over again, however motivation comes as a general ebb and flow.  The truth is there is a difference between motivation and inspiration.

Motivation is generally caused by an external force while inspiration comes from within.  It’s similar to someone jumping up to go to the gym and you being motivated to join them, but when you have to go alone, you don’t generally have the inspiration to do it yourself.  When you begin to lose the motivation to do something and you truly want to continue doing that thing (whatever it is), then you must tap into first the ‘why’.  Why is it important for you to continue doing it?  What are you getting out of it?  What is it fulfilling for you?  Answer those questions and see if you don’t become inspired to begin again.

You can also lose motivation by way of burn out.  Sometimes pushing, forcing, or otherwise trying to make something happen can create burn out and you simply need a break.  Take time out to do something else entirely.  Go have fun!  Many times I find this to be exactly what I need to do in order to be inspired again to move forward.  In fact, I found myself spending the holiday season taking time off to just relax, regroup, and re-energize myself.  Once they were over I was able to jump back in with both feet to what is inspiring and motivating for me.

When you’ve lost motivation or inspiration try a few of the things listed below. 

  • Take a break and go do something entirely different
  • Have FUN
  • Ask yourself why you started to begin with and reconnect with what is important to you
  • Do some EFT to see if you can actively shift whatever is stopping you
  • If you still can’t seem to get motivated, it might be time to shift your focus and do something completely different

 

I hope this installment of Ask the Coach has been helpful for you.  If you have questions that you would like to submit, simply contact me here with your question and I’ll be happy to include in in a future post.

Do you want a life with more meaning in 2016? Read this!

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photo credit: Dream On via photopin (license)
photo credit: Dream On via photopin (license)

If you would have met me about 15 years ago, you would find that I was struggling with finding my true calling in life.  While I was going through the motions of living the responsible and logical life I thought we all should live, my soul was slowly dying.

As the years passed by, I realized I was craving a life where I knew I was making a difference.  A life that would allow me to embrace all parts of my being and feel creative, powerful, and passionate about life.  Isn’t that what life was supposed to be about?

Didn’t they tell us that we could be anything we wanted to be growing up?  I couldn’t quite figure out how that could be when everyone was telling me to do all the ‘adult’ things like go to college, get a job, and then pay bills like the rest of society.  I felt like an odd duck for wanting more.

Not necessarily more money (though I did want that), but more meaning.  I wasn’t willing to accept the idea that we were put on this planet to merely survive life.  My soul told me otherwise and come hell or high water I was going to figure out what it would take to create that meaningful life I so desperately craved.

And I did and it turns out it boiled down to 5 simple things…(Spoiler alert: Money wasn’t one of them.)

You can read more about my passionate awakening and the 5 Simple Ingredients for a More Meaningful Life over on The Huffington Post here.

Feel free to read it and if you like it share it with someone who could use the info.