Lamisha Serf-Walls

Goodbye 2014

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photo credit: Markus Grossalber via photopin cc
photo credit: Markus Grossalber via photopin cc

<<Note: The Post-Holiday Giveaway is still going strong and winners will be announced on January 1st.  If you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so here.  Awesome gifts to help you plan for the epic year ahead!>>

In light of the year coming to a close this week, I felt the need to do my reflection in a bit of a different way.  Throughout this post are links to some of my posts from this year.  Feel free to walk down memory lane with me as we say goodbye to 2014.  Enjoy!

Dear 2014,

I wanted to take a moment to share with you my deep appreciation for what you have done for me this past year.  It’s been an amazing and memorable year with lots of highs and lows to be celebrated equally.  I’ve had moments when I didn’t think I could manage and others when I didn’t know just how good it could get and I’m forever grateful.

Before the year began, I decided my words for the year would be to “Show Up”.  It took some work, but by mid-year I had stepped out and into my power.  That momentum is ever-growing and had it not been for the theme I selected, many things may not have happened.

I also connected with an amazing tribe of women, many of whom became clients, mentors, friends, and teachers for me.  Some are still here and some have left my path, but I am so happy for the many connections I made early this year because I have learned so much.

I’ve learned to value my voice, my purpose, and my vision for the future.  I’ve learned to connect with my intuitive guidance and allow that to lead me forward in life and in my business, but most of all I learned that I have the power to make the best decisions from my heart and there is no amount of information or guidance from others that can stand in the way of that.

I’ve gained clarity about what I love to do, who I love to work with, and how investing in myself has proven to be one of the best things I can do.  It took a few months (almost 10) to get to this point, but I’m glad I made it.

Throughout the year, I also managed to make huge leaps in my life and business simply by being willing to be seen a bit more.  I took risks that lead to videos, published articles, and amazing opportunities I never would have had, had it not been for my desire to really share my light with the world.  It’s been an amazing ride for sure.

More recently, I’ve made some pretty wonderful connections and breakthroughs that are sure to catapult me into entirely new territory for the upcoming year and again I am grateful.

For every lesson, challenge, new dream, fallen desire, connection, friendship, success, and everything in between, I find myself full of gratitude for it all, for without it, I wouldn’t be where I am today.  Prepped and ready for a new, amazing year that will be nothing less than epic.

Thank you 2014. You have gotten me ready for the year ahead and I can’t wait to see what is waiting for me.

With love,

Lamisha

Giving the Gift of Self-Care

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photo credit: Wouter de Bruijn via photopin cc

Welcome to The Holiday Sanity Blog Tour, 20 days of tips, tools, techniques, and perspectives from me (and 19 other coaches) with LOVE this holiday season. I’m so excited to be a part of this tour and connect with a group of like-minded coaches that have such a passion for helping others.

When Megan Hale & Jenn Scalia shared their vision for this blog tour with me, I knew I wanted to be a part of it because I know what it’s like to go through the crazy hustle & bustle of the holidays and end up in total overwhelm.  From the gifts you have to buy, to getting the house ready for guests, and doing everything else in between, this time of peace, joy, and happiness can often leave us feeling like a big ball of nerves with nothing but, stress and exhaustion.

In fact, as I type this, I am eyeballing the gifts to be wrapped, the boxes to be mailed, and the holiday cards that need to be sent and am feeling the stress big time.

So what can you do to ensure you remain sane (and dare I say relaxed) this holiday season?

Well, I have found a few simple things that have worked for me in the past and they are things that I am reminding myself of this holiday season.  And it all comes down to one thing…Self-Care.

As women, it can be hard to take time out of our busy schedules to focus on what we want and what we need on a regular day, not to mention during the holiday season, but it is imperative to ensure we are able to enjoy what this time of year brings.

You might be wondering how you can squeeze a little bit of time for yourself in when there is so much to be done?

Here’s how:

  • Put yourself first. This is by far one of the hardest things for us to do as women (and if you are a wife and mother too, this might be even more difficult for you to do), because we are so used to putting ourselves last.  We take care of work, the kids, the spouse, the house, etc. and leave our needs on the back burner until we have…more time.  We all know that more time never comes, so learning to put yourself first is key.  You can’t take care of anyone or anything if you don’t first care for yourself.  This can be as simple as getting in a bit of yoga before anyone wakes up or reading a good book in the tub at the end of the day.  Whatever it is, make your self-care your top priority and I assure you everything else will get done.
  • Create a ritual.  The thing about self-care is that it’s not a one-time or one-season deal.  We always have to be aware of creating the time and space to take care of ourselves and the best way to do that is to create a ritual or a habit that is easy for you to stick to.  This can take some experimenting to get totally clear, but it is 100% worth it.  To start, think of the things you love doing.  If you love to meditate or do yoga, how can you work that into your days/weeks with ease? What can you do add a bit more fun and flow into your day starting say…today? A self-care ritual doesn’t have to be complex, but it does need to resonate and feel good for you.  So figure out what you would love more of in your days and weeks and start doing that now!
  • Remember the magic of the season…and let go of the perfection. Part of the stress that comes during this time of year is based out of our distraction from what the season is really about.  As we struggle to make things ‘perfect’ by getting the home and gifts just right and we race to beat the clock for various deadlines, we miss the joy in the season.  The twinkling lights, the fun Christmas music, the holiday movies, and the laughter and fun that comes with spending time with family and friends.  Trying to make everything perfect is often the #1 way to get to exhaustion, overwhelm, and disappointment.  Let go a bit and let the holiday season be perfectly imperfect.  Your family would much rather spend time with YOU than see you run by in a flash trying to get everything done.  It’s time to enjoy yourself this season!
  • Mandatory F.U.N. I get it, you don’t have time for fun because you have approximately 1,342,343 things to do on your list! But, having a bit of fun is the best way I know how to ease up a little and take care of you.  When was the last time you had a good old fashioned game night or spent time with the kids playing the snow?  Remember that feeling you had as a kid when the holidays rolled around?  Get back to that feeling and enjoy yourself.  The years fly by enough on their own, there is no need to rush them along because you are stressing to get things done.  Kick up your heels and have a good laugh.  It’s good for the mind and the soul.
  • Create some space.  My last suggestion for giving yourself the gift of self-care is creating some extra space in your calendar and your days.  Spend some time alone, reflecting on the day and the year that is coming to an end.  You might choose to go for a walk on your own, meditate for a bit, or write in your gratitude journal, but whatever you choose to do, make sure you create some sacred time & space to do it…for you.  This time will allow you to create some space for you to take a few deep breaths and be fully present in the moment.  In fact, try that now as you read this.  Just close your eyes and breathe for a moment.  Now, doesn’t that feel better?

Taking care of yourself during the holiday season and beyond is the key to a happy life.  If you aren’t caring for yourself, you can’t possibly be of service to anyone else.  Enjoy the holidays for what they are, a time of sharing, caring, and love for one another and remember that love starts with you.

I’ve had so much fun connecting to so many amazing coaches who are passionate about helping others.  I’d love for you to have access to the rest of the tour so you don’t miss out on this valuable resource.

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Make sure to sign up here for The Holiday Sanity Blog Tour updates and check out Shelley Davidescu’s post from yesterday and Jenev Caddell’s post tomorrow.

As always, I wish you love, joy, and lots of happiness especially through the Holidays!

P.S. Speaking of holidays! If you haven’t already, please check out my Post-Holiday Giveaway that I am hosting now until December 30th.  Check out what is available here and sign up to win.

It’s Giveaway Time!!!

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Alright you gorgeous souls!  I love the holiday season and am all about giving gifts and what better way to do that than to give away a few of my favorite things?

And since I know we are all running around getting our final preparations ready for the holidays, this giveaway is going to last a bit longer than usual.

What can you win?

I want you to start the year strong with lots of inspiration, planning, and dreams to take you into the best year of your life so I am giving you a few tools to do just that.

1. Inspired & Unstoppable by Tama Kieves, the book that changed my life this time last year and the book I recommend to anyone and everyone that will listen. inspired

2. Leonie’s 2015: Create Your Shining Year Workbook.  The workbook that made 2014 an amazing year and is sure to create even more goodness for the year ahead.

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3. A 90-Minute Dream Session with me!  This is a process that will allow you to dream big, get clear on what it is you want to create, feel, offer, share, and experience for the year ahead AND some preliminary steps you can take to get your year rolling on a positive note.  After our session you will receive a gorgeous PDF of all the information we talked about organized so it is easy to digest and implement.

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You have a chance to win 1 of these 3 awesome prizes that I simply ADORE!

If you are interested in winning these awesome prizes, make sure you sign up HERE.  The winners will be announced January 1st and I will announce them here.  Let’s start your year off right with lots of inspiration, planning, and the tools you need. 🙂

P.S. If you are ready to stop waiting, procrastinating, worrying, and wondering when you will be able to truly live the life you have always dreamt of and want to explore to make your dreams reality in 2015…sign up for your free 30-Minute Consultation here.  Let’s start the year with a bang!

A Few of My Favorite (Planning) Things

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photo credit: Paper Relics (Hope W. Karney) via photopin cc

** Some of the recommendations below are through affiliate programs, however I only share products I truly love and have successfully used. **

The holiday season is in full swing and many of us are starting to make plans for the new year.

I have to admit, I love this time of year.  The sparkly lights, giving hearts, dreams of new things on the horizon, and the belief that anything is possible….of course I love all of that whether it’s the season or not.

As I begin dreaming of what 2015 holds for me, I want to share with you some of the tools I’ve used in the last year that have changed my life (and year) for the better.  They are things I highly recommend to anyone looking to amp up their planning this year to ensure they have the best year yet.

When it comes to planning and dreaming, I am not your typical goal setter.  In fact, I am going to be writing a post about this for The Huffington Post soon.  I’m not the hard and fast goal setter with a map and strict deadlines to meet.  Those methods just don’t work for me.  I’m way more creative than that and I prefer to set intentions vs goals.

Planning:

For that I use Leonie Dawson’s fabulous workbook.  2014 was the first year I have implemented this amazing workbook and I am so happy I did.  If you are looking for a way to say goodbye to 2014 and welcome in the new with a bit of creativity, flair, and a sacred practice, this is for you.  And if you have a business you want to grow with some amazing new clients, offerings, and new ideas, she has a life & biz workbook for you.

Starting out 2014 with this workbook in my hot little hands was just what I needed to keep focused and it’s something I used the entire year.  Check it out and if it feels right for you, I highly encourage you grabbing one of your own.

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In fact, you can check out all the things it includes here: 2015: Creating Your Shining Year

Inspiration:

I started 2014 with a bang and tons of inspiration as I was reading one of my favorite books of all time and one that I recommend to anyone and everyone when I have the chance to and it is Inspired & Unstoppable: Wildly Succeeding in Your Life’s Work! by Tama Kieves.

Not only is this book one that I hold near and dear to my heart, but it is one that lit a fire inside me in a way no other book has.  It’s all about paving your own path and letting your inspiration guide you to what is right for you in life & business.  It is such a wonderful book that I am thinking of reading it again.

There is so much good info and best of all it reinforces what I strongly believe in and that is that when you follow your path, your inspiration is truly the guide.  If you are looking for a highly inspiring read, check this one out.

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Money Stuff:

I’ve shared this before, but it’s worth sharing again.  I coach so many women around money and how they think and feel about money in general.  It’s something we all deal with (including me).  As I think about the new year with new income goals and intentions, there is a ton of stuff that comes up regarding money mindset and I promise that your money mindset is far more important than any of the actions you do in regards to money.

You also may know that I love Denise Duffield-Thomas’s work and I think she’s simply fantastic.  Her books, her free audios, her Lucky Bitch program, etc. are all amazing and she has put together a holiday bundle that is to die for!! Not only that, but it’s at a super low rate until December 17th.

Denise

Check out her Lucky Bitch Christmas Bundle that includes: Lucky Bitch Manifesting Course, Meditations, Live Event Recordings, & her audio books.  Crazy high value bundle for just $97.  I have used her amazing meditations, listened to her books, and recordings and it has changed my money mindset in huge ways.

Dreaming, Scheming, & Visualizing 2015

The last thing I wanted to share with you about my planning process is something I am formalizing to do on my own and as an offer to you.  When you think of what you want to accomplish for the new year, so many people think about the regular inside-the-box things like losing weight, saving money, or quitting some unhealthy task and all of those things are fine and good, but I have created a process that digs a bit deeper into a more meaningful and creative way of dreaming big for the year ahead.

It’s a process that I’ve done on my own and one I LOVE doing with other people (especially business owners) because I get to spark some ideas in my clients that they never would have thought about on their own.

This process is what I call Dream 2015.  It’s a journey we take together in a 90-minute call where I ask you a bunch of questions to highlight what is most important to you both in your personal and professional life.  We discuss how you want to feel.  What you want to do.  New things you want to try and I coach you around what is truly important for you.

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For the duration of the call you are asked not to take notes, but instead to immerse yourself in the experience.  To think, feel, imagine, brainstorm, and respond based on what feels best for you and after the call I will deliver an organized PDF of all the things we chatted about include a few next step items to help you get a jump start on your vision for the new year.

If you are a business owner this is especially fun because we will begin brainstorming awesome offers, collaborations, projects, and bring up some things to grow your business that you never thought about.

This offer is good for a limited time, so if you are interested, snag your spot here and let’s help you get dreamy so 2015 is your best year yet!

I want to hear from you.  What are some of your favorite planning tools or practices for ensuring you have the best year yet?  Share in the comments below as others may be looking for more inspiration. 🙂

Worst-Case Scenarios & Why I Have No Plan ‘B’

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Throughout my life I learned early on that if I could plan for the ‘worst-case scenario’ then I would be fully prepared for anything.  If something better happened, I would be delighted, but if the worst case actually occurred, well then I would have a plan of action.  Or in the least, I wouldn’t be disappointed.

It worked for a while (and by ‘worked’ I mean life went on and I didn’t question my thoughts too much).

Looking back now, I realize by planning for the worst case scenario, I actually created it.

I’ll give you an example.

Several years ago I was planning a big move for love (I’m such a romantic and lucky for me it worked out because we are now happily married).  Being the planner that I was, I didn’t want to move to a new place without a job lined up especially since I was moving 300+ miles away from home and I had no idea what the employment situation was like.

For months I searched from afar and got little to no feedback.  I was discouraged and distraught until I finally decided to move anyway.  I decided that if I couldn’t find a job right away, my worst-case scenario was that I would simply get a job at Starbucks.

I repeated those same words over and over again to my friends and family members.

“Oh it’s fine. Worst-case scenario I’ll just get a job at Starbucks.”

(You know where this is going right?)

While it wasn’t an absolutely terrible worst case situation, I manifested it exactly.

After a month or so of applying with no luck, I got a job at Starbucks.

Depending on how you look at it you can view this as an incredible manifestation.  I fully believed that if all else failed, I would just work at Starbucks…which I did for 6 months.

What’s my point?

Planning for worst-case scenarios have the power to actually create the situation you ‘planned’ for.  But do you really want to create a ‘worst case’?

I have learned from that very clear example of my manifestation abilities and no longer plan for those types of situations.

At this stage in my life and business, it means having no Plan B.

There is no ‘worst case scenario’ or alternate plan if my business doesn’t work.  It’s not even a thought in my mind because I know that by planning for it, I am giving my very specific and creative power to something I don’t want.

My plan is to succeed and have my business continue to flourish and thrive.  That’s my plan…all of it.

So, the thoughts of getting a ‘real job’ are no more because that isn’t an option.  The ONLY option is my business and you know why?  It’s because it is what I am meant to do.

Sure it’s risky.  It’s scary at times. It’s a bit outside the box. Hell, it’s unpredictable more often than not and I am still learning a ton about myself and my business as I go.

BUT

It’s also freeing, fantastic, and the best thing I have ever done…aside from moving for love.  Every day I wake up with a purpose.  I love my work. I love my clients. And I love the freedom that this journey provides for me.

Yep, this is my purpose and my heart-centered gift to share with the world and despite what seemingly difficult roadblocks I encounter, succeeding in my business is the only option. No more Plan B or worst-case scenarios for this girl.

Nope, I’m putting my all into my business and by doing that there is no way I can fail.

Your Actionable Item: Today I want you to take a look back over your life to see where you might have planned for the ‘worst-case’.  Did it happen?  Are you planning for one now?  Is it something you want to create?  If not, what DO you want to create?

Do you have a Plan B for if your dreams don’t come true? I want to know your thoughts so share them in the comments below.

And if you have a heart-centered business that you are ready to bring a bit of brilliance to, I have good news for you.  My 90-Days to Biz Brilliance group coaching program is open for registration!  The program officially begins August 7th and I am so excited to finally bring this to life.  I know that your work is important to you and if it is feeling less than brilliant at the moment, it’s time for a change.  Why not get together with other amazing souls going through a similar experience to grow and transform your biz?  This is your chance! If you register by July 21st, you are also going to receive my Invest in Yourself self-study program (valued at $97) before it is even available for sale.  

I want this program to reach as many amazing biz beauties as possible so will you help me by sharing this with your network and tribe?