Lamisha Serf-Walls

Early Week Gratitude: Collaboration and Support

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I just couldn’t wait until Friday to share a few tidbits of info that I am so grateful for from last week and this past weekend, so I decided to post an early week gratitude post.

Last week was a bit of a challenge for me for some reason, but even in the midst of my challenge I had some pretty stand out moments that rocked my world.  First, I hit a new record high for page views in one day which moved from a previous 36 to a massive 54!  Even though I try not to view the numbers as success or failure, I love seeing them climb over time.

The second amazing thing is a comment I received on my post highlighting Michelle Ward’s post.  The comment came from Michelle Ward herself.  For some people it may be no big deal, however for someone who is consistently inspired by her work, her story, and her overall awesomeness, I was blown away.  And as if that wasn’t enough, I found out she tweeted a link to my post for others to follow, (hence the increased views).  I am so grateful that she found my blog, read it, and shared the link with others!

This weekend was equally inspiring as I attended a women’s discussion group at my local yoga studio.  I decided to attend the group on a whim an am so happy I did.  Not only did we have a great discussion, but we shared ideas and information with one another and celebrated each others positive experiences as a way of showing support.  It was a very great way to reach out to other women in the community to support and share with one another which actually leads me to my next gratitude point.

Collaboration.

I reached out to the yoga instructor that set up this discussion group and told her about my coaching business and some ideas I had for workshops etc. and told her I would collaborate with her on her vision for this group.  It turns out she was incredibly warm and receptive to the idea and we are currently brainstorming ways we can reach out to women in our community to share our visions, ideas, and gifts with others.

I have always been a fan of collaborating with others and showing support for the dreams and visions of others especially if they are in your same business.  When you think about the unique skill set two (or more) people bring to the table, just imagine what an impact those people can have when they work together.  Amazing things happen when we come together to support one another.

As you move through the rest of your week, I encourage you to find ways to collaborate and support the vision of another with similar interests as you.  You never know what wonderful things could come from your joint efforts.

 

My First Testimonial!

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Yesterday I gave you an update on what I have been doing behind the scenes and today I am going to share with you my very first testimonial!

I asked Erin M.  (aka my guinea pig client) if she would be willing to write a 100% honest testimonial based on her experience working with me over the last 2 months and I was blown away by her kind words.  I have not made any changes, tweaks, or adjustments to her testimonial and am sharing it as it was delivered to me.

This is what Erin had to say about her experience working with me.

“A few short months ago, I would have described myself as teeming with potential, yet unsure of how to tap into and harness that incredible power. In a journal entry two years prior, I had written nearly the exact same thing. I suddenly realized that my situation wasn’t going to change until I took action. However, I had no idea know where to begin.

My vision of the future was steeped in hopeless daydreams and laced with far more fear than excitement. I wanted to be a writer, but I didn’t think that I was qualified or that people would pay for my services. Through her poignant questions, objective observations, and practical suggestions, Lamisha helped me find the clarity and confidence necessary to actively dream and scheme towards my ideal future. She helped me realize that my “silly little hobby” was actually a solid foundation on which to build a sustainable income. In my eight weeks working with Lamisha, I have transitioned from “I hope to be a writer someday” to proudly declaring myself a writer and sharing my dreams with others.

Lamisha encouraged me to follow my inspiration, which led to an incredible series of synchronous opportunities, as well as the courage to walk away from a “perfect” situation that did not feel right. I have since learned to trust and fully embrace the journey. My comfort zone has been expanding exponentially, and I’m realizing that the periphery is a safe place in which I can challenge myself and grow. As that “safe zone” has expanded, so too has my self-confidence.

Being held accountable for my personal dreams suddenly made them feel both achievable and imminent. Lamisha not only believed in my dreams, but supported my efforts along the way. Small achievements–such as having a piece published and joining Toastmasters–felt monumental when I could share with someone who had invested in my success; whereas I could be assured that creeping self-doubt–such as fear of applying for freelance work–is normal. The second I spilled out my biggest dreams and the second that Lamisha chose to believe in my potential, I knew that I had no choice but to achieve greatness.”

I am so grateful for this wonderful experience that consistently reaffirms that this is the work I am meant to do and I am so happy to share it with all of my readers and future clients.

P.S. If you are thinking about working with a coach and want to find out more about how I work, please don’t hesitate to send me an email.  I will be announcing some exciting information next week about free introductory coaching calls, my services, and special pricing, but if you just can’t wait to get started, send me an email to lamisha@lifeoncedreamt.com and I will give you the inside scoop a week early!

My Flying Leap-Update

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As many of you know I made a conscious decision to take a leap of faith and move forward with one of my dreams to become a life coach.  I created this blog as a way to share my insights and build a readership with the intention that it would soon turn into my website for my coaching business.  Little did I know it would happen sooner rather than later.

At the end of April I made the announcement that instead of continuing to wait for pieces to fall into place I was following my inspiration to create my own coaching model.  Within a week of my flying leap post, I had my model outline and I was overflowing with ideas and inspiration for what I wanted my business to become.  About a week later an amazing thing happened, I had secured a guinea pig client to work with using my model!

For the last two months I have been working with Erin McNaughton aka my guinea pig client and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such an amazing writer and story-teller.  It seems as if the stars aligned perfectly for Erin and I to work together just a few short weeks after I decided to create my own model.  As I said before my inspiration was overflowing and I was allowing it to take me wherever I needed to go in order to fulfill my dreams.  While not worrying about how I was going to find clients or how I would be able to test my model, I read this post, one of many beautiful pieces Erin shares on her blog.  I shared my thoughts in the comments section and offered my assistance for what it was worth and as they say, the rest is history.

In the time we have been working together, I have seen a transformation in a woman who once dreamt of becoming a writer and now proudly announces that she IS a writer.  She has made some incredible strides in her journey as she follows her inspiration including having her latest post listed on The Art of Non-Conformity website for her description of the World Domination Summit 2013 and “Portland as a mecca for superheroes.”

I am so grateful for the opportunity to connect and coach such a talented woman and am honored to be able to witness the journey of one dreamer living the life she once dreamt.

Tomorrow I will be sharing how Erin feels about working with me for those of you thinking of hiring a coach to move you forward on your path.  I hope you will check out her website at www.analyfe.com.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

My Coaching Philosophy-The Inspired Path

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I find it interesting how many of us live in our heads.  Our thoughts take over as we analyze our life options and choices to a point that we almost become obsessive.  We weigh the pros and cons of our choices in order to make the right decision, all the while forgetting and simply ignoring how we feel.  We have become so disconnected from our hearts that we often don’t even allow our feelings to register.  We dismiss them as nothing more than an inconvenience to getting things done, but what if instead of making choices with our analytical monkey brains, we took a moment to feel each option?

In the past I have made my decisions based on logic and analysis.  I graduated high school knowing that the next logical step was college.  When I selected a major I decided on something that was feasible and somewhat interesting, though I had no idea what I truly wanted to do and when I found something that really hit an inspirational nerve with me, I ignored it.  I continued down that path of “logical” thinking and decision-making for many years, though there were moments when I followed my heart and ignored my head.  In those moments, there was no weighing my options, I simply knew what I needed to do yet more often than not, I worried, analyzed, and weighed my logical options.  Options that seemed somewhat safe.

When I decided to set out on my own and throw myself a curve ball in my career plans, I developed a coaching model that is primarily based out of inspiration and how we feel.  I found that in my own choices to not follow the logical path, I felt alive, inspired, and made incredible progress toward my dreams.  I encourage my clients to do the same.

Follow your heart, your passion, and your bliss and if the logical path feels right, do that too.

We are moving beyond a world of people who are punching the clock to simply survive and into a world of creative souls fulfilling their deepest desires.  My goal is to help those creative souls trust their instinct and their inspiration to do something that makes their heart sing.  Life isn’t meant to be a struggle full of headaches and speed bumps.  It’s meant to be enjoyed, experienced, embraced, and by golly it’s supposed to be FUN.

If you find yourself questioning your life purpose are wondering where your passion lies, just follow your heart and do things that make you happy.

The logical path isn’t the only path to your dreams though many times it is the most difficult.  Instead of believing there is only one path available, be open to the idea that there are many paths that will lead you to the life of your dreams and if you lead with your heart and follow the inspirational nuggets along the way, any path you take will be wonderful and will likely fill your soul with more happiness than you ever imagined possible.

Still not sure how to get started?  Feel free to contact me at lamisha@lifeoncedreamt.com for more information on how I can help you jump-start your dreams.

P.S.  I will be holding a week of free introductory coaching calls in the coming weeks for those of you interested in working with me, so stay tuned for more information on that soon.  I am so excited to begin working with dreamers like you who want to begin living the life you once dreamt sooner rather than later.