Lamisha Serf-Walls

Dreamer Highlight: Leo Babauta of Zenhabits and Jenny Lawson of The Bloggess

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dreamer

Many years ago I was on a search to find what I thought was the secret to life.  I wanted to know how to live with passion and to enjoy most of my days.  I wanted the key to peace and happiness.  That was also about the same time I started getting interested into personal development and meditation.  It was then that I stumbled upon an incredibly inspiring, uplifting, and very insightful blog, Zenhabits.

Leo Babauta is a man of intentional transformation and the creator of Zenhabits.  He is a writer, father, husband, and peaceful life hacker who shares his knowledge with his readers as a way to pass along his wisdom, experience, and general knowledge to help others.  He isn’t perfect and doesn’t claim to be, yet he is honest and his writing portrays the image of a seemingly simple, yet wonderfully happy life.  What works for him may not work for you, but he has some really great information and advice for his readers and until recently I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed his site.

What he did:  You can read his whole story here, but to put it simply Leo made changes in his life intentionally so he could live the zen life that includes a healthy body and mind, a more simplified life, and overall enjoying the journey.  What I love about Leo is that while he has a ton of information to share with others (which he includes in his blog and novels), he doesn’t claim to know everything.  He is just a guy living an intentional life that works for him and he is happy doing it.  Sharing it with others is an added bonus.  And while he hasn’t always taken the most common path, he took the path that was right for him.  Something we could all stand to do a little more of, because after all our dreams are individual.

How he did it:  Tiny intentional steps, one after the other.  Simple, yet profound.

The other dreamer highlight is also equally inspiring and unique, but for very different reasons.  Jenny Lawson is the beloved Bloggess who’s sometimes vulgar humor she has shared with the world via her blog and most recently her book Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.  She is a hilariously funny writer and mother who often struggles with depression, anxiety, and a variety of other ailments that she shares openly on her blog.  While her life may not always seem to be the typical ultimate dream, Jenny recognizes it is her dream life.  What I find so inspiring about Jenny is that no matter what her reality shows her, she believes in something greater.  The power of community (which she has a great deal of on her blog), inspiration, and the power to keep moving forward no matter what.  Jenny Lawson is living her dream as a writer, a mother, and a wife in spite of her fear that often tells her she isn’t good enough to do any of them.  A voice we all hear within ourselves from time to time.

What she does:  She shares, writes, lives, and laughs.  Loves her daughter, husband, and her pets.  Lives apologetically and embraces her quirks, ticks, and wonderfully unique qualities because they make her just who she is, and incredibly brave woman and ingenious writer.

How she does it: She just keeps going, no matter what.

The moral of these two dreamer highlights is to take intentional steps toward your dreams and keep moving forward, no matter what your doubts tell you.  The life of your dreams is closer than you think.

Dreamer Highlight: Jordana: My Meandering Trail & Michelle Ward

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dream

I am so excited to share two amazing dreamer highlights with you this week.  The first one is a little different from what I normally share, but is equally inspirational.  Enjoy!

When I first began my blog, I stumbled across Jordana from My Meandering Trail as she was in the middle of preparing for her hike up the Appalachian Trail.  I had no idea at the time what a huge achievement that truly was, but I was consistently inspired by her dream.  In case you were wondering the hike is over 2,000 miles and entails many nights spent camping outside, lots of new people, and lots and lots of hiking.  Just the sound of it makes my legs ache, but I was thrilled to follow Jordana as she strategically documented her plans.  She shared her thoughts on picking her gear, food choices, as well as her adventures as she makes her way up the trail.  So, how did she begin this journey of her dreams?  She just decided to do it.  She researched her way through it.  From talking to others that have hiked the trail to spending early mornings in line to get the best and most affordable gear she could, she did it.  And now, she is hiking to her heart’s content and is sharing her journey on her blog.  While hiking and outdoorsy things may not be your cup of tea, rest assured that her journey will enlighten and inspire.  Remember a journey of (in this case) 2,000 miles begins with only one step.

The other dreamer I wanted to highlight here is Michelle Ward the When I Grow Up Coach.  I have mentioned Michelle several times on my blog and it is partially because it was her blog that really got me thinking about becoming a life coach in the first place and also because her story is so great.  You can read more about how she got to be the wonderful coach she is here.

What she did.  She walked away from what she thought was her dream of becoming an actress and stepped into a space of coaching other creatives to the career of their dreams.  Michelle worked in the corporate world and did her time in the 9-5 job for many years before she finally found her thing.  That thing was coaching others to take a leap toward their dreams.  The inspiration doesn’t stop there though.  In addition to becoming what she calls a woman of the world (read woman solopreneur), she has quit her day job, written workbooks, co-authored a wonderful book, and overcome breast cancer.  She is inspiring for far more than just the work she does.  Michell is creative-life-coaching-amazeballs-ukele-playing-cancer-survior with a spirit that is simply amazing.  Please check out her website and her blog for more inspiring information and tidbits.  She truly is an inspiration for women everywhere.

So, there you have it, two incredible women achieving the life they once dreamt and if they can do it, so can you!

Know of someone who is living the life of their dreams and want me to give them a shout out?  Share in the comments below or email me at lserf13@hotmail.com and I would love to include them in this series.

The Importance of Owning Your Dream

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How many of you have had a dream, but you wouldn’t dare share it with anyone else for fear they may laugh or dismiss the possibility of it coming to fruition.  Maybe you have some doubts about making your dream a reality and would just as much forget the whole thing altogether.

Many of us have been there before as we wonder if we can really live the life of our dreams.  We think about it very timidly because we don’t want to get our hopes up too much and be disappointed in the long run, but in order for your dreams to become reality, you have to own them.

Why?

Because by simply setting your intention and focus on that which you desire, you automatically begin flowing energy toward it. 

It is almost like setting a specific goal.  Say you want to run a marathon and it has been something you have thought about for a while, but never really declared to yourself that you would do it.  Instead of beginning your training, this idea is nothing more than a whim that comes and goes without much energy or inspiration behind it.

But, when you say I intend to run a marathon, it becomes more real.  And the more you focus on it, the more you think about it.  The more you think about it, the more inspirational nuggets you find along your journey that will lead you to completing the marathon.

Dreams are the same way.  You have to own them and make them real to yourself.  Instead of saying “I would love to writ a book, eventually…”, declare it.  Set the intention that you will do it.  That doesn’t mean shouting it from the rooftops and sharing your dream with any person that will listen.  That can actually cause your dream to fizzle out before your fire get’s going.  (More on that in a later post.)

Declare your dream.  Visualize it.  Feel it.  See it.  Imagine it.  Feel the amazing delicious energy that stems from it and milk that feeling for as long as it lasts.

Well all have dreams, but if we don’t own up to them, they are nothing more than passing thought that may never come to be.  Take the first step and declare that you will achieve the life of your dreams.  Only you have the power to make that happen, so why not start now?

Dreamer Highlight: Scott Dinsmore and Lilou Mace

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Live the dream

About 2 years ago, I began dreaming of a life where I could do work that I loved and make a decent living doing it.  I wanted to live the life of my dreams and simply be happy.  I wanted to get up every morning feeling excited and energetic for the workday ahead because I enjoy helping people realize the power they have to be happy.  In my search to figure out how I could do that, I stumbled upon a website that proved to be encouraging, motivational, and one of the most inspirational sites I have found.

Live Your Legend 

Scott Dinsmore made the startling discovery that it is possible to live the life of your dreams doing what you love.  He realized that when you find your passion and live it simply for the joy of doing it, you CAN be successful too.  You don’t have to continue to go to the soul-crushing job to make a fortune.  Simply put, he came up with a strategy to help others find their passion and live it, because it isn’t just possible, it is necessary.  Was it always easy?  I am sure Scott will tell you it wasn’t always the easy road, but it was certainly the most passionate and inspiring road.  There are twists and turns and adventures that he loves and now several years after launching his website and company, he is in charge of his time.  He gets to live the life he wants, helping others to do the same.  Check him out and be prepared to be inspired!

I have mentioned Lilou Mace on my blog before, but when I think of people living the life of their dreams I automatically think of Lilou.  Founder and creator of  the Juicy Living Tour, Lilou travels all over the world interviewing spiritual teachers, leaders, and inspirational people in order to share information that would not normally be shared across the globe.  She has done thousands of interviews and is living her dream.

How did she do it?

Well it all started after she lost her job and began wondering what she was going to do next.  After recording her thoughts and experiences the first month after losing her job, she turned her notes into a book titled “I Lost My Job and I Liked It“.  Shortly after, she published her second book “I Had No Money And I Liked It”.  During this time she also began living her dream, by interviewing various spiritual authors, leaders, and teachers via Skype and uploading them to YouTube.  While she wanted to be the next Oprah, her dreams were realized and implemented in a much better way than she could have ever imagined.  She is now living her dream by traveling the globe completing her wonderful interviews and sharing them for free via YouTube.  Not only that, but she does so simply on a donation basis.  All of her travel fees, accommodations, food etc. is paid for via donations made to her via her website.  In addition to interviewing and writing her two books, she has also created several meditations and other items that help her generate revenue to live.  Through implementing the Law of Attraction and living her passion everyday, Lilou has done some amazing things, but the best part is that she had a vision, she believed it, and she is now living it.

It can often be difficult for those of us on the outside of seemingly large visionaries as we are in the middle of creating our own vision.  It seems they have it all together, but one thing to remember is that everyone had to start somewhere.  Scott Dinsmore worked in the corporate world for several years before he finally quit his job to move forward with his dream.  Lilou lost her job and began flowing through life with faith that it would all work out, without ever knowing exactly how it would come together.  The excitement lies in the adventure.  The journey is the fun part and living the life of our dreams is simply the icing on the cake.  I have said it before and I will say it again.  If they can do it, so can YOU!