Lamisha Serf-Walls

Dream Changer-Featuring Jeanette MacDonald

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 ***This week’s Dream Changer post comes from a very creative and gifted artist named Jeanette MacDonald.  Her story will inspire you and remind you of the gifts you may have lying dormant that are just waiting for you to invite them to come out and play.  It’s never too late to do what you love. Enjoy!***

Twelve years ago, I had reached the end of my tether. I was thirty-nine years old and had all but given up on life itself. I actually prayed to God to help me find my way.

I was a single mom and I had a 14-year-old daughter still at home with me. I feel like when you put a desire out to the Universe it is always

One of Jeanette's amazing pieces titled: Create Your Beautiful Life
One of Jeanette’s amazing pieces titled: Create Your Beautiful Life

answered and meeting my husband was the answer to that prayer. He was this really loving person who had the ability to reflect back to me the beauty that lay within. I remember him saying, “If only you could see yourself through my eyes you would see how beautiful you are.” No one had ever said that to me before then! No one had ever loved me like that.

It has been within the safety of that love that I have been able to test the waters of my true self for the first time. Once again I am becoming familiar with my inner-child – my inner creative. My relationship in this love has given me a second chance at growing up, but this time with a great role-model – my husband.

 I have learned through starting to love myself again that I have something so wonderful to offer the world. And for the first time I see how you have so many wonderful things to offer the world and me as well! And I am able to see how your offerings do not make me less in comparison to your gifts! But instead, I feel proud of the ability to be part of something bigger!

From this place within my tribe, I have felt free to write, paint and create.  I feel like I have been given permission to create a life where I can truly be of service to others. I have found my tribe of women where I belong. I have created a family that supports me in doing great things. Together with these women I feel like we are changing the world. We see the possibilities where before I only saw the limitations. Together we have proven that we can overcome great challenges and cross the finish line banded together as a group of winners!

So this is my dream changer.

This is the thing that has woken me up to be able to experience more of this beautiful life. The love of people I have been blessed to come to know, my husband, my family and my tribe have given me the ability to learn to risk getting past my fears to see the gifts that have always been available to me. I have learned through love to be brave. Because of this great gift I have been given, I have so much gratitude towards my fellows.  I want to spend the rest of my life being of service to you!

Giving is no longer tiring, it is revitalizing.

jen Profile bio picJeanette McDonald is an amazing artist and can be found at www.jeanettemacdonaldart.com and on Facebook.  Check out her Etsy shop for more gorgeous pieces that are available for purchase.

Dream Changer-Featuring Jennifer Seitzer

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***This weeks Dream Changer post comes from an amazingly courageous, creative, and kind soul named Jennifer Seitzer.  Her story reminds us that every experience we have (good, bad, or indifferent) is but a piece of our journey and helps to define our calling and gifts in this world.  May you find your own strength and courage in her story.  Enjoy!***

As a young girl you could always find me exploring wooded paths, forests, sitting beside brooks and streams, sitting under the moon and gazing at the stars or talking to my animal companions.

Trees, flowers, plants, crystals, and animals were my best friends being the very shy girl that I was and I found peace, serenity and truth in them.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, my family often moved so it was quite difficult to create and maintain close friendships, so I found solace in nature, music and art.

You could find my nose deep in stories of wonder, fantasy and happily ever after. I was an avid reader, artist and music was my therapy. I grew up in an addicted, alcoholic and abusive home so these are the things that I looked to, to escape and daydream of my prince sweeping me off my feet and riding off into the sunset.

Of course, that is not how life works. I was married at 18, pregnant at 19 and had my first child at the age of 20. My son was and still is the shining light in my life and heart. I had huge dreams of how I was going to take care of him and all the things I would give him. Again, that is not how life works and I was in for a rude awakening.

After 2 failed, abusive marriages and one more child later, I am now married to my high school sweetheart, my children are now grown (23 & 18) and I took the road less traveled.  In 1998 I stepped into counseling and for 6 years I was on a path to healing. It has been intense, painful, loving, genuine, real, but I was healing and that is where the Gift(s) lies. The life lessons in those dark nights of the soul have those golden nuggets of wisdom and the gifts and talents that only I possess unlike anyone else out there. We are all unique in our gifts because we all have our stories to tell only in the way that we can tell it. It is as unique as our DNA and our fingerprints.

The unfortunate casualties in the messes of my life history are my two children. Each of them with their stories now to tell and their own paths to Jennifer1healing, growth and lessons to learn. My children have been my greatest teachers and it has been through them that I found my true north.

I am the mother of an adult child addict and it is one of the most painful things to watch and walk through. As a mother the only thing I ever want to do is to protect, care and make all the hurt and pain go away. Addiction is a disease ­­ and like so many other diseases ­­ its onset is caused by an inextricable cluster of biological, behavioral and environmental factors.

For the last 5 years I have worked as a dog groomer and loved every minute of it. The big change came this year in January of 2014 when I quit my job. As a certified crystal healer, Reiki Level 1 Practitioner and Life & Soul Coach I wanted to create a life that makes a difference, that has purpose and meaning and one where I can leave a legacy for my children and that is when the Universe answered my call.

One afternoon I sat down to work out a business exercise in creating an avatar of my ideal client and to find who and what is my niche. My target audience. That is where everything changed. What I thought was my true calling actually led me to my True North.

I have now begun the path to becoming a Certified Recovery Coach. Working with other mothers and family members on the road to healing. Using the gifts I have from life experience and offering a wholistic way towards healing is where my heart lies. My dream  is to create a wellness center that centers around recovery using animal assisted therapy, nutrition, workshops, classes, meditation, yoga, crystal healing, energy healing and a safe place for those suffering to find their way back home. That home that lies within us all!

Jennifer2Jennifer is a mother of 2 beautiful children, ages 23 & 18.  She is married to her high school sweetheart and is owned by 2 cats (Salem & Whiskers) and one adorable Westie named Ziggy.  She is strained as a Certified Crystal Healer through Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy, a Reiki Level One Practitioner in addition to being a Certified Life & Soul Coach.

Jennifer is also the creatrix of the informational website Spirit of Earth Healing as well as the owner of the Etsy Shop Spirit Earth Crystals. Jennifer has a passion for all things crystal, herbal, earthy and spiritually related. She offers Custom Crystal Medicine Bags, offline and virtual soul coaching as well as distant healings.

Helping You Untangle Your Web of Ideas-Creative Chaos: Free Call

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Over the last few weeks I had this insatiable desire to tell anyone and everyone I know to do more of what they love.

In fact, there have been many posts on Facebook and Twitter that might sound a bit bossy, but what I am really feeling is pure passion.

Passion for what?

For you and your gifts and your dreams and your passion and purpose and desires.

Why?

Because I know you can do it.

How do I know?

Because I am doing it and so are thousands of others in the world including some amazing women I am working with currently.

But how can I be so sure when I don’t even know you?

Because I know that if you have a desire and a dream it’s for a reason and that reason is not so you can daydream about it all your life.  It’s so you can get out into the world and share your art, songs, message, writing, craft, healing work, energy, and whatever other gifts you have to share.

So what is this?

This is a call to action!  Those beautiful, amazing, unique gifts that only you can share with the world because you are the only person on the planet with the view, experience, and past you have…yeah those gifts are meant to be shared.

It’s time to let go of the fear and start doing more of what you love.  It doesn’t matter if it is writing, singing, acting, knitting, sewing, stamping, running, teaching, loving, healing, helping, serving, dancing, collecting, volunteering etc.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to do it all or if it is has always been simply a ‘pipe dream’.  It’s YOUR dream so it’s real and magnificent and totally possible.

The truth is this:  Life is short and as a whole we spend far too much time wishing, wanting, and regretting things that we can do right now.

Lately I have been hearing from readers, clients, and friends that they just have so many ideas they don’t know where to start or how to focus.  I completely understand.  The creative mind is a beautiful thing, but it has it’s fair share of struggle when you feel paralyzed by all the amazing ideas and dreams you have.  It can be hard to focus and take action on any of them!

If you are finding yourself in a state of paralysis and overwhelm because you have so many incredible dreams you want to tackle, I have good news for you.

Later this month I am hosting a FREE call that will help you untangle your web of ideas so you have a bit more clarity and focus to get you moving, creating, and doing more of what you love not when the stars align and everything is perfect, but RIGHT NOW!

creativechaos

I will be sending out the details of the call soon, so make sure you sign up here so you don’t miss a beat.  The call will be recorded and sent to those who have signed up along with a free gift and a worksheet of exercises to help you get focused and moving in the right direction.  Do you know someone who could benefit from this information?  Feel free to forward this post and share it far and wide!

When Inspiration Fails…Or Does It?

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Happy Friday Dreamers!

I talk a lot about following your inspiration and not questioning the feeling when you feel the need to act.  I have even stressed the point that when you follow your inspiration there tends to be something special waiting for you that ultimately leads you to the very next step.  But, what happens when the very next step you thought you were moving toward, doesn’t work out?

Did your intuition fail you?

No it didn’t. Click the video below to hear a story about my own inspired action and how I realized my intuition really didn’t fail me.


Can you remember a moment when you thought your intuition/inspiration had failed you, but you realized things turned out for the better?  If so, I would love to hear about it in the comments below!

P.S. Get ready because you are going to be seeing a lot more videos in the months to come.  Stay tuned!

What is Your Olympic Moment?

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olympics

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a huge fan of the Olympics.  I have always been amazed at the inspiration, the power, and drive the athletes have to accomplish their dreams.  In fact, I was so enthralled with the 1996 Summer Olympics (particularly when the gymnasts were performing), that I decided not to be in the room when my brother was born. (The Olympics being on and the fact that I was 14 and totally freaked out by the idea of being in the room 🙂 )

The 2014 Winter Olympics are no different.  I’m still inspired, uplifted, and amazed at what these dreamers are accomplishing and many at such young ages.

So, this weekend while watching the figure skating competition and hockey (which I have never been interested in), I began thinking about my own ‘Olympic moment’ and yours too!

If we could dissect how each individual Olympic athlete started out and how they got to where they are now, what do you think we would find?

Would we find skiers who always wanted to do amazing tricks on the half-pipe or figure skaters that were just naturally talented at doing the swizzle spin?

My guess is we would find regular people who found something they loved to do and just kept doing it.

In fact, they probably followed their inspiration and followed it with focus and action to get to where they are now.  Did they all set out to be Olympic Champions?  Maybe, maybe not.

But what I know for sure is that they absolutely love what they do.  If they didn’t, they certainly wouldn’t do the things they do every day to make their dreams come true.

So, I ask you this.  What is your Olympic moment?  Is it when you get your business off the ground or when your book gets published?  Maybe it’s when you finally quit that job you have hated for years to pursue your artwork full-time.

Whatever it is, I have a feeling that it can and will evolve.  Once you reach one moment, a new dream, challenge, or passion will look enticing and you will set a new goal.  It’s natural, it’s life, and it is what makes this journey so amazing.

For the athlete striving to make it to the Olympics, their moment might be to simply qualify and then to move into the finals and eventually win a medal or defend their title.

Like every Olympic athlete, do what you love and follow your passion.  Use your inspiration and follow it up with action. Believe in yourself!  I know you can make it to whatever your ‘Olympic moment’ may be, but the important thing is that YOU know that.

Go, dream, do! and then do it all again.

I’ll be looking for you on the podium 🙂