Adapting and Transitioning

Now that I’m a full blown New Yorker and here 100% of the time, I’ve noticed how much faster I’m moving on a day-to-day basis. Each minute feels like an opportunity to be productive, and sometimes it’s too much to try and keep up. Perhaps this is not just a New York thing, and no matter where you’re at, you may be facing similar feelings, too. Let’s pause and breathe for a minute.

I mentioned in my last newsletter that I’d left my job as a flight attendant and started working at a healing center in NY. I’ve been processing so many emotions about the transition — both happy and uncomfortable ones. Moving quickly and filling my days with tasks was a great way to distract myself from the self-doubting feelings that arose. I now realized how much I was imposing on myself to accomplish and that I have much more control in slowing down and setting the pace of my own life.

It’s rare for me to not be in some sort of transition, and in a sense, all of us are constantly needing to adapt. Whether it’s adapting to the season, to a new environment, or perhaps to a more subtle change, like a new perspective or revelation. It’s so important to be gentle with ourselves and allow the proper space to process it all, and there are many ways to do this.

I recently did two live streams on Youtube in regards to these topics. One is: How to Support Yourself Through a Transition, and the other is Slow Down and Reduce Stress and Overwhelm.

In both videos I offer some tips on how you can make small changes to create more space for mindfulness, self-care, and support.

What’s one thing you can do today to help you through whatever it is you’re processing?

For me, it’s participating in a positive and uplifting inner-dialogue. Nourishing myself with thoughts of gratitude, and of hope and excitement for the future. It really is the little things that can brighten our experience, help us feel taken care of, and make it easier to take it day by day.

You got this 🙂

On Change

We’ve all heard it before: change is inevitable. I tend to seek change before it comes looking, sweeping the rug of comfortability from under me. But this time, change came before I was totally ready, stirring some fear and doubt in me that feels oddly new.

I’ve moved from El Salvador to the U.S., Cali to Ohio, SF to Hanoi and then to SLC. Throughout all the relocations I was always excited to pack up my things and try something new. I looked forward to unknown horizons and experiences, sometimes in ways that boggled and worried my friends and family. Boredom and complacency is my #1 enemy, yet the older I grow, the more comfortable I get with the comfortable.

A few weeks ago I got news that I’ll be transferring from LA to NY for work (Though I live in SLC, I commute into LA). This news would have had me jumping up and down with glee a couple years ago. Living in NY has been a dream of mine since I began religiously watching Sex and the City at 12. But in Salt Lake, I finally got to build a home for myself. One that I felt warmth, love, and support in, in a place that’s beautiful and peaceful. What more could you want, really?

The thing is: I’ve noticed myself flatlining in Salt Lake. My life is so comfortable that I don’t stir up any change. I’ve become such a homebody, savoring the sweetness of my space and my lover, sitting on my porch and watching the mornings go by. I’m basically eighty years old. All jokes aside, as peaceful as it is, this isn’t all that my soul wants for me right now.

My soul desires an environment that inspires, challenges and excites me so I can develop my talents and creativity. It desires a community of artists, healers, and teachers to offer support on my entrepreneurial journey. It desires an environment where I can be most of service to others.

I know these truths to exist within me, but it’s hard for my mind to jump onboard when I seemingly have something good going already. As good as it is, my heart is too aware of the possibility of something great ahead.

So I took a gamble. I applied for a transfer, putting down SLC as my first choice (which would have made my life oh so easy), and NYC as my second. I told myself that if I got NYC, I would finally move there.

I let the universe decide, and it chose growth.

Now I’m dealing with the repercussions of that decision—the saying goodbye to a phase in life that gave me the opportunity to restore, to rest, and to appreciate the pleasantries of safety and simplicity. I truly have appreciated it, and that’s something that makes it much easier to accept change—when you’ve taken the time to enjoy what’s ultimately a passing phase.

All the details will fall into place, and I guess the thing that gives my mind anxiety is wondering if the right decision has been made. I won’t really know, until I’ve experienced both possibilities. But I do know what I fear the most: the never knowing nor experiencing what could have been.

So here’s to change—to letting it transform you even if you don’t feel ready. Trust your soul is.

I’m Back!

9 weeks later… I’m back!

First time writing in a while and I already feel like crying. The last two months of my life have been a whirlwind of emotions, late nights, stress, and beautiful moments of connection, leading up to the unmatched joy of new beginnings.

All of it begs to be expressed and released through me—writing is one of the ways I choose to do it.

In case you didn’t read my newsletter sent out roughly 9 weeks ago—I was in flight attendant training for 8 weeks, and announced I may not be writing for a while. Most moments were spent either in class, studying, or sleeping. I have never been so intently focused on, and immersed in one subject matter in my life.

Being the creative, and curious type that I am, it was extremely difficult not to have the time and freedom to explore hobbies and passions, let alone, to relax. I have a new sense of appreciation for MY LIFE, which is dynamic, and full of colorful past times and the ability to create.

Since I left training, my body has been attempting to recuperate through hours and hours of sleep, and to find its balance between the time zones. My mind busily absorbs all the endings and new beginnings. What just happened? What is happening?

What is happening is I’m now in LA, my new base and “home away from home.” I will be working trips from LA while still living in Salt Lake City and flying back home on my free time. It’s actually pretty common to “commute” from state to state in the airline industry, though the overwhelm of it is still palpable.

On top of that, most of my trips this month are red eyes and I am an early bird to a fault. Yikes! Talk about disoriented sleep schedule.

My intention here is not to complain —I prayed, and worked tirelessly to be where I am today, but still there is this very human thing in me to find fault at the result of each success. Can you relate?

So, this is where I must stop myself: Breathe, acknowledge where I am (somewhere I once desired badly to be), thank myself for getting here, and see the positive in the situation.

I am a freakin’ flight attendant! Which means I travel for a living. Wild. And I get to fly back home when I’m free. For free.

Writing those words fills me instantly with gratitude and the overwhelm slowly begins to dissipate. Because I know, everything is alright. Better than alright.

Reflection Moment:

What have you recently accomplished that you’re proud of?

What have you achieved that you once truly desired?

I’m going to change the name of this newsletter to Weekly Motivation and do my best to write one weekly, on whichever day I’m free.

It feels amazing to be here again, after all this time and I thank you for your patience and your readership. It means the world!

Love,

Gabriela

Headed to Flight Attendant Training!

Greetings from thousands of feet above ground!

Today I write to you from a plane headed to Atlanta―the first Monday Motivation written in transit. If all goes well in the next eight weeks, I’ll be spending A LOT more time on airplanes, because I will officially be a flight attendant! This employment process has been in the works for months now, and today is finally the day I head to train.

This is a huge transition for me. I will be living in a shared hotel room in ATL, learning up to twelve hours a day, and essentially going to school once more. Not only that, but my lifestyle, routine, and the consistency I’m used to will be completely altered afterwards.

Transitions are usually more exciting than frightening for me because I thrive off change. I love to relocate, travel, and learn new skills―to experience as much as possible and keep life moving and evolving.

However, it doesn’t mean change is always easy. I will miss my house, my partner, my free time and the space to be alone.

When change is awkward and uncomfortable, I remind myself that true stability lies within me. I like to think of my one true home as my body, my mind as my companion, and my heart as my guide.

These are the essentials that follow me wherever I go, which are always available to me whenever I need to be comforted.

This may or may not be the last newsletter I write for a while. (Time off while be scarce will I train), but if I can, I will certainly continue to send these out.

If you don’t hear from me for the next couple months, feel free to add me on IG, which I’m fairly active on (@gabrielammelgar), watch my youtube videos, or listen to podcasts of mine which may be of interest to you.

Though I’m pursuing this new career path and giving it my all, I still plan on continuing to write, create content and coach once I’m done with training 🙂

Don’t hesitate to reach out! Wish me luck!

Love,

Gabriela

Shake it up

Greetings from Washington D.C. !

Sometimes you just have to fly 2,000 miles to be somewhere new with your best friend; that one person who’s known you most of your life, who can offer support and give you feedback when you’re stuck looking at things in black and white.

This was a very impromptu trip for me (first time purchasing a flight the day of), and it’s been nice to be reminded of the type of person I can be: spontaneous, flighty (literally), fun and adventurous. Travel has always been a priority of mine because it fills me with a sense of gratitude for life, for all the beauty and diversity of the world and for the amazing people in it.

I try to live life at home with the same type of attitude and curiosity, but I must admit that travel brings me right to the present moment and snaps me out of a type of complacency we can all feel in our daily routines. The upside of it too, is a sense of appreciation for everything you have at home, waiting for you.

If you’re finding yourself at home, and maybe realizing you’re a little too attached to your routine, or perhaps stuck on one perspective, you don’t have to fly 2,000 miles away like me to switch things up (though, please be my guest!)

Here’s a list of things you can do to shake things up from where you are:

Call someone you love who can offer you a new perspective on a subject you’ve been pondering or are stuck on in your life.
Go to a park, restaurant, or neighborhood you’ve never been to or rarely explore. Try and be present without any distractions, and soak it all in.
Change up your routine. Maybe you’ve been trying to incorporate a morning jog before heading to work, or you want to try a new route.
Read a book or listen to a podcast on a subject you’re curious on but don’t know much about.
Hang out with someone you’d like to get to know better, or try out a Meetup in your area.
And lastly, when bored, reach for something different. If you always go for your phone or Netflix, try drawing something, starting a puzzle, knitting a scarf, or whatever else might be fun and engaging for you!

I hope that if you’re inspired to, you can take a small step towards gaining a new perspective on life, or perhaps just a greater sense of appreciation for all that you’ve got going on now.