Feeling a Shift

Hi, friends:

It’s been a little while. I’ve been avoiding writing, even though it repeatedly makes its way to my to-do list. Sometimes in the midst of emotional turmoil, it’s difficult to find the clarity to express an experience to somebody else.

I’ve been leaning on my journaling practice, a private world of messy randomness. Thoughts hopping from one thing to the next. Doodling has been much the same. It feels like uncoiling the mind and creating physical representations of the things that lurk inside. Sometimes you need that. To create things that don’t necessarily make sense — to be unpolished, at least with yourself.

But today I awoke with a new resolve. I am ready to get to work again.

It’s been a long two months. Two months of deep internal work, two months of letting myself be, of restlessness; days with no agenda except to go on my daily walk. Two months free from external pressures to do or be anything on a particular timeline. It was needed, as difficult as it was sometimes.

But now the time is ripe to start building again. Amongst my recent explorations, I tried hypnotherapy the other day. Before beginning the hypnotherapist asked me about the north node in my astrological chart, which falls under the sign of Capricorn. The north node is an indicator of your life’s path and what you are meant to work on in this lifetime. (You can get your chart here if you’re curious. There’s so much more to astrology than your sun sign!)

The sign of Capricorn concerns itself with material resources, organization, and essentially, becoming a boss. My challenge in this life is to work with those energies to attain what it is I want. For me that means finding a balance between the free-spirited side of me that just wants to flow and do things out of inspiration — with focus, pragmatism, and structure. #thestruggle

I’m happy to report that I’m feeling the drive to strive again, though. Inspired once more to start chipping away at my dreams, little by little.

I am feeling the angst for all of this to be over, as I’m sure you all are, too. I’m dreaming about travel, dreaming about friends, dreaming about the general qualities I’d like my life to have moving forward. And it feels good to be in the hopefulness of it. If anything, this time motivated me to not take freedom for granted again. There are so many things I put on the back burner that I said I would do. It’s time to pull out the bucket list once more.

Love,

Gabriela

Some Inspo

If you’re ready, it’s time for some energy shifts! I have a feeling we’ve all experienced discomfort and growth throughout this period, and that it may be time to integrate what we’ve learned, and move into a lighter, more joyous way of being.

Affirm with me:

I am ready to invite more joy, laughter, love, and friendship into my life. I am ready to bask in the sunshine, fill my heart with gratitude and experience new, wonderful things.

Thinking of you!

Bringing Presence to Purpose

Happy Sunday y’all!

It’s a gloomy day in LA but I’m happy to have some quiet, alone time before work to say hello!

Writing this newsletter means so much to me and I just want to say thank you for being a part of it 🙂

This newsletter has been a tether that’s kept me connected to long-term goals. I hope to one day have a larger platform, and if the universe will have it, to write a book (or maybe even two). Sending out these weekly emails is a small step I can consistently take, when life seems busy and fast and all the other creative work gets buried under the motions of the every day.

I’m discovering though, that the true importance of this “small step” is to bring me into the joy of the present. I am learning to form ideas from my experiences and give them a place outside of myself. I’m learning to share insights that could also give comfort or guidance to others, the way I’ve found comfort in others’ words and work; teachers I’ve never even met.

I’m realizing how fulfilling it is to accomplish this one task, and that I’d still be happy and complete, if nothing else came of it but an outlet to express. And I believe that’s an indication of finding something good.

In that sense, writing this newsletter is no longer a means to an end, but a purpose on its own. And that perspective gives me the freedom to fully appreciate it in the now, rather than waiting to feel fulfilled or accomplished in an illusory future.

So tell me, is there a passion of yours you could bring more presence and appreciation into today and in this week to come?

xxGabriela

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Becoming Your Ideal Self, Today

I’ve been very future oriented lately. My days have been busy with dreaming, goal setting and hustling. Hustling to reach this “ideal version” of myself: the successful woman I’ll one day become.

This idea of a future-self has propelled me forward. It’s such an exciting life I’m building towards, why wouldn’t I want to work hard to get there? The problem is, I’ve placed this ideal version of myself somewhere far off in the distance. It’s a goal to be reached in the future, when a bunch of different pieces of my life fall into place.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s vitally important to have goals clearly outlined for yourself, and to visualize exactly the type of life you want to have. Clarity gives you a path and a better idea of the next best step, wherever you are in your journey.

The important thing to remember is not to get stuck in the idea that you can’t have any aspect of your ideal life yet, and to perpetually wait for the “right moment” to begin making necessary changes. You can create a shortcut to your dream life, today.

Here’s what I did, and what you could do to reach your goals sooner rather than later:

First, I created a list of all the things I wanted for my ideal life + self. I wrote down details for all aspects of my life, including: health, finances, travel, style, self-confidence + beliefs, relationships, career etc. To give you an example, under “health” I wrote down what I wanted my diet to be like, how often I wanted to exercise, get massages etc. Under “finances” I included how much I wanted to make per month, how much I wanted to save and give. In the “self-confidence and beliefs” section, I wrote down all the new beliefs I’d have about myself, such as “I believe, with 100% certainty, that I can accomplish anything.”
After creating this detailed picture of what I wanted for myself, I went through and highlighted all the things I could start doing now, even if that meant pushing myself a bit. I highlighted things like: “I eat tons of fruits and veggies every day,” “I have a regular yoga practice,” “I iron my clothing,” and “I am honest and caring in my communication.” The financial goals seemed the most currently out of reach for me, but I realized I could start tapping into some of those goals. Even if I couldn’t save x% of my income right now, I could push myself to save more than I had in the past.
I started incorporating the habits of my ideal self into my current life.

What I learned from this project is that I have much more control of the present than I thought. I can shortcut to that ideal life if I choose. I no longer have to wait for the “right moment” to begin. The right moment is now.

I’d like to invite you to try this exercise with me and see what happens when you start choosing to live out your goals now.

A video on the topic:

“An Open Letter to Your Future Self”

Yesterday I looked up some writing prompts to keep the blogging momentum going and came across one that struck out to me: “Write an open letter to your future self.”

I can see why this assignment was enticing. I spend so much time focused on my goals and dreams, visualizing all the success I desire and the type of woman I want to become. My future-self is undeniably alluring. She’s her own boss, a public figure of sorts, a writer, fashionista, and traveler. She’s wealthy–not just financially, but she’s full of purpose, joy, laughter, and creativity. She’s a powerhouse, and someone I find refuge in as I work diligently to turn my dreams into reality.

My letter started out like this:

Dear Gaby,

I dream of you often. I have these grand impressions of you and everything you’ll accomplish. Even if no one else can see you or understand you, my faith in you is unwavering. There’s no way for me to know how I’ll get to where you are, but I believe that little by little, the pieces will come together, and that the ride is bound to be epic.

Lately I’ve been working hard at ensuring that you become a reality. Each day I take small steps towards growing my brand and business and each day I take the opportunity to develop and learn as a person.

Midway through the letter, I had a thought: I could’ve written the same letter to this current version of myself as a sixteen year old, sitting in her bedroom at night, feeling like the whole world was ahead of her.

I thought about what I wanted for my future-self as a teen that I currently have: a place of my own, a partner, a dog, and lots of travel under my belt.

I took a rare moment to acknowledge how far I’ve come and all the decisions I’ve made to manifest that vision. Time and time again, I’ve listened to that rumbling heart of mine despite the risk. Time and time again, I’ve put myself first.

I think about the woman I want to become. She has some experiences I have yet to attain, like living in New York City and Portugal, writing a couple books, and owning a walk-in closet 😉

Those desires are so valuable; they’re glimpses into what my soul wants to experience this time around. And though I intend to go forth in my attainment of them, I cannot lose sight of the unfolding process and the milestones I’ve already reached.

I am the woman I so wish to become. Het tenacity, wisdom and drive, is already here.

An Invitation to My Journey

Sharing, I’ve come to realize is one of the things I’m always certain to be excited about no matter how much I grow and change throughout the years.

Since I was little, I’ve often fantasized about having an audience to share with. Whether it be a song, a dance, a poem or a spiritual lesson, bringing my unique take to the world has always been important.

I assume it’s a natural desire to have a space to share your ideas, and the chance to inspire and be understood.

I believe that our dreams and desires are guides. They are places on a map, if you will, that you are called to try and get to. I can’t imagine how heartbroken and confined I’d feel if I I let those dreams just sit there and rot. If I pushed them to the side, over and over again to try and be “realistic.”

It’s a blessing and a curse, to be stubborn against all the world’s notions of “reality” and fight for your right to dream large, to stumble, and to build yourself up, over and over again.

If I know anything about myself, it’s that I’m a dream chaser. One of my longings includes to write, and to inspire, so here I am–treading along this vast journey of mine.

I invite you to join me on this ride of gaining clarity and precision on exactly what I want, on finding and exploring the tools to get there, and creating a freedom-based lifestyle, where I have the time (and funds!) to make this a joyous, authentic life.

Sounds doable, right? 🙂 That’s what I keep telling myself.