Tag: weekly motivation

Back to Basics

Hi, friends:

We’ve made it past the halfway point of 2020 and I say that’s a cause for celebration! I think we need more celebrations in general. We oftentimes work tirelessly and overcome our fair share of tribulations, yet don’t take enough time to appreciate and enjoy our accomplishments in the in-between.

Let this be a little reminder to congratulate yourself — whether that’s simply for making it this far in the year, or whether there’s something you just conquered that you should be proud of. Take note of how far you’ve come and allow yourself to bask in the wonder of future possibilities.

This year has been tough, so I’m making it a point to revisit the basic principles of my spiritual practice. Years ago when my interest in self-development started to peak, I began by exploring the law of attraction. I pondered concepts such as,“your thoughts reflect your reality” and “perspective is key.”

While I don’t personally believe that we are entirely in control of the reality we live in, I have experienced firsthand how powerful a mindset and perspective change can be. Picking up beliefs such as, “the universe is working on my behalf” or questioning, “what is this experience trying to teach me?” amongst the face of adversity allows me to breathe easier, trust in the process, feel taken care of along the way, and milk each experience for gold.

The reward in using a challenge as means for personal growth is wisdom, self-knowledge, and creative expression — whether that’s sharing my story through these newsletters or creating any type of art. All experiences, whether I initially judge them as “good” or “bad” have become a source of inspiration and catapulted me to the version of the person I am today. And why not celebrate who you’ve become from time to time?

The foundational practices that have served me the most are to seek out the positive in each outcome and remain grounded in gratitude. This is not to say: avoid difficult emotions. We must feel to heal that which arises. But I’ve noticed recently that I have to be more cautious of where I’m causing myself unnecessary stress and pain through worry or negative thinking patterns.

In that same vein, it is so important to dream. Grappling with the uncertainty of times, I’ve really had to take things day-by-day. While that served me for a while, I sensed my enchantment for the future begin to fade, resulting in less passion for life.

It’s time to realign to what I naturally am: a dreamer, someone who loves to think up and work towards large goals and aspirations. I’ve found it key to always have something to look forward to in life. Most importantly: a purpose.

I hope that in this newsletter you can find a little inspiration to hit the “reset” button as we enter the start of the month. No matter how smart or spiritually developed we may think we are, sometimes reminding ourselves of basic principles that once helped us out of a rut is hugely beneficial.

May this be a time where we can reflect, congratulate, and dream.

Love,

Gabriela

Let Your Purpose Be Your Guide

Hi, friends:

Thinking of you, as I know the world is heavy right now. In a matter of months we’ve gone through tragedy after tragedy it seems — most of us balancing the weight of the collective amidst our personal challenges. It’s all connected; We’re all connected. How can we deny that as we feel the pain of another within us?

It is clear that the systems in power have not served us — particularly our black brothers and sisters who have carried burdens I will never know. “No one is free when others are oppressed.” We cannot fully actualize in a system of inequality.

Please don’t forget about your personal power at this time. I’ve searched far for purpose, and have come to find that purpose always lies in service. It’s not a mistake that giving makes us feel alive.

Use your voice, your soul, your character to build something that will breathe love into the world, whatever that is. Listen with an open mind.

Remember to recharge and refuel your soul when needed. Our energy is a powerful tool and entirely instrumental for the long battle ahead. We are paving the way to a new world; I choose to believe that in my heart and act in accordance.

I’m here if you need an ear, support, or tools for dealing with the heavy emotions that are arising. (I can share what I’ve learned through coaching and tools I’ve personally applied). Feel free to reach out anytime.

Love,

Gabriela

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!

Facing Myself at This Time

Hi, friends:

How are we doing?

The last couple of weeks were challenging for me, and it made me wonder how we’re collectively coping with this new normal.

I’m well into week five of this socially-distanced lifestyle and there have truly been so many ups and downs like I mentioned in my previous newsletter. By the way, thanks to those of you that watched the video! I know it wasn’t the typical newsletter you were expecting, but writing has been particularly hard lately. I’ve been lacking some focus and attention, plus I was really called to go inwards in order to cope with anxiety.

It makes sense that it would arise. You strip away distractions, the general “busyness”we’re so accustomed to, and the ability to socialize in person, and we’re left with plenty of time to face ourselves. To face the thoughts or emotions that were previously easy to suppress. Fortunately, that comes with the gift of healing and moving through them as well.

I’m reminded of a previous time in my life, which coincidentally enough, took place in Utah before I ever thought I’d end up here one day.

When I was sixteen years old I got to go on Outward Bound, a program that takes youth on these long wilderness expeditions. I didn’t really want to do it, but it was a necessary component if I also wanted to go abroad the following summer through this program I was in. Little did I know, this experience would change my life.

I spent 26 days backpacking through the south of Utah and into Colorado alongside other high school students from all over the country. Three of those days were set aside for the “solo”portion, where we were individually split up into our own little camps. I was left with no one in sight — a tarp, water, eight nutritional crackers, some tangerines and trail mix, along with my journal. It was intense, scary, lonely and hugely transformative. This was the only time I’d ever been alone for this long.

I cried for the majority of those three days. Not because I was desperate to get out, but because I could finally feel this deep sadness that had been building up inside me all those years. I could finally stop long enough to give it a portal. I cried for all things, for my family, for my friends, my lover, everything I had painfully experienced in the past. I cried, I sang, and made a list of all the foods I’d eat once I was home again.

As I reflected on the experience, I realized, that time alone to feel and reflect was essential for my well being. I needed to face what I felt inside in order to heal and release it. I vowed to make more space for solitude in the future, to find the time to really sit with myself.

I have yet to return to the woods by myself (though I hope to one day), but I have managed to be alone, mostly in my travels, and while I spent a year in Vietnam. Though the experience of this pandemic is unique in many ways, there is a similarity in the essence of being stripped away of familiarities and comforts, of returning to oneself, in facing what has been suppressed.

Yesterday morning, I felt the peace I had been longing for again. I sat out on the porch, mindfully sipping my tea, teary eyed at having arrived in this moment that felt like bliss. I thought to myself,“I would never take any of it back.”I would never take back the challenges, the pain, the inner struggle, just to be here right now. To feel the lightness of surpassing something that once consumed you, to feel the beauty of your own experience, to love something you once couldn’t stand, particularly if at times that was yourself. I would never take back any of the transformations I’ve experienced and continue to face.

So, if you’re currently going through it my friend, remember this too shall pass. Life ebbs and flows, ebbs and flows — but my experience is that if you find the courage to really sit with whatever arises and to find the support you need, you might come to a place you’d never even imagined.

Sending you love,

Gabriela

Weekly Motivation in Video Form

Hi, friends!

As I sat down to write this week’s newsletter I came across a lot of resistance. I’m exploring intuition and creativity during this time, and practicing letting inspiration guide me on a daily basis. That brought me to recording a video (linked below) in lieu of the typical newsletter. I hope that you enjoy.

Recent Creations:

It’s National Poetry Month, so I’ve been reconnecting with writing poetry, a form I sort of abandoned a few years back. It’s been nurturing to explore different art forms and connect with my subconscious through that exploration. While the prose I write for this newsletter comes from the heart, it feels more analytical than when I write poetry. Sometimes poetry feels like a seperate form of communication, like it doesn’t necessarily have to make sense to the logical mind or have an ending that ties thoughts neatly together. It’s a collage of sentiments, more so an energy than a statement, if that makes sense.

This is a narration of my poem, “A Journey Calls,” along with a paper collage I made to go along with it.

Below, last week’s newsletter in video form. I was feeling nostalgic for outside, for the freedom that nature provides. This is a compilation of nature shots saved in my phone. ❤

Social Distancing. Wisdom & Creativity

Despite the social distancing happening right now, there have been moments I’ve felt a greater connection to all, as we collectively experience history in the making. There have also been moments where the isolation feels gloomy, and the desire to physically gather is palpable.

As we feel the world halt and change, we are all in some way, being pushed up against or totally outside of our comfort zones, forcing us to adapt, and thereby, to grow. This moment has taken us on a self-development journey whether we like it or not, as we face ourselves and face society in new ways. It’s powerful.

I pray that the lessons learned from this chapter will better our world in some way as we better ourselves. And as an eternal optimist, that is what I choose to believe. My personal coping mechanism to life, grief, and uncertainty is to mold the fuck out of it. To see a challenge as a way to practice what I’ve learned. Each experience can be alchemized into medicine if we let it.

My medicine lately has been learning to accept where I’m at each and every day; whether I want to be a sad (or happy) couch potato, or finally finish projects long overdue. I’ve been practicing listening to the desires of my body and intuition, the way I often listen to my mind without question.

There is a new gentleness in that, a new adventure. My body has been loving early bedtimes and daily exercise. I’ve never been a runner but I started jogging around the park regularly, and have fallen in love with it.

I relish the fresh air as it infiltrates my lungs, an accelerated heartbeat, and the sensation of my feet bouncing on the wood chips along the track as it brings me closer to the finish line.

And sometimes, it just wants unadulterated rest — sweatpants, snacks, and movies.

As for my intuition, I’ve been tuning into its guidance to decide what activities to partake in throughout the day. Lately it’s been a lot of cooking. I’m enjoying expressing my creativity within the boundaries of resourcefulness, using only what I have available to make beautiful meals.

And I suppose that’s a metaphor for this experience, and generally, for life. We use what we’re given. It’s through creativity, and the intention to make something beautiful, that we find the nurturing we need.

What are you cooking up?

The Pause

Hi, friends:

The world has forced many of us to pause. And in that pause I found the observer in me. I couldn’t grasp the right words to process all of this, nor the energy. I’ve felt like a quiet, doe-eyed kid, watching the TV cross legged in the living room, feeling powerless over all the happenings. Yet, I can’t deny the strength in the desire to surrender.

Yesterday morning we woke up to a 5.7 earthquake in Salt Lake City—the largest since 1992. There was no way of predicting this, no real preparation on our part, but luckily, we were fine. It was beautiful seeing how the neighbors came together outside, checking in with one another, helping turn the gas off in various homes.

By noon that day, I was officially laid off from work.

The day mirrored much of what the world has been like lately; utterly unpredictable, shocking, messy, yet so intensely beautiful, too. I see our society being more considerate of one another and nature rebuilding. Scrolling through the internet I have witnessed so many find and share the humor in all of this, which to me is something that makes the human spirit so innately beautiful. Could you imagine if our species could not laugh?

Though life has never felt so uncertain, I can also say that between the sadness and the overwhelm, I have also experienced a profound sense of aliveness and peace. I am loving everything and everyone harder and remembering what matters. Simplifying. Letting go of the noise that tells us our value is rooted in our productivity, in our success, in what we have, and the amount of money we make.

I am at peace here in the mountains; next to my love, closer to nature, closer to God. Remembering to listen more.

I’m wishing you all comfort and solace during these times. You are not alone.

Love,

Gabriela

I’m here for you if you want to talk. Also, I’m doing a 21 day abundance meditation challenge – let me know if you want to join and I’ll share the deets.

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 🙂

Thank You

We’re on the verge of this new year-this new decade and though I’ve been working through this holiday season, I wanted to take some time to spend New Year’s Eve with you. It’s brought me so much joy to write these newsletters this year, to spend time each week processing my life’s unfolding, and to share nuggets of wisdom with you.

What I have to say is: THANK YOU. Thank you for your readership, for the kind words you’ve shared with me, for seeing me and connecting with my journey. Thank you for being on a healing journey of your own, for the light that you bring to the world, and for stepping into your growth, even when it’s difficult.

There were times when you reached out about how a newsletter resonated with you in that moment, as you were experiencing something similar. These were reassurances that we are all, in fact−in it together, and connected by this wild experience we call LIFE.

I’m so grateful for another year. I’m no longer afraid of the uncertainties, or the difficulties that are part of the package, wrapped and mixed together with the bliss, and most importantly−the love. This year, I navigated some dark portals of the mind, and faced experiences which at the time, felt like defeat. But in the end, there was always the choice and the gift of healing, closely intertwined with creating and sharing with you.

I have found my purpose. To take in all experiences as medicine and to continue to create. Again, thank you for being part of it. Thank you for just being here.

Wishing you and your loved ones a fantastic year ahead.

Balancing Your Ambition for the Future with Appreciation for Your Current Self

Happy November!

I like to celebrate the beginning of months as a fresh start, and as the opportunity to experience some amazing things to come. To me, months are like tiny years. So much can happen in 30–31 days, that it’s good to take a deep breath and think about some of our intentions for this time period. Do you have any goals? What do you hope goes really well in the next month? Also, what was your biggest lesson or accomplishment from October?

As a very goal-oriented individual, I am currently finding my balance between my ambition and drive for the future, and a practice of presence, self-compassion, and encouragement towards the present-day version of myself. I’ve been journaling on recent accomplishments and appreciating the newer, healthy patterns I’ve developed along the way.

Because of this, I was inspired to create a guided meditation which helps you visualize your future-self, five years from now. Afterwards, I guide you through acknowledging, loving, and encouraging yourself as you are today.

I’ve been meditating at the start of my day for some time now, and it’s a game-changer. Dedicating a little time in the morning to connect with myself and higher source is invaluable, and now it’s hard to imagine it not being part of my routine. When my mind is awfully loud, it can be helpful to do guided/visualization meditations, like the one I created. It’s also nice to switch up what types of meditations you do and see what works for you.

If you feel called to, check it out below (it’s on my Youtube and podcast).

And a little disclaimer: the sound quality is poor in a couple parts, which was super annoying, but I decided to put it up anyways, because if I let the perfectionist side of me run the show, I’d probably never share anything 😉

Anyways, have an AMAZING weekend. You deserve it all.

  • Listen to the meditation on 
  • Listen on  or anywhere podcasts are found