When I was growing up, I used to think that spirituality and ” real life” were two separate things. I was born in a Catholic country, from an atheist father and an agnostic mother, and, to the horror of everyone who knew me, I wasn’t baptized. Aren’t you afraid that you won’t go to heaven? People would ask me all the time, to which I would respond: “ I like to think that, if there’s a God and a Heaven, it’s not limited to those who follow the rite of one of the many religions of the world, but rather that it’s open to good people, so no, I’m not afraid” . To the outside world, I was weird. Not because I was not Catholic, but because I didn’t have a religion. And I didn’t want one either. I rejected the idea of confession, and while I appreciated the beauty of sacred art, I believed that true connection with the Divine could only be found in nature. I was moved, not by a statue of the Christ (The image of the crucifixion always terrified me) but by the landscapes I saw when I traveled, the beauty of dawns and sunsets, the stars in the sky, random acts of kindness, undying friendships, art and poetry.

Until my late teens, I didn’t see the purpose of having a religion and I couldn’t understand those who did. I was young, and intellectually arrogant and had a lot of life to live before I came to realize the immense power of spirituality. During a particularly hard period of my life, I looked for refuge by going to Church, but found that the practice left me fearful and anxious instead of empowered, so I soon dropped it.

Even though I felt restricted by religion, in my 20s I started longing for a sense of belonging to something bigger than myself.

It started with yoga and meditation, in 2004, practices which sustained me during the difficult first years since Luka and Zoe’s diagnoses. Vision boards, gratitude-journaling, and tapping quickly followed. Then came the turn of oracle cards, Abraham-Hicks videos on youtube, mantras, reiki, channeling, manifesting, planning in accordance with the moon cycles, and the study of the Divine Feminine.

And then I understood. 

We don’t have a spiritual practice because we need one. We have a spiritual practice because when we are connected to a higher power, everything is easier and more beautiful.

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It took me years to get to this point. It didn’t come easily to me.

I have a type-A personality that has given me as many triumphs as headaches, and until my kids were born, I never gave myself the time for pleasure, or contemplation. I was all the time on the clock, thinking about what else I had to do to achieve my goals.  Rain + a book was always my idea of a perfect day, but do you know how many times I allowed myself to enjoy a day like that? Until recently, very few. That’s the curse of a Type-A personality with a side of insecurity: the constant drive to do more and more and more, to achieve, to excel, to improve…to prove to myself that I was worthy. I was always on the move, always thinking about new things to do, always wondering how I could move forward in my career. I thought I was my career until Luka and Zoe were born.  

And then, one day, I found myself 24/7 at home, with young kids, and I thought I was going to go mad.

The calmness, the routines, the monotony and (for an introvert like me) the lack of silence were a shock to my system. A lightning bolt in my life, so planned to the detail, so structured before, and now so different. I didn’t know how to cope with my ever growing to do list, with my need to do something other than mothering and for the love of all things holly, I promise you, I had no idea how to be a good mother either. Add to that the lack of sleep, and that, apart from mothering twins, I was also studying for a very demanding Master of Laws and you’ll understand why, when the kids were 15 months I found myself crying with desperate sobs, in the middle of the night, that I couldn’t do it anymore, that I needed to please sleep and do nothing, that I needed a break.

I knew, back then, that I couldn’t continue like that, and that I needed to find a way to change. And what saved me were two things: an enormous love for my children, and the sheer determination to find a way to combine mothering and work with more ease, with more peace, lovingly embracing the present moment. Yoga and meditation, which were practices that I had briefly started before, became the cornerstones of my well being. Crafting, baking and photography became my creative outlets, my stress-busters, my oasis. And that’s when The Celebration Girl (my old blog) was born.

But when I started this new business, the old type A habits kicked in again, because that’s the only way I knew how to work. My mind kicked in overdrive at first, and I became obsessed with learning every tip, every tactic, every strategy. I subscribed to a gazillion of newsletters to the point where I felt overwhelm at the mere thought of opening my email account. I was always feeling guilty of not doing enough, not knowing enough, not being more advanced in my plans. I followed the kind of online gurus that shame you for not attending their webinars or buying their products and I allowed them to make me feel like a sore loser.

But, this time, because of my mindfulness practices, I could feel in my bones that something was not right. And around 18 months ago, I started to really pay attention.

I noticed that my body was providing me with signs: a tightening in the stomach when something felt wrong, a feeling of opening in my chest when I loved something, and many more. Could there be other signs I hadn’t noticed? Other patterns? I wondered. So I listened more.

It started like a game: I would give the Universe an ultimatum, or ask a question and then I would start noticing patterns. I was not looking for them, they were pretty much being thrown at me! It was fun, and it was simple, so I started using it for business too. My mind still wanted to take over, but now I knew when to allow it and when not to. I realized that I shouldn’t make decisions when too tired, nor be on social media, for example, because I can become snappy.

I noticed that my mood improved and I could work much better if I took a cold shower in the morning and had green juice for breakfast. I discovered that 15 minutes of exercise a day greatly improved my energy levels. And I found out that lighting a candle and asking the Universe to guide what I had to write before sitting at the computer, made every communication flow much, much easily.

And for the times when my mind was very persistent? I now had a series sacred practices that supported me.

Can I live, work, raise my kids without a spiritual practice? Yes, of course I can. But everything would feel harder. And, call me crazy, but I prefer things to flow and feel easy.

Spirituality (these set of sacred practices that support my well being) and Mindfulness are the keys of my happiness and my sanity. Everything I’ve accomplished these past years, and my positive outlook in life (which has often surprised many and, frankly, unnerved others) can be traced back to the moment I decided to develop consistent routines that support me feeling like I wanted to feel. I was this close to burn-out on many occasions, and I know it’s just not worth it.

Today, my days start giving thanks for everything I have before I step out of bed, followed by a morning walk (with a mantra playlist) and a meditation while sitting in a park near my home. I write my goals every New Moon, and review my intentions when the moon is full. I color mandalas when I feel down, and make it a priority to get back into alignment as fast as possible when life knocks me down. At night, I journal about the day and give thanks again for everything that happened, so my dreams are sweet. I try to surround myself with beauty everywhere I go (a pretty pen, a mug I love, a scarf in my favorite color,  the photo of a loved one). And the more I do this, the better my life gets.

This is what works for me. This is what makes me happy. 

My podcast partner and great friend, Marbel Canseco has been the person with whom I’ve developed these habits and practices during the past 2 years. Every Monday, during our accountability meetings, we’d share what was working for us, what was helping us move forward in business and life. We tested resources, tracked practices and finally arrived to a system that works for us. And the reason it does, is that it’s flexible and fun, because we’ve found that what feels like a chore won’t get done consistently.

And today, we want to share it with you. 

We created a beautiful set of printables, planners, calendars and meditations to help you plan your days with a mix of brain and woo, a lot of action and a dash of letting go. The same system we developed to make the best use of our minds-but to prevent them from taking control. A system to allow us to connect to our inner knowing, to our inner guidance, and to let the Universe show us the way.

This is for you if you believe the universe is power.If you want to add spirit to your planning, so that you can feel supported, and aligned, in every life and business decision.

This is for you if you have ever felt blocked, stuck, like everything in business was just plain…hard. If you’ve ever felt confused about the type of clients you want to work with or the type of customers you want to attract. If you’ve ever wished someone would just tell you what to do, give you some sort of step by step manual for YOUR business, that you could take some sort of back to the future trip in a De Lorean to meet your future self and ask her HOW TO DO IT ALL.

If you feel out of sync with yourself and your intuition, this system is for you.  It is not a crystal ball, it’s a system of resources for you to quiet your mind, go within, and find the right answers for your life and for your business.

We believe there’s a place for the Sacred in the Daily and the Practical. Don’t you agree?

You can learn more by clicking on the button at the bottom of this post.