Fifty-Two Weeks

Fifty-two weeks! Wow, what a journey! Ladies and gents, thank you for coming along on this journey with me. I set out to write fifty-two blog posts. Later this year, I will have a copy of Son of a Basque, a historical fiction novel written by my grandfather Mark Arrieta.

A Busy Fifty-Two Weeks

A lot has happened in a year. I wrote fifty-two blog posts. I rewrote my memoir. I hosted a weekly live podcast. I have guested on more than fifty podcasts from around the world, discussing my journey of being forty, broke with three young children, and divorced; lacking motivation to do anything; looking for a miracle or to be rescued; and being stuck in one of the worst funks of my life. 

I wrote my memoir in the hopes that anyone going through something similar would find hope and maybe some tools that I found helpful. I also got my certificate in neurolinguistic programming to become a life coach and attended two spiritual retreats, where yoga and meditation were the focus. I pulled myself out of my mindset lockdown and changed my story to live a life that I designed. Was it easy? Hell no!

My Spiritual Fifty-Two Weeks

With my program and my tools, I set my old stories free over the past fifty-two weeks. I wrote a new story for myself, and I journaled every day—anything to stay on the path of recovery. You have followed me this far, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart to the moon and back. You have read posts that are stories from my memoir, my struggles and moments in life that knocked me down. Not long ago, even taking a breath of air felt like heavy work. At fifty-seven I feel like my life is just getting started, and I’m excited to share all the amazing tools and consistent routines I use to keep my mind empowered. I love life, and I am so grateful every day that I get to take another breath and look at the abundance all around me. 

My spiritual life has grown to a daily practice of prayer and meditation. It is the number-one solution for me today. Over these fifty-two weeks, I have learned to surrender to the process and trust that everything will work out. 

Of course, not everything goes my way. But when it does, I am grateful, and I take the time to notice the little gifts all around me. When was the last time you noticed something small that went your way? Fascinating, isn’t it? Sometimes we don’t even notice when good things happen. Each evening, I take some time to notice all the things that went well that day, and I write them down. Strangely enough, I now have good dreams when I do this before going to sleep.

Find the Magic

Magic is happening all around us. Abundance and light are within us all. We are all healers. Tap into your intuitive self, your gut feelings. Those are your superpowers. Connect your beautiful healing energies! 

Fifty-two weeks, fifty-two blog posts—that’s where my healing journey began. When will yours begin? I suggest going back and rereading all my posts and see where you can connect the dots. My writing is in no way perfect. But that’s exactly why I do it. Writing destroys the perfectionist in me. In my writing process, I write it all down first, then I send it off for editing. I refuse to read what I wrote because I would have judged the process, and then nothing would have reached you!

I write from my heart center, guided by my gut feelings and intuition. If someone would have told me two years ago I would be writing a weekly blog to help others out there who might be suffering, I would have never believed it. I would have let my ego and insecurities get in the way. As one of my greatest mentors and a dear friend, Tony Robbins, has said over and over, “Get in your head, you’re dead!” 

Today I put my hands on my heart more than ever. This is where I live most of the time. It takes too much energy to be in my head all the time. Ego used to run the show. Not anymore. Ego serves a purpose when needed for certain times in my day, but it happens less and less often. I thank my ego for the work it has done all these years, sending it gratitude for all that effort, but now I let my heart run the show. 

After all, love and contribution matter the most.