Success - 1 Year of HGC!

Happy First Anniversary, @hergrowthcollective!  Over the past year, while the world has felt like it was crumbling around me at times, HGC became a safe space where I could reflect, dig deeper, challenge my perspectives, and remember that even in our hardest seasons there are opportunities for successful growth and healing.  

Can I let you in on a secret? As much as I know that journaling helps with personal and professional growth, I don’t do it. I recently found a bunch of my old journals and while flipping through the pages, I saw multiple attempts to write. They would go on for a few days then suddenly the next entry was 3 years later.  I even found a diary entry from 5th grade where I confessed who I had a crush on but noticed I had written his name in pencil.  I actually remember thinking that I didn’t want to commit to liking someone knowing that I may not feel that way down the road.  

I now see my lack of journaling has less to do with commitment and more a fear of making mistakes.  If I express on paper how I am feeling or what I think, I may have a change of heart or opinion. If there is proof I felt differently at one time, I would risk feeling the shame of having made a mistake or error in judgement.

One of the biggest blessings to come from HGC has been the opportunity to double down on my mission of combating shame by bringing stories into the light and sharing more of my own journey. Each week allowed me to peel back the layers of my own life and find the universal truths, not only for others but mostly for myself.  Had I not had the commitment, support, and community of HGC, I could have easily stopped writing after a couple entries, like I have done time and time before. 

I see now why journaling is so powerful. It’s not about creating a record of your past mistakes to come back and haunt you, but rather to provide insight into different seasons of your life. This past year has shown me that by sharing more of my journey and lessons I am learning along the way, I now have my own road map to successfully help carry me through when life happens. Because much like shitting your pants, it’s not IF the hard times will come but WHEN.  

This post is written in partnership with#hergrowthcollective, encouraging women to walk the path of self-development together.