What All Seekers Need
The Power of Community
As a life-long learner, I often seek experiences to learn and grow. I’ve taken classes just for fun, signed up for workshops and newsletters, and joined interest groups online and in person. At times, the group gathered is just a bunch of individuals sharing an interest or doing the work at the same time in the same place - but when the facilitator can build connections between people, the power of the individuals is magnified, and a community is created. In a community, learning and growth for all can exponentially increase.
During the writing process of my book, my publishing company had a favorite line: “Never Write Alone.” They encouraged me to find support, through individuals or communities, and seek out not just accountabilabuddies, but also people who would help to inspire me, motivate me, and encourage me when things got hard. They knew the tough road to publishing and that people get further along on that journey when they have support.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” - African Proverb
They offered classes and online groups for their authors to meet each other and I had my Write to Heal community which was a big support system. At the time, the group was doing monthly Learning Circles, which is a book club with a self-study twist. Twice a month, we would use the author’s stories as a jumping-off point to dive deeper into our own stories. We journaled together and built up the courage to share openly about our lives and we showed compassion for each other, empathy, and understanding. This helped to build deep connections within the group.
Knowing we aren’t alone is a crucial part of feeling safe and secure enough to be vulnerable, a key to the type of writing I was focused on for my book, Fragile Thoughts: A Healing Memoir. Of course, my dog Charlie ensured I never wrote alone. He is always by my side when I write, including right now as I type this. He is softly snoring, snuggled up to my thigh.
So when I saw
and post about building a community called the last week, I was intrigued. Not only because I love camping, but because the goal of the group was to build community: to gather around a campfire together, share our stories, and challenge each other to write notes every day for four weeks. I immediately applied and am honored to have received a scholarship to join the group!We haven’t technically started yet and I already made some amazing connections. They hosted a kick-off gathering on Friday, an early spark before the real fire starts next week and I was impressed with the way they ran the group. They helped us find commonalities right away in our introductions and during the engaging call, we were encouraged to share emotions tied to the writing that was happening. The process of sharing helped everyone feel more connected to one another. That type of connection is what builds a strong community and that was just our first meeting. I’m eager to see what the next four weeks bring!
Write to Heal Community
The Write to Heal Community I lead was created to help build courage, compassion, and connection. These three things are what we all need to live a whole-hearted life, according to the amazing research and work of Brene Brown.
In the Write to Heal Community - these three components are critical:
Courage means to do the hard things. It means to try even when you aren’t sure of the outcome. It means to open yourself up to life, the good, the bad, and the ugly, to take steps towards your goals, and allow yourself to be guided by faith instead of fear.
Compassion means showing up, being supportive, kind, and caring - to ourselves as well as others. It means recognizing the complexity of our lives and experiences, and understanding there are many layers to our and other’s behaviors. It means being empathetic and gentle to all.
Connection is an exchange. It means being open to sharing our gifts, talents, and ideas with others and seeing value in what they bring to the table. It means being vulnerable and accepting the vulnerability of others. It helps us recognize we are not alone and gives us courage.
When we meet in person or on Zoom, we always start with this reminder of our three core values. All three are critical to ensure the group builds a strong community. This community has helped me feel secure and supported and helped me heal in powerful ways.
Courage, compassion, and connection - it’s what all seekers need.
Being a part of the group gave me the courage to try to get my book published last year, and helped me build compassion for myself as I went through that grueling process. The connections made in the group helped me realize I wasn’t alone. It’s been life-changing for me and others in the group speak about the experience in the same way - and that’s the power of community.
Just like how writers should never write alone, none of us on the path should ever have to walk it alone. Join the Write to Heal Community! We are a group of people interested in learning, growing, and healing who will inspire, motivate, and encourage you as you take steps toward your goals.
Our next gathering is a Mid-Year Reflection on July 2 at 7:30pm EST on Zoom. Many in the group attended our Word of the Year Writer’s Circle around the winter solstice and so now, after the summer solstice, we are going to reflect and reconsider our word. If you don’t have a word of the year, that’s okay too! Taking time to reflect on how our progress is unfolding can be an insightful and powerful process.
For those that need to know what they’d be getting into: We’ll begin with introductions, then I’ll pull an oracle card from my Spirit Allies deck and we’ll briefly journal our thoughts on that. Then I have a few prompts for us to consider as we reflect on the first six months of the year, followed by a sharing out by those interested. Then there will be a few more prompts to write about our intentions for the second half of the year, followed by another opportunity to share. No one is ever required to share.
The hope is that we can build some courage, compassion, and connection - and discover our hopes and goals for the rest of 2024!
To join this free event on July 2, simply comment below, send me a message or RSVP to this Facebook event and I’ll send out the Zoom Link. Reach out with any questions.
Journal Prompts:
Where have you found a strong community? What places, groups, or people have helped you feel connected, supported, and not alone? How can you offer that same support and connection to others?
What comes to mind when you read about the three C’s of the Write to Heal Community: Courage - Compassion - Connection? How would you describe these three things? How can you work to build more of them in your life?
Now is a great time for a mid-year reflection. Take time to consider your goals, plans, and intentions for 2024. How are you taking action to live the life you want to live?
Hi Katie-such a good and timely read for me! The compassion for yourself piece is huge. It’s really good to know we are not alone. I have been nervous to try to join a group but this helped!
I love this idea, please count me in!