{Personal Journal from July 24, 2010} 

There I was... just 27 days away from moving back home to Arizona after 2 beautiful years in Colorado. I lived in the suburbs of Denver from age 22-24. I loved every minute of it. It was the best experience of my life to move away from everything I had ever known and adventure in unknown lands with nothing but my car packed and my independent heart seeking adventure and growth....I found just that! 

I can because I am:

This move has been something I've been thinking about for awhile. And now, all the stars are aligned and I'm ready. More ready than ever. A year ago, even 2 months ago, I wasn't in the place I am right now. But the reality is, I came here for a few select reasons:

1. Change & Challenge

2. To discover myself

There has been a long list of changes, a TON of challenges, and lots of lessons learned. I have a pretty solid grasp on who looks back at me in the mirror each day!

Here are some pivotal life lessons I learned from moving away from all I had ever known to live in Colorado. I hope they speak to your heart today:

• I am a woman of drive and ambition who strives for excellence.

• I've learned that perfection is a fallacy-I can only do my very best and that it's not just "okay" but it's completely necessary to celebrate your own successes (no matter how big or small).

• I push myself to be the best at whatever I do.

• I have a huge heart and in the past, have made foolish decisions with whom I've allowed to get inside of it. I've loved selflessly and been hurt deeply.

• I thought I had it all figured out, and I'm glad to find that I evolved past that point.

• I'll go well above and beyond to be there for another, and in so doing have been cheated, lied to, stolen from, and disrespected.

• I've made many acquaintances and few friends.

• I've explored my independence.

• I'm on the path to debt recovery and learned that everything has a price.

• I've spent a lot of time alone, reflecting, learning, facing the scary territory of really evaluating myself-past, present, and who I want to become in the future.

• I've learned maturity has NO correlation to the number of days once has seen...and "success" (according to the world's standards) has no reflection on the character and emotional stability of a person.

• I've learned that one's value isn't shown by the number in their bank account.

• I've learned that just because you may have a comfort and connection with someone doesn't make you romantically compatible.

• I've had to humble myself and learn what it's like to not always have a say.

• I've learned that I just may be as afraid of success as I am of failure.

• And I've learned that nothing can be that hard when you break it down into steps.

• Life is a process. As long as you're eager to evolve-you'll continually see things in a new light-you'll learn to appreciate the process, no matter how difficult it was going through it.

• I've become less judgmental and more accepting that everyone is in a different place in their journey-their choices have strings of repercussions tied to them, just like mine.

• I've learned not everyone can see the difference between pebbles and pearls.

• I would rather be the exception to the rule. CONSISTENCY, HONESTY and COMMUNICATION are the three non-negotiable REQUIREMENTS I have for any relationship I have.

• I've learned you can't put too much blame on someone when they don't know what they don't know. Ignorance is NOT bliss, it's foolishness.

Oh, and I LOVE guacamole! 

I am Heather Ferroni.
And I owe MANY thanks to those that have helped me on my journey to self-discovery!

Join the conversation in the comments below:

Have you ever moved away from the comforts of home? What lessons and wisdom could you share with other readers?