Healing Isn’t Always Pretty: What It Means to Be Growing Quietly

Not everything needs to be announced.

I used to tell people everything. Every idea, every plan, every goal I had brewing in my head — I’d lay it all out hoping someone would be as excited for me as I was. But nine times out of ten, the reactions were blank stares, confusion, or those passive-aggressive “oh okay” comments that made me second guess myself.

They didn’t mean harm. But the doubt still stuck.

And eventually, I started doubting myself too.

That’s when I learned the power of growing quietly.

Not everything needs to be posted.

Not every win needs a cheerleader.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is shut the noise off, move in silence, and trust the version of you that’s coming together behind the scenes.

Stop Explaining. Start Executing.

Mel Robbins said it best: “Stop explaining and start executing.”

That hit. Because what are we really looking for when we over-explain? Permission? Approval?

I’ve realized the more I talked about my plans, the less I actually followed through. Talking felt productive — but it wasn’t. Execution is where confidence builds. Execution is what teaches you that you’re capable, even when nobody claps.

Now? I tell no one. Not until the paper is signed, the idea is real, or the launch is done. My husband knows because we’re in this together. But everyone else? They’ll find out when it’s already happening.

Healing is quiet. Sometimes even boring.

Real growth isn’t always cute.

It’s not a spa day with cucumbers on your eyes and sage burning in the background.

Sometimes it’s you sitting in silence trying to unlearn a thought pattern you picked up in childhood.

Sometimes it’s choosing a morning walk instead of scrolling on your phone because you know your mind needs space.

Sometimes it’s isolation — and not the lonely kind, but the intentional kind.

And it can be so uncomfortable.

But that’s what real growth looks like: uncomfortable, unannounced, and necessary.

Stay Consistent (Even When No One Claps)

One of the timestamps in the Mel Robbins podcast that really stuck with me said:

“Stay consistent even when no one claps.”

Whew. That’s a lesson in self-validation.

Because there will be seasons where it feels like no one sees your effort. Where it seems like everyone else is 10 steps ahead while you’re just trying to keep your head down and focus.

But quiet growth is sacred.

It’s powerful because it’s yours.

And just because it’s not loud, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

If you’re in a season where you’re doing the inner work — the therapy, the routines, the praying, the journaling, the trying again — but it feels like nothing is happening… keep going.

You don’t need the crowd. You need discipline. You need patience. And you need to believe that the work you’re doing, even when unseen, is shaping something solid in you.

Growth doesn’t need a post. It just needs you to keep showing up.