Years back I met a wonderful group of friends on the community boards of a weight loss website. It started out with about 15 or so of us emailing back and forth all day every day. Currently there are about 7 of us who are still able to "talk" all day. There are several others who I keep in touch with via Facebook, text messages, cards, etc. When one of us is doing good with our weight loss journey most likely the others are as well. And the same is true if one of us is having a bad week. It just seems to rub off via email. We help motivate each other. Tell one another to "put the fork down!" Or "Great job working out this morning!" We have what we call our "daily challenges." We let each other know how we did the day before with our eating and exercising. We give each other advice on how to get back on track. Don't get me wrong we are not a bunch of girls who sit around and talk about our weight. We are so close. We are a bunch of best friends who talk about everything and anything under the sun. We let our true voice be heard. We are there to celebrate in the good times and cry with each other in the bad times. They have really helped motivate me to keep me on track with my goals. These are some of the best friends that I have never met.
Earlier this year, I was lacking motivation to continue studying for the CPA exam. I had just received a failing score and credit had expired. I needed something to get me back on track to reach this goal of mine. I just didn't think I had it in me to do on my own. I was getting frustrated and very down on myself for the "failure" and lost credit. (Just for the record, I don't ever refer to a non-passing score as a failure. I study my hardest and sit for the exam. That is not a failure. It's a speed bump!) There is no one I know around me day in and day out that is currently studying for the CPA exam, so having a talk with them about how they are dealing with the situation, well that wasn't an option. I did talk to several of my work friends who are already CPA's and they do help motivate me but not the way I needed to be to stay on track. I googled "CPA candidate blogs." I wasn't a big blog reader. I came across an amazing CPA candidate blog, SleepOnCPA. She was so inspirational and I felt like I finally found a "friend" who was going through the same things as I was studying. I didn't feel so alone anymore. I kept following it for a few months. I had noticed that she had a post on the side of her blog to follow her and #twudygroup on Twitter. Well I didn't have a Twitter account so I made one. I started following her and figured out what the heck #twudygroup was. (Recently Roger, CPA posted a blog about #twudygroup) After I followed SleepOnCPA, I started to follow other CPA candidates. Suddenly, I wasn't alone in the slightest. I had friends all across the country who were in the same situation as I am. Other candidates waking up early to get to their study time in, staying home all weekend curled up with their CPA review materials, cursing that they don't understand something, etc.
The best part about #twudygroup is that I am fully emerged with other candidates who are in the same situation. We have all become #twudygroup friends. When we don't understand a concept, someone is right there to help you understand it. We share resources, knowledge, and study tips. So when I am exhausted, burnt out and want to give up there are about 15 or more people telling me not to quit. They remind me daily that I can do it. I can reach my goals of becoming a CPA. They give me the desire to study. I am excited for the day I can let my #twudygroup friends know that I am a CPA! #twudygroup friends are some of the best motivating friends that I have never met!
