Why Do I Support HFC?

Live for a Living Founder, Christian Griffith, shares his "why."

When I was in my early teens, I was sexually abused by a family member and a couple of older men. These experiences left me with a lifetime of shame, confusion, and mental and physical scars that I believed I would never escape. Being what they call, "highly functional," despite my trauma, I played a life role of public success, while acting-out in unhealthy behaviors. I spent 30 years wondering if I could ever break free. 

On February 27, 2016, with the help of a friend I trusted, I eventually broke free.

Sure, coming clean lifted a 100 lb. weight off of my back in an instant, but that was only the beginning. Because, walking through the fire is hard, and once I opened up the wounds, wounds I'd packed away tightly for years, I found myself in a state of panic. A worry about what now, or what would other people think. What would my family think? Clients? Friends? I felt like this broken soul. Like why now? Why did I need to say this now? Why couldn't I take it to the grave?

Because when it's time, it's time. Everything in my universe came together all at once to make it time, and I knew if I didn't accept the support around me at that moment in time, it could slip away, and I'd go back to my mental and emotional prison. Back to the hiding. Back to the dysfunction. Back to...Hell.

I am currently in treatment, but I'm not healed.

I am learning that my healing is a journey, and part of that journey is speaking out to others and encouraging others to speak up about what has happened to them. There is an army of us out there, in all shapes and sizes, and from all backgrounds, rich or poor, prominent or secluded. And in this army, very few are talking. No one wants to create drama. Life is hard. Life is harder when you live with demons. Keeping it together is difficult enough and the fear of what's to come when one comes clean feels impossible to endure. It just "appears" to be easier to stay quiet, put it on a mental shelf, in a mental lockbox, and throw away the key.

I want to change that. I want to show people that you can talk about it. That there is healing in facing the demons. You aren't a leper or a weirdo or some kind of unusual freak. You are a victim of childhood abuse and that &*^%! does not go away. Instead, it manifests into really terrible life behaviors. It slowly destroys you as it eats you from the inside out.

As part of my journey, I wanted to align with a child abuse organization that focused on more than awareness. We all know. Some statistics show as many as 1 in 4 of us have been physically or sexually abused as a child. I think we are all plenty aware, but HFC also focuses on the prevention and treatment of child abuse by providing grant money for programs designed to tackle these issues.

As someone currently in treatment, this makes all the difference in the world to me.

My name is Christian Griffith and I am a victim of childhood sexual abuse. I am not afraid of the designation nor am I ashamed of it. I believe I can touch a lot of people with the HFC platform, and I am so very eager to do so. 

I am HFC.

Christian Griffith, Founder
LIVE FOR A LIVING
http://www.liveforaliving.com