Dreaming God-sized dreams is an amazing (and sometimes scary) journey, and it’s even more incredible when you get to that place where you realize it’s not all up to you, and you can’t do it alone.

I’ve loved being part of Holley Gerth’s God-sized Dreams Team, and I love how this week she encouraged everyone to find someone to hold them accountable and support them along the way. I think the idea of a “God-sized Dream buddy” is great and I’m excited to have Sonya at SonyaMacDesigns on the team be mine. (I can already tell how inspirational she is!)

Over the years, I’ve definitely learned the importance of having others behind you as you head out into the unknown, with your hopes high and the path unclear. So today, as part of Holley’s Dream link-up, I thought I’d share a post I put up a couple years ago about friends who have made a huge difference for me along the way…

Who is your Sherpa?

I recently opened a journal my friend Lisa gave me and read what she’d written on the inside cover…

It made me smile.

I remembered when she’d given it to me, a few years ago, after I’d already received a fair share of rejection letters and before I’d gotten any book contracts.

And I thought about all the support I’ve gotten with my writing over the years—support like her note, the encouragement of friends and family, friendships with other writers, and small wins along the way like my manuscripts receiving awards.

They’ve made all the difference; it’s been an awesome journey.

Because the truth is, when I first started writing, I naively thought it would be easy–that all those best-sellers found their success overnight.

That was before I came to understand, more often than not, behind every success story is a journey of  patience and perseverance. A journey where the support and encouragement of others really helped.

I love the card my mother-in-law gave me several years ago (that is still on my desk). After the words You can do it! Hang in there! is this quote:

Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. Press on!                  

-Calvin Coolidge

Press on…

I love that.

Literary Agent Sandra Bishop wrote a great post a while back titled Not Going it Alone that talked about how writing can sometimes be like climbing Mt. Everest. And, similar to a climber having a Sherpa to help him or her get to the top of the mountain, it’s a good idea for a person who dreams of writing to have a Sherpa too.

Someone to…

help guide you along the sometimes steep and narrow path,

cheer you on if you get discouraged or start to doubt yourself,

help you stay focused on your goals,

or push you harder when you think about giving up.

And I think that’s true for any situation in life, whether you’re…

pursuing writing or another goal,

battling health issues,

working through relationship or financial difficulties,

struggling as a parent…

the list could go on and on.

We all need someone to come alongside us from time to time and say,

“You can do it.”  :)

What about you? What climb are you on? And who is your Sherpa? Leave a comment here, and head over to Holley’s to link up today!