There are no secret steps or hidden paths to success.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re building a business, growing a family, or working towards any important goal, there is only one thing that truly works.

The one thing that works is honing your craft, day in and day out, doing the right things over and over again.

It’s not difficult to comprehend. It’s just really hard to do.

Committing to the process requires a lot of you. It requires things like grit, accountability, confidence, passion, and discipline.

These things may come more naturally to some than others, but they are all things you can develop and grow.

You can’t control what you were born with, but you can take giant leaps forward in developing character and discipline today.

That’s 100% within your control.

Apply yourself to those things.

Commit to them.

Make them your watch words and see how far they carry you.

The road to personal growth isn’t one you walk alone. It requires the company of others willing to both encourage and call you out when needed. Sadly, few relationships grow into something this deep and real. Most are content to swim on the surface, lacking the courage to take a deep breath and plunge into the depths of what’s really going on.

True friends like this are in short supply. When you find one, hang onto it with all you’ve got. Nourish it, water it and most of all thank God for it. Real, true, deep friendships are some of His greatest blessings. These are the people you can call no matter the hour, who will help you carry life’s burdens no matter how heavy and who’ll celebrate victories with you no matter how small.

Friends are as equally valuable to your craft as they are to your personal life. We need people to lock arms and run with. People to tell us our work is horrible and help us fix it. People who understand what we’re trying to do and help us get there.

Scott Kedersha has been this type of friend. His willingness to jump into this great writing adventure with me has been a gift. Scott has challenged me, pointed me towards great resources, and made me want to be a better writer. Each time I sit at the keyboard his voice fills the back of my mind, encouraging me to hit the keys until something comes out.

I have the opportunity to have written a guest post for his blog today. In it I discuss 5 ways Hannah and I want to improve our marriage this year. If we’ve learned anything in our almost 5 years of marriage, it’s that you have to work hard to have a good marriage. They don’t just happen. You have to put in the time, be intentional and pray like crazy.

Please go check it out on ScottKedersha.com

I’d love to hear a few ways you’d like to improve your marriage this year as well. Share them in the comments below.