Personal growth isn't a one-man show.

Too many look at life and believe they must go it alone.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

In fact, you need other people in your life to help you. People who will encourage, challenge and correct you along the way.

If you want to grow and reach big goals, you’ll need to assemble a group of warriors to go to battle alongside.

The idea of a warrior is the perfect picture to keep in mind because soldiers don’t go into battle alone. No matter how well trained or tough they may be, they can’t make it on their own. They need a team.

And so do you.

Get busy assembling the group of men and women you want to fight weakness and sin alongside. People you can trust to have your best interests in mind, even if that means telling you things you don’t want to hear.

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.