Find Your Cheerleader

Throughout my life, I’ve had friends come and go. Some moved away and some moved on. I’ve had best friends and I’ve had really crappy friends. I joined volunteer groups and went to storytimes with my kids trying to make friends. I was always searching and looking.

Over the years, my group of friends continuously changed trying to find the right fit. I so desperately wanted that tribe I read about in every blog post ever written, but I’m here to tell you it’s not a tribe you should be looking for.

What you really need is a cheerleader.

Not a pom-pom shaking, back-flipping cheerleader; I mean a friend who is there supporting and encouraging you every step of the way on this roller coaster ride of life. Being a mom has taught me many things and one of those is to not waste precious time on friends who don’t care for you and your family as their own. No fake niceties, real gritty friendship where you can talk about anything without judgment or shame. A friendship where you can disagree but still be there to motivate each other.

The cheerleaders of our life will be there encouraging us every step of the way. And they’ll still be there when we lose our footing and we fall. Even if that squad consists of one single person on the sidelines clapping for you, that is a million times better than 20 friends who aren’t even in the stands. We are always going to be doing new things and scary things and having people there to cheer you on makes a whole world of difference.

I didn’t find my own squad until I was a 30-something mom of three. It took time but it was 100 percent worth the wait. They are always there shouting “Go You!” from the top of their lungs. Start a new business? They are first in line to buy what I’m selling. Worried you might mess up? They are right there telling me that I can do it and if I can’t, they have my back. I can go about my life knowing I am part of that pyramid as we each take turns at the top. No matter where we are, we will always carry each other through.