No, not this kind:

I’m talking about someone who is consistently encouraging and supportive as you pursue your goals. Goooooooooo Jen!

Not everyone in your life will be happy for you as you begin to succeed. If you’re working on weight loss, your partner may feel threatened and insecure. He or she might unconsciously (or even worse, consciously) sabotage your efforts by stocking the house with your favorite foods because keeping you where you are is safe. Your best friend, who is also overweight, might feel pushed aside as you replace dinners out with her with trips to the gym. She might treat your weight loss efforts with disdain or tempt you with trips to your favorite haunt (hello, Cold Stone Creamery). Neither of these people mean you actual harm; they just have issues of their own that are raised by your success.

So where can you find your own personal cheerleader?

• Support groups. Going back to our weight loss example, you could probably find great cheerleaders at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting or in programs like Weight Watchers, Weigh Down, or TOPS.
• Online forums. These virtual support groups are just as good as the real thing. No matter what your goal, I guarantee you’ll have no problem finding an online forum that matches your needs.
• Blogs. Start a website and blog about your goal. I’ve received so many supportive comments and emails, as well as tons of great advice from my readers. Blogging can also be very therapeutic.
• Coaches. Coaches are there to help you set direction and to provide support and encouragement along the way. I happen to know a great one if you’re looking…
• Friends/family. You want to be very careful with this category for the reasons I mentioned above. Of course, your husband or your best friend wants to want to help you, but there may be underlying issues that will affect their ability to be 100% supportive. If you go this route, I suggest being very clear about what you’re looking for (e.g., “I’m going to call you once a week and tell you how I’m doing with my workouts. I need you to congratulate me when I do well and encourage me not to give up when I’m struggling.”)
• Right here!

Let me explain a little bit more about that last one… As I mentioned before, my readers are frickin’ awesome! Every day, one of you teaches me something, inspires me, and/or motivates me to keep going when things get tough. I’d like to spread the love. I think it would be really cool to do a cheerleader matchmaking exercise.

If you’d like to be set up with a cheerleader, email me or leave a comment here. Tell me generally what goal(s) you’re working on, and I’ll try to pair you up with someone else who’s focused on the same area (my ability to do that will, of course, depend on how many responses I get for each type of goal). I’ll put you in contact with your match, and the two of you can cheer each other on toward the finish line! You could take turns calling each other once a week to check in. You could send a daily or weekly email with your action plan and a few inspiring quotes, articles, or pictures. You could pledge to get rewards for each other for achieving goals. If you happen to live in the same area, you could even meet in person to strategize.

I don’t know what the interest level would be for something like this (I’ll definitely be participating!!), but I’m hoping that at least a few people will want to play along. Who knows, you could make a lifelong friend!

Everyone have a FABULOUS weekend!