My friend, hustling creative, and Zondervan author, Sarah Cunningham recently interviewed me on…women.

I will let you in on a dirty little secret….

Same sex friendships can be a struggle. Same sex working relationships can be a struggle. Same sex familial relationships can be a struggle.

I don’t know what it is about other women, but with the same passion and energy that I can love them, they can drive me crazy.

But they are definitely worth the work.

The women in my life…they love me well. They hear me out. They feed me dinner. They wipe my tears. They sing my praise. They challenge suspect motives. They question bad decisions.

In short, they keep me sane.

Here is what I’ve learned in the last 34 years of cultivating these relationships. (Click here to read the interview.)

And be sure to check out Sarah’s interviews with some of my friends and favorite ladies –  Jenni Catron,  Ann Voskamp, Jena Nardella , and Heather Whittaker.

Ladies, it’s your turn…Do you struggle with jealousy and competitiveness with other women?

Can you share a time another woman reached out to you that helped you believe in the good potential of women-to-women friendships?

Can you tell me about a time another woman reached out to you that helped you believe in the good potential of women-to-women friendships?

Yesterday it struck me how critical it is to walk through life with inspiring friends.

EVERY DAY I am inspired by one of my friends. They show me how to love. They encourage me to dream big dreams. They shift my focus from fear and inadequacy to possibility and potential. They are a constant reminder that there are no such thing as extraordinary people, only ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Spence is an Iron Man (just thinking about it makes me tired).

Keely travels around the world capturing stories of poverty and hope with her camera.

Jenni strives to empower, challenge, and encourage women leaders.

Justin and Trish bravely share their season of struggle with unbelievable candor and grace so others can learn from their mistakes.

(I am keeping this to a short list, but I could go on and on, and on and on.)

It is this simple. If you don’t have friends who inspire you, you need to find some new friends.

Right now. They will change your life. They will change your life for good.

How are your friends inspiring you?

Sweet, sweet, sweet Kate McRae’s family has had to make a hard impossible decision about her future treatment plans. Now that is behind them, they have a long road of ahead with chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. Pray that the family would endure, stay faithful, and that their little girl would be healed.

Today Pete Wilson, Jenni Catron and Ryan Bult leave for India. They are doing reconnaissance on a future mission field for Cross Point. Pray that they will have safe travels. And that their trip will be productive.

Karen and Steve Anderson’s daughter Kelly is in Haiti with a Mission to the World medical team. And she’s sick with a GI infection. And she’s in HAITI. Please pray that Kelly gets back to 100% stat so that she can help with the disaster relief. And that Karen and her husband find some peace from their worry.

Mary DeMuth’s daughter had to make a trip to the ER last night for “breathing problems.” She is feeling better now, but pray that they find out what was aggravating the problems.

Do you have anything we can be praying for? I’d love to add them to my list.

My friend and Cross Point Executive Director, Jenni Catron, has been talking about wanting to create a venue “to encourage, support and empower other women leaders” for as long as I’ve known her. So finally this week, her dream is going to be a reality.

Here’s some more details about Cultivate Her from Jenni’s blog:

Cultivate Her is a leadership environment where women are inspired, challenged and encouraged in their leadership growth.
No matter what your leadership influence looks like, your gifts will be cultivated to encourage you to embrace our motto “wherever you lead, lead well”!

Cultivate Her will be a monthly gathering in Nashville.  The first event is:

Friday, September 11th

7:00-8:30 AM

The Cafe at Cross Point

If you are interested in joining us, you can RSVP HERE!

I am fortunate enough to have served on the planning committee for this event. We have met once every few weeks to brainstorm ideas and flesh out plans for Cultivate Her and to have fellowship. (I love that word, it makes hanging out sound productive.) And I have already been EXTRAORDINARILY BLESSED by the women – Jenni, Jessica, Eve (or as we affectionately like to call her on Twitter @cneese’s wife), Sarah, Trisha, Kat, and Ashley – Cultivate Her has brought into my life.

I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the future of Cultivate Her.

As a child, teachers and family members alike would ask this question, all assuming I had some fantastic whimsical answer. “I want to be a cowboy, a princess, a firefighter, a policewoman, the President, a cruise ship director, something, anything.” But no, I had nothing. And so I’d sheepishly reply, “I just don’t know.”

When it came time to pick a college, I still had no plan. I applied to two schools that were polar opposites (University of Colorado and Wake Forest) in hopes of simplifying the decision. And after being deferred from Wake Forest from early decision, I didn’t even reapply. My decision was made for me. God wanted me to be a Buffaloe. (And thankfully my father had already insisted I major in Business Administration, so I didn’t have to worry about that decision.)

Ten years post-college, I still have had no real plan. I have jumped from job-to-job without any clear destination. And it has totally worked for me. I love my job. I love my company. There is no question in my mind that I am in the place I am supposed to be. If I had set out as a child to work in communications at a publishing house, I don’t think I could have planned my path better.

But I am starting to wonder. I am starting to wonder if I need to be a little more proactive about my future. First, I read this post by my boss, Michael Hyatt, about Creating a Life Plan. And it got me thinking. Then, I started hanging about with this girl, Jenni Catron, who keeps talking-in-my-ear about leadership. And it got me thinking some more.

Now, I am reflecting on possibility of living life more intentionally. So that maybe next time someone asks, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I will have a thoughtful answer.

Tell me, have you decided what you want to be when you grow up? Do you have a life plan that guides you there?