I’m not proud to say it, but sometimes I get motivation from competing with others. Sound okay?

Well, usually the other person doesn’t know they’re involved in a competition with me, and they’ve unknowingly provided me with a goal that I will work toward to either measure up to them or beat them at their own game.

I said I wasn’t proud.

Recently, I’ve decided to turn this around and work with my friends to improve ourselves together. I’ve enlisted a couple of friends who I’m not secretly (and selfishly) competing with but, rather, encouraging as they encourage me and being an example for them as they are for me.

My friend Courtney is one of the best. She is the only person I know who gives me an honest answer when I ask a question.

We share similar fitness goals, like the same kind of healthy foods, have the same fitness and healthy eating struggles and the same things that hold us back. Her commitment to her workouts (I wrote about her and her 5:30 a.m. workouts previously) inspires me.

I don’t see Courtney as often as I’d like, but we talk several times a day. She is my emotional motivator, who is just a text, e-mail or call away.

I work with my friend Stacey. When we’re both healthy, I’m guaranteed to see her five days a week. We, too, have the same struggles and often complain throughout the morning about how tired we are and how we don’t want to work out that day.

Stacey, though, is up for trying any exercise and is a lot of fun. She is my physical motivator. Her office is just down the hall so she can sneak a peek to check if I’m eating a healthy lunch and tells me she’ll meet me at the gym when noon rolls around even when we’ve been dreading it.

Sometimes, I hate them— I hate when they’re right. Yes, Courtney, I know I should workout because I don’t want to get “fat again.” No, Stacey, I don’t need that donut that’s staring me down during this meeting. I love them, though, for being there.

Since seriously recruiting these two as my motivational buddies, I’ve felt like I have people to push me toward great things — a great me. I can’t let them down.

I look to Courtney and Stacey because they’re honest and very similar to me. Our goals align and our weaknesses are similar. I think this helps us all help each other. I know they know what I’m going through and vice versa.

Hopefully, I’m providing the same benefit to each one of them. I’m trying.

I encourage you to pick someone or a few people like I have to motivate you. It can be someone you look up to who has accomplished the things you’d like to accomplish, though I felt that would leave me in the dust, or someone, like Courtney or Stacey, who’s right there with you in the same boat.