I did not make life easy for my parents.

During my toddler years, they worried over my introversion. During my junior high/high school years, they worried over my fiery temper. During my college years, they worried throughout the course of an abusive relationship I couldn’t bring myself to leave, and then worried some more when I fell into a deep depression and dropped out of college. (I eventually went back to [a different] school and earned my degree.) Post-college, they passed me onto a possibly masochistic husband with a sigh of relief, but still couldn’t help but worry over all my ups, downs, and interminable plateaus.

Throughout the duration, they’ve (for some wild reason) continued to support me in everything I do.

This past year, I’ve been a bit…down.

I was researching career coaching certification programs almost a year ago when the newspaper I was working for folded, leaving me unable to afford the path I had plotted out for myself. As time went on, I was unable to regain the income I’d lost, despite the progress I did make breaking into new writing markets. A couple of months ago, my regular income dropped even more.

Lately, I’ve felt stuck. Unable to save money, I’ve watched my certification plans slip away, seeming more and more distant every month. It’s something I’ve never lost interest in but, every month, it’s felt more impossible.

This morning, when my mother came for her weekly coffee-and-a-bagel visit, I was feeling particularly despondent. I explained my frustration to her. Later on in the afternoon, my mother called on the phone, stating that she and my dad had discussed things, and wanted to offer me a zero-interest loan for the certification program.

I’ve been feeling a mix of emotions since:

Shame:

I’m a failure, aren’t I?

On the brink of 29, why can’t I fend for myself? And why haven’t they thrown their hands up in disgust by now and walked away?

Fear:

I’m terrified, really.

While I’ve always felt fairly confident that I could make wonderful things happen once I had my certification…what happens if I don’t? What happens if I fail?

It’s one thing to fail with my own money. It’s another thing entirely to fail with theirs.

Gratitude:

I feel like crying. I have been crying. I feel as if my heart could burst.

This is my family, and they would do anything for me. Knowing this blows me away.

…

I’m curious: Do you think less of me now? Have you ever had to put aside your pride and lay yourself at someone else’s feet?

Am I doing the right thing if I accept?

Related: Finding Someone to Drag You to the Finish Line

[Photo via]

This past weekend, I traveled to Boston to see my father-in-law run in the marathon. It was my first marathon ever, and I wasn’t quite sure what it would be like watching a group of people run by.

My husband, my mother-in-law, and I set up shop about 100 yards from the finish line, right outside the Prudential Center and a block or two away from the library. We were lucky enough to get a spot right at the barrier, where I stood poised with my camera, waiting for our runner.

Next to us was a woman with…um…a loud mouth. I wasn’t sure if she was there to see anyone in particular, but she cheered on just about every runner who went past us, referring to the names on the fronts of their shirts.

“Yeah Jan! Whooo! Almost there! Yeah Pam and Steve! Whooo! Doing great!” Nonstop. It was a wonder she still had a voice.

Some of the people around us gave her dirty looks, but I just loved the way she broke through to those runners on the last leg of their journey, giving them the strength to make it those last 100 yards.  I was alost overcome by emotion every time one of them broke out of their running reverie and smiled, or gave her a thumbs up. It seemed to me that she was doing those marathoners a great service.

Sometimes, my work day feels like a marathon — one filled with endless blog posts, pitches, interviews, rewrites, edits, and the like — and I wish I had someone to drag me those last few yards to the end. This is where my own personal freelance support group comes in handy.

While freelancing may often seem like a solitary endeavor, it helps to have a community of supporters who will keep you on track, keep you motivated, share their knowledge with you and, above all, believe in you.

Where I Go For Support:

My Blog Readers:

If you’re blogging (and I know that many of you are), I would hope you’re not just blindly blogging into the abyss. A blog post is merely the start of a conversation, and it benefits both you and your readers if you continue to participate in that conversation in the comments section, on a forum, etc.  Make an effort to connect and interact with your readers, by asking them questions, featuring them within your posts, shooting them personal e-mails, etc.

Twitter:

I started out using Twitter as a marketing tool. I didn’t realize that it would turn into the ultimate networking tool. When I’m holed up in my condo with nobody (but my three cats) to talk to, my Twitter followers will listen to my laments about my dwindling coffee supply, help me find story sources, spread my blog posts and articles, and generally provide me with the next closest thing to human contact and conversation. As with your blog, make sure you’re not just broadcasting. Engage your followers, and you will build a support group to rival all others.

UPOD:

Several freelancers suggested I join UPOD, a Yahoo group for professional writers and editors. The members are a great resource when I have a question to ask or a source to track down. In return, I try to answer their questions as best I can, always in awe of the breadth of talent and experience in evidence around me. There are a ton of Google, Yahoo,  and MeetUp groups to search for, or you can join a professional organization, such as Freelance Success, National Writers Union, etc.

Friends and Family:

My parents have always been good enough to support every crazy endeavor I took it upon myself to achieve. When I was published in my very first glossy magazine — Playgirl – my mom made photocopies and handed them out to her friends. I am so lucky to have them. My husband likewise supports me (in more ways than one). As risk-averse as he is, he gave me the go-ahead to leave my staff job at a book publisher and do freelancing full-time. He is continued to believe in me ever since.

It’s tough to get the friends and fam on board when you make such a drastic change in your life, but damn does it help if you succeed. Be open to listening to their questions and concerns, and address them as best you can. Chances are, they’re only skeptical because they love you and worry about you. Put their worries to rest and you’ll have close supporters for life.

Related:  Using Twitter to Achieve World Domination (In Your Field), Build Your Own: Writing Group, How to Market Yourself: Getting Out More