Have you ever told someone that you'd do something and then as it got closer to the time to do the thing you felt bad because you weren't keeping your word? Well, that's the power of accountability in action.
I like to use accountability as a motivation support because it helps to keep me honest. In fact I'm so into it that the other day when I told someone that I was going to run 6 miles and then only ran 5.5 miles I told them that I didn't run the whole six. They shrugged their shoulders like it was no big deal, but it mattered to me that I was forthcoming and truthful about what actually occurred.
You can use accountability to help you stay on track with virtually all of your goals. There are lots of online accountability support groups if you want to go that route.
You can also go the old fashioned route of getting yourself an accountability partner. This is typically a two way partnership. You are there to hold the other person accountable to what they've stated and they do the same for you.
An accountability partner works well for lots of things like studying, weight loss, eating right, working out. I'm going to start intensely training for a marathon and I'll be using my accountability partner to help me stay focused and committed to my goal. You can set up a time where you will check in with each other via phone or email once a week or even daily if that schedule will suit the needs of you both. During your communication you can keep it brief and even set a rule that the check in time is only for sharing whether or not you've kept your word.
You don't want to fall into using that time to discuss the difficulty you may be having with staying accountable. If you've fallen off the horse, just get back up, get on and go forward again with persistence in hand.
No matter what route you take, whether it be a partner or an online tool, you can use accountability to help you stay focused and committed to doing the things you want to do. It's a terrific tool to add to your motivation solutions tool box.
How are you using accountability? Is this a good tool for you? Share in the comments section below.
Remember to do your happy dance. Enjoy life!
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