What can I say about accountability that may inspire and empower you? What is it about accountability that really makes us commit to the things we want to create in our lives? Why does accountability matter?
If you ask me, it’s the one thing that keeps me on my toes, it holds me to my word, to the things I say I want to do in my life. It also shows me where I’m lying to myself or where I am out of alignment with my priorities.
Accountability is actually quite simple and like most simple things, we like to make it more complicated. At the end of the day, it’s about being able to “account” for. Meaning you can tally up why you are where you’re at in life, at work, in a relationship. You look at your result and you can connect how you got there without blaming anyone else or victimizing yourself.
It’s quite empowering if you are willing to take a look and take ownership of your life. When it comes to accountability, you make the rules, you decide what it is you want to accomplish, how long that’s going to take, and the steps you’re going to take.
After you’re clear on that, let’s use the example of running a 5K.
When I decided to do this, I got very real with myself. I wasn’t a “runner,” I hadn’t worked out consistently in over six months and I had a whole bunch of reasons why I didn’t have time for this. Accountability check, step 1, complete. I was holding myself accountable for being out of shape. Cool!
Now I could move on to the fun stuff, setting myself up for success. I looked for 5K runs two months out (Also knowing that my ability to focus on something is about 4-6 weeks) and so I found one that matched the dates I was available. Locked and loaded, now I knew I had committed!
What do we do once we have challenged ourselves with something and committed to getting it done? We call up that friend who we know calls us out on our BS and supports us unconditionally. And so I called my friend and I told her what I was up to. I was going to train by running 30 minutes three times a week and asked her to hold me accountable.
She accepted and we agreed that I would send her a sweaty picture of me after each run. In this particular case, I was so committed, I even added that if I didn’t keep my word, I’d have to massage her feet. Accountability Game On!
Not only did she keep me accountable, but she also became my cheerleader. I felt so empowered and supported. It felt good to be my word and do the things I said I was going to do. Needless to say, I ran my 5K and took my friend out to dinner to celebrate!
That’s how easy and fun accountability can be. It takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it and have the right group of people supporting you, prepare for lift-off. You will be so surprised at all the things you get done as well as what you learn about yourself. Like maybe that thing you said you really wanted to do, isn’t the truth and by putting it on the accountability list and taking a spin, you gain clarity and let go of it. Making room for the things that really matter, helps you grow and take you to the next level.
So if you’re not in an accountability group of some sort, you might want to think about joining one, especially for those New Years’ resolution goals!
If you have any questions feel free to reach out Anima… Until then, much love always!
– Marianna Lopez
