Dec 26, 20223 min read

Accountability = Respons-ability

What does it mean to be ACCOUNTABLE?

For me it means having something or someone who calls me out when I haven't done the stuff I said I wanted to do.

Notice I said two key points there: 'haven't done' and 'I wanted to do'

Because that's the thing, we all say there's things we dream of doing, or want to do, but we don't actually do any of it. Maybe we dip our two in every once in a while, but most of us sleepwalk through our lives, spending our days complaining about all the things we could change, but we don't.

Reflecting back on this past year!

As we round of 2022, I have started to do a lot of reflection on where I was at the start of this year, where I was, and where I am now. I set a lot of goals, both big, and small in January, some happened, some looked different to what I imagined, and some never made it passed the page I wrote them down on.

So I stopped and thought about it. Why didn't they go further than that page? Was I too busy? Too lazy?

Or was it in fact, a mix of a few things:

No plan of action to actually achieve the goal
No-one, or nothing to hold me accountable for going for it

It's different for all of us

In certain areas of my life, I am my own accountability buddy! I am good at motivating myself when it comes to exercising, eating healthy, going to work on time, keeping my tidy, and so on. Somethings I'm not as good at being accountable to myself for are, business activities, reflecting on a weekly basis (or even monthly), and self sabotaging behaviours.

A lot of people I speak to are the same, they can motivate themselves with somethings and not others. Then there are some people who find it challenging to hold themselves accountable for anything, and that's ok!

Learning to be self-disciplined takes work, it takes being in the right mindset, and choosing to do the work to keep you in that mindset. If you are someone who struggles to be accountable, then I encourage you to do this too:

Reflect on 2022 and really be honest with yourself about why you aren't where you want to be
Journal on why you want 2023 to be different, and what your goals are
Be honest with yourself! If you aren't good at being accountable to yourself, then bring in help.

Accountability Buddies

There are so many different ways to create accountability into your life, you just need to find what works for you. Remember, this might vary depending on the goal you are going for.

Get a coach! You can get a coach for ANYTHING nowadays, which is awesome. Find the right one and have regular check ins, so you know someone is holding you accountable.
Friends! My partner started going gym at the same time as his friends in order to make sure he went. Four years later and he is still going!
Partners! Now, sometimes partners can be our biggest supporters, and yet the biggest challenge too. Why not get them to join in with eating healthier, or moving more to help encourage one another.
Trackers! Have an online tracker or app you can check in with for a goal. I have a money tracker on Google sheets so I can see where my money comes and goes.
Social media! Share on your stories what you are up to and check in regularly. Let your audience be your accountability.

So many options for you!

I decided to recommit to working with a coach again for 2023, and to push beyond the 3 month barrier I normally set myself. I actually had my first call on Monday 12th December to discuss how it will work. I now know I will have at least 1 call a month to check in on my goals, and reflect on where I will go with my coach. Just by doing that one simple thing, I feel more accountable and ready to take on this next year.