Accountability Partners

Of course, yesterday we talked about goal setting. Today we are talking about being held accountable to our goals. This step is so important, because it is a step towards unlocking our full potential. But, it’s also a step that is often neglected.

First of all, a lot of things that are good for us in life are difficult to do. Take having an accountability partner for example. It’s definitely easy to say that you want one, but it’s another thing to really make it happen.

Here’s 3 reasons why it’s usually a difficult task to make happen:

1. People don’t want to let people in their business.

Some people might not mind this, but this is where I had my trouble at first. The first step is to let you accountability partner how far you really want to let them in. This will save sharing some things that you really wanted to stay away from. Come up with the questions beforehand that you want to be asked through this accountability. You have to be honest with them and yourself for this thing to work though. You know what you need to work on more than anyone else.
The questions I came up with for my accountability partner to ask me have to do with financial, marriage, parenting, exercise, nutritional and sleeping questions. I’ve found that telling someone else that I didn’t do what I said I’d do makes me feel terrible. It makes me want to be better. On the other side of that, being able to tell someone else that I did everything that I said I would feels amazing. It creates discipline where you need it and adds an extra layer of protection for you to achieve your goals. It really does help create the model life that you really want.

2. Most people really don’t want to change.

Again, it’s one thing to say that you want to change and it’s another to actually do it. Mediocrity is obtained when knowing where you stand isn’t where you really want to be, but then doing absolutely nothing about it. Or maybe that’s the definition of stupidity. 😉 Either way, if things aren’t where you want them to be or you have huge goals in life, then you have to begin doing something about it.

3. Most people think they can handle things on their own.

First of all, it isn’t a sign of weakness to ask for help. This is usually a hard thing for most people to admit, so I’ll be the first to tell you that you don’t have all of the answers. Sorry. This is just one reason I love having someone as an accountability partner/mentor. They give me advice that I want and from a fresh perspective. It makes me better to see what someone would do outside of the situation. Because when a situation seems too big, I usually want the easy way out. And the easy way out isn’t usually the best way.

Action Steps:

The question you might have for me now is, “How do I select my accountability partner?”

Great question.

Right now I have one person for every area of life, but you might find you want more than one. That’s actually something I’ve been thinking about changing lately. The reason behind this is that there’s usually not one person that’s great at everything. If there’s someone that excels in an area of life that you need guidance in, then I would look at them being your accountability partner first. Seems easy enough, right?
Well, my first response was to find a really close friend to be that partner, but sometimes I got the answer that I wanted rather than the answer I needed. So, that’s definitely something to think about as you make this decision. If you can find a friend that can REALLY be honest with you, then go for it. That’s what friends are for right?

The second step is to put a date on the calendar! This eludes so many people. If you really want to do something then you have to set a date. With everyone always being busy, if you don’t set a time and place, then you might as well forget about it.

Did I miss anything that you would add to this post?
Do you have a/an accountability partner(s)?
Why did you see that you needed one and how do you like it now?