Why Accountability Is The Key To Achieving Your Goals
What’s the secret to achieving your goals?
Many people may find it easy to identify the goals they want to achieve, and how they can achieve them. However, what gets most people stuck is the follow-through. Are your goals the same as they were last year, or the year before that? Do you get apprehensive when you consider how you can finally achieve the goal you’ve been wanting for so long? There’s no need to be nervous. This year can, and will, be different from last year if you understand and accept accountability.
What is accountability, and why is it so important?
There is one thing all successful people have in common: accountability. Simply put, accountability is accepting ownership and taking responsibility for your actions. Holding yourself accountable for something is to accept that you are answerable and liable for that task, and the results of your choices. The concept may seem straightforward, but you’d be surprised by how many people struggle to maintain accountability, and as a result, fail to accomplish the results they want. So, let’s break down some of the steps to accountability.
First, you must accept where you are now. Accepting the reality of your starting point allows you to create specific and attainable tasks that will help you reach your main goal. This also alleviates some of the stress and pressure that comes with pursuing a goal that you’ve had for a long time. For example, let’s say your goal is to earn $1,000 profit a month with your business. If you are currently making about $100 a month, it can easily feel overwhelming when you think about how to jump from $100 to $1,000. However, when you accept where you currently are, you will be able to make specific and attainable steps to get you to $1,000 a month. Realizing that you are starting with $100 a month, you can set actionable steps, like posting consistently on social media three times a week or creating a new email marketing campaign to reach new and existing customers. Accepting your starting point is the first step of accountability.
Next, find an accountability partner. I highly recommend finding an accountability partner to keep you on track while pursuing your goals. Having another person to answer to when it comes to achieving our goals helps us take ownership and full responsibility for our actions. When we don’t have an accountability partner, it can be easy to procrastinate or fall behind in our goal-getting tasks. Knowing that you have someone who cares about your progress, someone who’ll ask you what you accomplished today or why you didn’t complete a task, will inspire you to dig deeper and push forward toward your goal. When looking for an accountability partner, it would be ideal to find someone who is pursuing or has achieved a similar goal, because they can better motivate and relate to you. However, you can also ask any trusted friend or family member to be your accountability partner.
Lastly, you want to commit and be patient. Having an accountability partner helps us show up for ourselves while we’re pursuing our goals, but achieving a new goal is still hard work. Ultimately, we must believe in ourselves and our capabilities. Some days may be more frustrating than others, but we must remember to take it day by day. Pursuing a new goal requires a new commitment each morning. When you wake up, ask yourself: What will I do today to be one step closer to achieve my goal? Be patient. Achieving a new goal may require you to reframe old habits or renew your mindset. Those things take time. Relish the little accomplishments and don’t be too hard on yourself. Achieving goals is as much about the journey as it is about the end result.
Now that you know about accountability, I encourage you to go out and find clubs/groups associated with your goals. Join a Facebook group, attend a webinar, take a class. Find like-minded people to connect with. People who can relate to and inspire you, and vice versa. Remember the steps to accountability, find your partner, and get to work!