Account - ability?
Being accountable to ourselves might be the hardest part of accountability. I don’t know about you but when I know I have to show up for a class because I paid for it, I am there even if I do not feel like going. But when I have a piece of writing I need to do, or maybe even want to do, and I don’t feel like doing it, I might not ‘be there’ in the same way.
This tells me a lot about my own ability for accountability. And possibly might help you understand what needs you have to address in order to stay accountable to yourself.
First though, let’s address the question: what is accountability?
Accountability is the fact or condition of being accountable and having responsibility by the true definition. To be accountable means there are expectations to justify your actions or decisions to others. Realistically we all have to hold some level of accountability to you, you, you, you, and you… what I mean by this is to others, to community, to family, to friends, to our workplaces. Where I think it gets harder is when we have to hold this accountability to ourselves. Accountability for you by you, that is the accountability to you, which can be challenging.
Here are my 5 accountability tips:
Invest skin in the game - paying money for something helps keep us accountable to ourselves. Once we put something out, often financially, it often changes and effects how we show up.
Community - sharing with others what you want to achieve while doing the activities with others changes how you show up. This could be in the form of working with others, taking classes with others, or building something with others.
Consistency - a key to showing up for yourself is to make it a routined practice. Chunk time in your schedule each week as work time, rest time, workout time, play time. Whatever it is you are trying to stay accountable to, make it a routine for a period of time that you can stick with. It will make it easier to stick with it when you might not feel like showing up.
Talk about it - tell others what you are working on and aiming to achieve. Once we say it out loud it makes the idea a reality.
Join a group - find others who are also working towards something and meet regularly to make it happen.
Did you know that I have an accountability group that meets every Thursday from 12-1pm PST? You can check out the information on my website here: https://www.isabellehertz.com/community-coaching
Come join our group! You have the ability to have accountability.
Looking for accountability examples? BetterUp published this article about accountability in the workplace and why accountability is important:
https://www.betterup.com/blog/accountability-example
I will provide further accountability examples in a future blog post so stay tuned! In the meantime, join us Thursdays for accountability talk during our one hour accountability group.
