I have a friend, let’s call her Annie, who a couple of years ago decided to lose some weight.
She felt that she no longer had the energy to do the things she loved (her WHY) so she set herself a target weight (her WHAT) and joined Weight Watchers (her HOW).
Every Monday morning Annie would weigh in and every Monday night she would post her weight on social media. Horrified at the idea of sharing THAT number with the world, I asked her why she did it.
“It’s to keep me accountable” she later told me.
While this sort of oversharing might scare the pants off most, it worked really well for Annie. You see, she could think of nothing worse than having to tell the world that her “number” had increased. This was her way to ensure she was answerable to someone and that significantly increased her motivation and the likelyhood of her achieving her goal.
That leads us to the last piece of the goal setting puzzle. Step 4 of our goal setting process is Accountability.
Accountability is all about being held responsible. It’s what seperates the dreamers from the achievers. Did you know that according to a US study, if you decide to join the gym on your own you have a 43% chance of dropping out. Compare that to your mates who go together and drop out just a 6.3% of the time.
Mates who train together, gain together!
Of course, thats what makes places like F45 and CrossFit so successful. They sell a feeling of community and it’s that community thats going to keep you accountable for coming back day after day.
Even at 5.15am!
Dr Stephen Covey said “Accountability breeds response-ability.” And as with everything else he’s said, he’s right. Accountability is the is the petrol in your tank and your goals, much like your car, can have all the latest bells and whistles but without the right fuel, it’s not going to get very far.
“Accountability is the petrol in your goal setting tank.”
So how do you create accountability? Well it’s as easy as 1,2,3!
- First, be accountable to you! Set frequent goal check ins. Set them as often as works for you. For me it’s every 3 months but you might like then to be monthly check ins or even weekly check ins depending on your goal.
- Be accountable to others. Create some form of accountability by letting others know what you’re doing. Achieve your goal with a buddy, tell your mates, share it with your mentor, what ever works for you. The main thing is that it’s someone you trust and it’s someone who will give you the feedback you need.
- Make it fun. Accountability doesn’t have to be a dirty word. Set yourself milestones and reward yourself for hitting them.
So there you have it, 4 steps to Goal Setting Success.
Let’s recap with a goal I set myself this year — to write more.
- My WHY — I want to help people reach their potential and I feel that writing is a good medium to do that.
- My WHAT — At the end of 2018 I have written 1 micro blog (5 minute read) per week
- My HOW — (a) Write for 1 hour per day, 3 days per week. (b) Join Medium. (c) upload TO Medium and share on my own social media each week.
- My ACCOUNTABILITY — Quarterly goal check ins and you guys! I’ve told you I’m going to do it so you had better pull me up if I don’t!
So there you have it, I’m diving head first into this brave new world. Writing is a passion for me and I really do value your feedback. Feel free to leave me a note below or connect with me on social media. For now, best of luck achieving your goals and realising your dreams!
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