“Accountability is the cornerstone of success. You cannot have one without the other!” ~Joe Contrera
Most folks want to be successful. And, if we were being completely honest, most of us would also like for success to happen easily.
Afterall, isn’t that why we buy lottery tickets, read self-help books, dream about a side-hustle, writing a best-seller, or starting our own business?
Imagine, if you could simply wave a magic wand and create your dream life in seconds…what would you wish for?
Wishing Upon A Star?
Seriously, what would you wish for? Exotic cars, amazing houses, fabulous vacations, traveling the world, epic love, financial freedom, health, etc.? Would you wish for world peace?
Whatever your dreams are, deep down you know that success doesn’t happen just because you buy a lottery ticket or you read, Think & Grow Rich, The Richest Man in Babylon, or Atomic Habits? Right?
Watching & Wishing vs. Doing?
You also know that watching American Idol or America’s Got Talent from your couch is not the same as working your butt off to perfect your talent, your gifts, your genius, or your skills.
And yet, most of us never seem to reach the level of success we want. We fail to consistently execute all of the components required to statistically increase the probability of our success.
Those Being:
- Clarity of our vision or our goals, having laser-like focus about what we really want.
- A Well-Defined Plan that is attainable, achievable, and measurable.
- Consistent Execution and the willingness to discipline ourselves over a long period of time.
- Accountability that keeps us on track and helps us to get back on track when we deviate off the path.
Doesn’t it seem that at any given time we are able to accomplish 2 or 3 of the 4? The challenge is that the magic comes from the consistent execution of all four components.
Hold Me…Accountable!
For me, the most difficult of the four is Accountability which can directly tie into the consistent execution aspect.
Here’s why I think Accountability can be so challenging:
- First, I think it is difficult to commit to being held accountable. It requires a willingness to be vulnerable, a surrendering of sorts as well as asking for help which isn’t in my vocabulary.
- Second, I think it is rare to find the right person or group of people who challenge you, question you, praise you, guide you, help you get back up on your feet when you fall down, and love you enough to tell you the truth. The whole truth and nothing but the truth!
- Third, without accountability, I find it difficult to execute consistently or to stay disciplined. Left to my own devices I can get easily distracted.
Are You List-full?
It is easy to sit down and make a list of our goals. In fact, most of us have multiple lists of goals tucked away in our desk drawers or journals. We can create a plan and start executing our plan. We can even hold ourselves accountable, for awhile.
However, when I don’t have someone to hold me accountable it seems like it is just a matter of time before I get distracted and veer off the path. It is like driving a car and letting go of the steering wheel. I don’t crash immediately…but I do crash eventually.
Can anyone else relate to this or am I the only one who sometimes struggles here? And it is not always in my business but in my personal life as well.
I have friends who religiously go to the gym and would never miss. I have to have a personal trainer to hold my feet to the fire. In fact, I have two folks who hold me accountable for working out. My personal trainer and my wife Tracey, I’m not sure which one is tougher.
Holding It All Together
Accountability and having an Accountability Partner is the glue that holds it all together. They bind all 4 components together which definitively increases the probability of achieving success.
Accountability gets you back on track when you need a pat on the rump when you succeed and a kick in the pants when you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself. It is the encouragement to keep going and to play BIG when you get discouraged!
Accountability & Success…You Can’t Have One Without the Other!
So what about you?
Who’s holding you accountable?
Do you need a little help… click here
