Redefining Accountability

Let's be honest with ourselves right now. How many of us cringe at the word: accountability. I think most of us would be raising our hand right now and probably for a variety of reasons. Maybe you're burnt out on that word, maybe it's the vulnerability required, or maybe you just don't think it's necessary. I get it, that word is hard for me too.

Accountability has single-handedly been the most difficult part of my life. And it's not because I don't want somebody else to ask what or how I'm doing, I open-armed welcome that. It's because I haven't actually known what I want to be doing. I know at this point it probably sounds like a broken record of the same singular question being asked over and over and over again. “What do you want?” But I have to admit, the more that I focus on this question the more I realize that accountability is just that.

That's why I have adopted a new definition of accountability that is: being reminded of what I want. When I think about the people in my life who are going to hold me accountable, all I'm thinking about is who are the people that can remind me of what I want. Since shifting my focus on accountability, it has given me the opportunity to understand that when someone asked me if I worked out, or if I wrote down my goals or if I invested money, what they are actually asking me is that I do that thing that I said I wanted to do.

This has been a life-changing shift for me. So if you think back a couple of weeks ago when we begin to define our “I want” statements, that allows us to begin to understand how we want to be held accountable. So my question for you is, once you to find what you want, who in your life can simply ask you if that is in fact true? Who can you identify that will consistently ask you if that is still what you want?

Accountability is not being told we are wrong, accountability is not being reminded of our failures, accountability is simply being reminded of what we want. So give yourself grace, what we want to change it from time to time and therefore what we are being held accountable team is going to change as well. Life is fluid. Goals can be fluid. Accountability is simple. What do you want?