“Wisdom stems from personal accountability. We all make mistakes; own them… learn from them. Don’t throw away the lesson by blaming others.”
― Steve Maraboli
For all my movers, shakers, and action takers. One of the ways to kick things up a notch when working toward your goals is by increasing your personal accountability to create the life you want to live. This of course applies to careers but can carry over to some many aspects of our lives. Here are 5 tips to help you increase your personal accountability.
- Stay clear about what needs to be accomplished. Not sort of. Not with a bunch of contingencies. Not with a bunch of loopholes. Crystal clear.
- Put parameters and consequences in place. This may sound silly but if there are no repercussions to your lack of action then you are more likely to remain stagnant or blow past deadlines. #itiswhatitis Obviously sh*t happens but if everything is becoming an outlier then you may need to revisit your parameters.
- Verbalize your commitments. Not for validation but to help you stay on track and for motivation when you need it. Tell a friend, family member, a spouse and make sure you trust whoever you share with and you feel that they are someone who wants to see you accomplish your goals
- Be honest with yourself about what you are trying to accomplish. The challenges/roadblocks, how much time you think it will take, are there cost associated, etc. Acknowledging an area of opportunity doesn’t take away from your end goal or progress. It actually helps you put a better plan in place to increase your chances of success.
- Your time is the most important thing you have! Be stingy with your time. This is easier said than done and means you will be using an often underused complete sentence. No. Use your time wisely, minimize distractions, and schedule out your time if you must. And most importantly, follow that schedule! Remember: Scheduling for the sake of scheduling does nothing and good intentions can only go so far.
It may take some time to implement these tips, so no need to do everything at once. You could start by focusing on one per week and then work your way up from there. Remember it’s like building a muscle and trust me you WILL get there!
For more resources and other ways you can couple your personal accountability to drive you toward your career growth, take a peek at my resources page: or my YouTube for additional content!
Onward and Upward!!
TS