Accountability May Be the Ultimate Key to Success

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ow are you keeping track of your efforts? (Food journal, fitness app, regular weigh-ins with a nutritionist???)</li><li>What new lifestyle habits are you acquiring to keep you on track to maintain your desired weight when reach your goal?</li></ul><p id="80b7">Are you determined to excel in your career?</p><ul><li>What is your ultimate dream job?</li><li>Is that job achievable in your current employment situation or will you need to change jobs/employers along the way to the top?</li><li>What is the next job opportunity you need to snatch up to keep you on track?</li><li>What additional training or skills do you need to work on right now?</li></ul><p id="27ba">Do you want to be a writer — or a better/more prolific writer?</p><ul><li>How many words will you write today?</li><li>How much time will you devote to keeping your butt in the chair with your laptop/notebook/writing tools in front of you?</li><li>What do you want to say? How will you reach your audience?</li><li>How much money have you earned from your efforts?</li><li>How can you improve your efforts/skills to increase that amount next month? Next year? In the next five years?</li></ul><p id="1e7c">The answers to any of those questions (and a thousand more) require a specific response. If you don’t know where you are on your goal continuum or how far you’ve come from the beginning, how will you ever recognize success?

Your goals may be different from mine. They may be different from those of everyone else on the planet. They all have one thing in common — <b>ALL goals require a level and measurement of accountability.</b>

When it comes to achieving your goals, taking a good talk will not get you far enough. You always have to be moving forward or you will fall behind. The world is always moving forward — with or without your conscious effort to keep up. Remaining stagnant isn’t really an option.

You always need to measure your levels of progress. You need to be accountable — to yourself, of course — but also to some outside parameter that can be measured quantitatively. How else will you know if today looks any different from last week or last month?

It’s all too easy to lie to yourself (and others) if you move along willy-nilly throughout life.</p><figure id="6901"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*wV-cDKPhTXWoJpzS"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@viniciusamano?utm_source=medium&utm_mediu

Options

m=referral">Vinicius Amano</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><p id="dc13">“Yes, that’s right. I’m writing my novel. Just waiting for the right inspiration to kick in and get me to the finish line.” (Meanwhile, you’ve been stuck on page 3 for a month and a half but you haven’t really noticed your lack of progress because you aren’t tracking anything)</p><p id="f070">“I’m going to lose this extra weight. Sure, this is my ‘cheat’ day, but I’ll get back to it tomorrow.” (Tomorrow never comes. True change comes from lifestyle changes, not making excuses for ‘cheat’ days)

“I want to be VP in my company. I’m sure they’ll see what I great choice I am sooner or later.” (If you’re not kicking butt today, when are you planning to start? Networking and skill improvements will get you further than wishful thinking.)</p><p id="b0a3">If you want to get where you think you’re going, you need to start now. Actually, you probably needed to start yesterday but, as the Chinese proverb states — “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today.”

Plant that tree. Watch it grow. And take accurate measurements along the way.</p><p id="23d7"><b>RECENT STORIES</b></p><div id="3a19" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/to-be-the-best-you-have-the-best-friends-e16010bf463"> <div> <div> <h2>To Be the Best You, Have the Best Friends</h2> <div><h3>Surround yourself with people who share your values.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*nhb-OOvpiyrcXBSS)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="3f45" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/do-it-anyway-3399f5fe0af1"> <div> <div> <h2>Do It Anyway</h2> <div><h3>It’s Hard. It Hurts. It’s an Uphill Battle — Do It Anyway.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*Vy9zcJOGbj2aE2Bn)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Everybody needs a bean counter.

What are you trying to accomplish in your life? Is your goal straight-forward and simple? Or convoluted and complex? Some of the more likely goals you may have set for yourself might include:

Finish your college degree

Lose weight

Achieve a certain level of success and promotion in your career

If you are (or want to be) a writer, your goals may look something like this:

Write everyday

Write a specific number of words/pages/articles in a given time frame

Attract a positive following for your writing

Earn money (maybe lots of it) from your writing efforts

You can easily add line items to any goal categories and probably build more goal lists of your own. Our life goals can encompass any facet of living imaginable, from basic lifestyle changes to total world domination. The goals we seek may be vastly different, but they all have one critical element in common. Every Goal Must Have a Measurable Form of Accountability Attached to it. Do you want to complete your degree?

How are your grades? How can you improve your grades?

Are you taking the right block of courses to achieve the desired degree? You must be focused in on what’s important.

How many courses are you currently enrolled in?

Do you have a mentor or counselor to keep you on track?

Do you want to lose weight? (I can see the hands raise now)

How much weight do you want to lose?

What diet/exercise program will help you achieve your goal?

How are you keeping track of your efforts? (Food journal, fitness app, regular weigh-ins with a nutritionist???)

What new lifestyle habits are you acquiring to keep you on track to maintain your desired weight when reach your goal?

Are you determined to excel in your career?

What is your ultimate dream job?

Is that job achievable in your current employment situation or will you need to change jobs/employers along the way to the top?

What is the next job opportunity you need to snatch up to keep you on track?

What additional training or skills do you need to work on right now?

Do you want to be a writer — or a better/more prolific writer?

How many words will you write today?

How much time will you devote to keeping your butt in the chair with your laptop/notebook/writing tools in front of you?

What do you want to say? How will you reach your audience?

How much money have you earned from your efforts?

How can you improve your efforts/skills to increase that amount next month? Next year? In the next five years?

The answers to any of those questions (and a thousand more) require a specific response. If you don’t know where you are on your goal continuum or how far you’ve come from the beginning, how will you ever recognize success? Your goals may be different from mine. They may be different from those of everyone else on the planet. They all have one thing in common — ALL goals require a level and measurement of accountability. When it comes to achieving your goals, taking a good talk will not get you far enough. You always have to be moving forward or you will fall behind. The world is always moving forward — with or without your conscious effort to keep up. Remaining stagnant isn’t really an option. You always need to measure your levels of progress. You need to be accountable — to yourself, of course — but also to some outside parameter that can be measured quantitatively. How else will you know if today looks any different from last week or last month? It’s all too easy to lie to yourself (and others) if you move along willy-nilly throughout life.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m writing my novel. Just waiting for the right inspiration to kick in and get me to the finish line.” (Meanwhile, you’ve been stuck on page 3 for a month and a half but you haven’t really noticed your lack of progress because you aren’t tracking anything)

“I’m going to lose this extra weight. Sure, this is my ‘cheat’ day, but I’ll get back to it tomorrow.” (Tomorrow never comes. True change comes from lifestyle changes, not making excuses for ‘cheat’ days) “I want to be VP in my company. I’m sure they’ll see what I great choice I am sooner or later.” (If you’re not kicking butt today, when are you planning to start? Networking and skill improvements will get you further than wishful thinking.)

If you want to get where you think you’re going, you need to start now. Actually, you probably needed to start yesterday but, as the Chinese proverb states — “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today.” Plant that tree. Watch it grow. And take accurate measurements along the way.

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