The Important Decision to Find An Accountable Partner

A few months ago, I read the words, accountable partner, for the first time. I didn’t know who this person was. I thought it had to do with the financial department of a company. Yet I found out that if you want to achieve your goals, one of the most important relationships you need to develop is with an accountable partner, because he keeps you on track with your plans and commitment, and holds you responsible for meeting deadlines and making progress.

I think it is difficult to become distracted from your goals if you know that once a week you have to write or tell someone, “Hey, I didn’t do what I planned to do”. I would feel ashamed or embarrassed. Somehow, when you work with an accountable partner, you force yourself into a difficult situation.

After I realized I needed this kind of help, I started considering where to find it. My plans are very important for me, but I didn’t want to spend too much money, and I was afraid of not finding the right person, someone I could trust. I started thinking about my family members, but they say it is better if this person is not a member of your family or a friend because you might start talking about your goals and move the conversation on any other subject. Or they might influence you with sentences like, “Are you sure it is suitable for you? Is it really what you want?” I have heard these kinds of sentences so many times that I avoid talking about a lot of new ideas I have. And I might be embarrassed in sharing my most secret plans.

So, I took courage and spoke to a girlfriend who was studying to become a coach and who was so nice as to encourage me. We had just a few conversations about my goal, but she helped me see it in a clearer way. She advised me on the steps to take, and I took some of them because I knew she would ask me, and I trusted her. If she advised me to do it, then it was correct. I didn’t completely follow her advice since some ideas were not suitable for me, but I wouldn’t have completed the task and felt satisfied with me without knowing that she was by my side.

Then a coach offered a weekly email in which I could state my weekly progress. I agreed with it and I am still practicing it. I hope she continues and doesn’t leave me behind). The interesting part is that I do it all by myself: I plan, follow the plan, and I am more concentrated on time that goes by, so I think ‘It is already Wednesday, I have to hurry or by the time I write here I will not have finished’. It’s like forcing myself into daily deadlines, and the most important deadline is the weekly email. I update her about previous commitments and declare future goals. It is just the fact of doing it that keeps me going.

I don’t know who the most suitable accountable partner could be, but you need to find someone who is interested in your growth, and who keeps his agreement with you. If you make excuses not to keep your plan or if you happen not to keep your commitment, he listens and challenges you to continue. Like a mother or a father! He encourages you when you feel like quitting, and he celebrates your successes. It also makes your aspirations seem more achievable.

When I have set goals in the past, I found it hard to keep focused and move forward if I faced obstacles or wasn’t achieving as much success as I wanted.

I know it is very difficult, but ask yourself: what would you like to do? What is your next dream? Are you ready to go for it, or maybe it is just a dream? Unfortunately, I can’t think of a plan which has no fatigue, obstacles, and disappointments. All of them are negative emotions, which makes us feel bad. And maybe we might fail. I know how easy it is to dream and avoid any effort, just to escape the reality of not winning at it. But now that thanks to my accountable partner I am following daily plans to realize something different, I feel more energetic and happier about myself, I think one day I will tell myself, “At least I tried”.