When was the last time you accomplished something on your own without any help from anyone whatsoever? That means no one helped you in any way shape or form throughout the entire process.
The truth is, it’s hard to finish anything without some support along the way. Even if you think you’ve accomplished something on your own, chances are someone helped watch your kids, or made you food, or allowed you to be late for work a couple days so that you could achieve your goals.
Support is another piece of every individual’s motivation puzzle. Without it, the you’re far more likely to fail.
How to get support
The first step to finding support is being aware enough about your own habits to know when and where you need help in the first place. Find support around the activities that are going to be hardest for you to stick to on your own. Find support for the pieces of the puzzle you’re least excited about.
The benefits of an accountability partner
Finding an accountability partner is a great way to get support. Ideally, your accountability partner will either be on the same journey with you or be someone you love and trust who will absolutely hold you to your word. You said you were going to lose 15 pounds? This person is going to have a heart-to-heart with you when you start gaining weight instead of losing. This person will exercise with you and help you make healthy choices when it comes to food.
Ideally, your accountability partner is your champion. This person pushes you when you need to be pushed, motivates you when you need an extra dose of motivation, and inspires you by example. This person is also highly encouraging, kind, and compassionate and is your favorite cheerleader on your journey.
What it takes to be an accountability partner
It can be hard to find a person like this, let alone expect someone to step up to such a huge role in your life, but the best part about an accountability partner is that you get to be that person for someone too. Try and find someone who is working on a different goal then you. That way, instead of commiserating together and finding excuses, you’ll help each other instead by providing a slightly more “outsider” perspective. You’ll still know how hard it is to stick to a goal, so you’ll have that in common, but you’ll be accomplishing different activities and moving through different areas of resistance.
Once you’ve chosen an accountability partner, it’s important to get organized and plan when you’ll meet. If you want to make a coffee date out of it, schedule it for Thursday morning every week. If a phone call works better, make sure to put it on your calendar and treat it like the serious phone call it is.
Remember, consistency is key!
If you want to be super-uber organized about the whole thing and you’re 100% committed to achieving your goal in record time then choose a format for how you want your accountability meetings to go. What are you going to discuss in what order and how long are the meetings expected to last? It seems nit-picky, but staying organized will help keep you on track and will make the whole process that much more fun.
So find an accountability partner and then let me know how you plan to help each other through your own positive transformation journey!
