Accountability – The fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.

In a society where it seems we want things quick and easy, I’ve been contemplating this thing called accountability and it’s role in my life currently. It’s easy for a person to set goals, but how many of us are holding ourselves truly accountable for the goals we set and the dreams we have?

I’ve had the same goal for about four years-lose weight. I even had a hashtag #teamdrop40. Friends of mine have also had the same goal. But those same friends are my eating buddies. See, I am an emotional eater. I eat when I’m happy, sad, bored and/or hormonal. So this goal of dropping the unnecessary weight has yet to manifest because I have not been truly keeping myself accountable for it.

In late 2016, I was working out with a trainer two times a week. This was great and I was seeing progress. But I hit an emotional roadblock when my grandmother passed away in early February 2017. I’ve gained all the weight back plus more and of course, I’ve been eating EVERYTHING. But, this is not going to make my grief hurt any less and, in fact, could make me more depressed because of the weight gain. While some things could be seen as a valid excuse to give yourself a pass on your goals, at the end of the day, you are still accountable for making them happen.

Luke 16:10 – He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

It is great if you can get an accountability partner. With my weight goals, I actually work better if I have someone who is keeping me accountable. But finding someone who can and will truly walk a path with you could prove difficult. When you ask someone to be your accountability partner, be prepared for them to do so. You have just given them the authority to call you out when you’re doing things that are counterproductive to your goal. And don’t waste their time. If you’re not ready to be accountable, then don’t ask someone to keep you accountable.

Choosing an Accountability Partner

Choose someone you trust – If you choose someone you trust, when they call you out, you will receive it in love and not as criticism or negativity. You must really prepare your heart for having an accountability partner and the journey that you’re on. Some of your goals will require you to have someone that you trust or that is close to you as your accountability partner. With other goals, you could have someone who is not as close. You will have to decide based on the goal.

Choose depending on the goal – Some people will be better accountability partners at one goal than other goals you may have. For instance, I may choose someone I know is in to healthy eating and exercise for my weight loss goals. Since I know this type of person is already living the healthy lifestyle that I want to live. For my business goals, I may choose someone who is also an entrepreneur.

Accountability Groups

Accountability groups are another way to stay responsible for your goals. If you have a group of friends, coworkers or even strangers in a Facebook group, this could be a good way to have people walk the journey with you. Having an accountability group is also better for some goals than others. Having an accountability group can be a more formal or relaxed process. When I was working as a project coordinator for an engineering lab, the ladies there would walk in the afternoons. I couldn’t go everyday, but would join when I could. This was a great way to get active and helped me with my health goals. But if I couldn’t make it, the ladies weren’t jumping down my throat because this was a more relaxed type of group. We were united under a common goal – to get active and up from our desks at least once per day.

Romans 14:12 – So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God.

At the end of the day, having an accountability partner of group will NOT matter if you don’t hold yourself responsible for your goals and dreams. This requires you to actually be ready and committed to following through on your goals. I’ve had the same weight loss goal because I have not been fully committed to making it happen. Part of this has been because I have let life happen to me instead of getting in front of life and the other part of it is giving myself too much grace when life does happen. There definitely may be times that we fall off our goals but we cannot stay down for too long. We have to pick ourselves up (and quickly) so that we can achieve the goals we have.

What are some of the ways you keep yourself accountable for your goals and dreams?