Who is going to make sure you don’t quit? There is a distinct personality type that are self driven and even those individuals need someone to push them harder. We are naturally creatures of habit. When we are trying to change something or start something new it is not easy. I have found that personally I am very driven, but also pushing others it actually pushes me. We all need people pouring into us and at the same time I believe you need to be pouring into others.
Chapter 3 of Start Balancing, goes into detail of how much it can makes a difference. I am going to talk today about who holds me accountable to help give you an idea of how to use this method in your life. Can I get a holla? Who is with me on trying to make things happen?
First and foremost I feel like in order to have an effective accountability partner it needs to be someone with similar interests. It also helps if they have different personality traits, for example your weaknesses are their strength and vice versa. These differences can then become an asset to you. Accountability is just that, “an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.” I really think everyone needs someone.
At the end of the day the ONLY person that can create change in your life is YOU! You have to stop making excuses, saying next Monday, next week and just make things happen! But it helps to have people on your “team” for support. Here are some of the areas of my life that I have established accountability and who hold me responsible.
- Family goals and travel: We (My husband and I) sit down every year and talk about what we want to accomplish for the following year. For travel, budgeting and our children we make a team effort to make that happen. My husband sold his business 5 years ago and went back to college. He graduated this past year and got a residency and full-time job. Our lives have been full of transitions and milestones and has taken us both to make our family unit work. My husband has a more type B personality and NOT a planner and I am the polar opposite. I live off lists and making a plan. I know that my strength is implementation, so that is my responsibility. He is a key person in this process that helps makes it happen. It also helps to set expectations to my not “planner” husband when it comes to budgets, expectations, etc.
- Business. I feel like there are multiple people here. First and foremost is my business partner. I was a solo entrepreneur for 7 years prior to STARTplanner and I “show up” so much more when there are others leaning on me. Part of me pushing myself is me pushing them if that makes sense. So Jenny my biggest accountability partner, is all the way across the country in Portland Oregon. We have monthly, sometimes weekly budgeting, marketing, and forecasting sessions. I am the business visionary, and numbers gal, while she is the brand, marketing and design guru. Together we help carry the load of running a company which is not always a 9-5 job. Actually, it is never a 9-5 job. ???? We also have legal advisors for our business, our trademarks, accountants, and of course employees that hold us accountable in different areas of the business.
- Personal Finances. I use my Planner for budgeting my home finances. I am going to break down budgeting in a blog post in detail soon because I know that is something you would like to see. My husband and my financial advisors hold me accountable in this aspect of my life. The one thing we have done really well is strategically budget so we can live a debt free life. The one thing we don’t or haven’t done well is diversify and this is a big goal for us in 2018. Once I set a goal I am steadfast on making it happen! It is like a game to try to achieve it, I hustle to make it happen to beat myself! Yes, I like a little competition with myself and it never hurt anybody! Totally reward yourself along the way, but you HAVE to make a plan for Personal Finances, which in my opinion is one of the most valuable aspects of our planners. More on budgeting soon!
- Health. Our society has “sickcare”, not healthcare. I have 4 people that I advise and lean on for my health. Yes seriously. If you are not healthy you are not productive and this might come at you as crazy but it’s not!!
1. I have a doctor that also practices alternative medicine. Instead of throwing antibiotics at everything, they help with what I am eating, my supplements and overall health to achieve wellness. This practice also has a nutritionist that I am able coordinate with. I have had to modify my diet and that was not easy at first, but eventually became very helpful. I know at this point what I can eat to fuel my body and what I should be avoiding, but this is something I had to learn and break some bad bad habits I grew up with.
2. Chiropractic care. Our spine is the lifeline to all parts of our body! I work with a local Chiropractor to receive adjustments and practice different techniques that will help with posture.
3. Gym. I work out in a group setting with trainers that know and push me. I respond to positive feedback and I also like pushing others. Group class settings are perfect for me to take care of and condition my body! I have been out of the gym for about a month because of my surgery and I can not wait to get back! 
4. Acupuncture. This is a new and recent love. I am a believer in acupuncture! For overall body systems function, alignment and wellness. I have been seeing an acupuncturist on a regular basis to keep me running at my peak!
5. Mentally taking breaks. I am going to touch on that with the next point. This includes having friends in your life that help you balance and that help push you. A therapist can also help with yourself and/or the relationships in your life. Seeing a counselor is a proactive thing!
6. Friends. These are the ones that know me the best and also know that I can tend to be hard on myself and forget to walk away from always striving for the next thing. Friends pour into your life and are an investment that you just can’t replace. We all need community and positive friendships. Love on the people in your life that are your friends and part of your tribe!
Now that we have talked about some of the ways I have accountability in my life, here are some ways to make them effective in holding you responsible.
1. Pick dates and times to meet and put it on the calendar. Make it a routine!2.Picking the right person for the right goal like mentioned above.
3.Pick where you are going to meet and how. Could be through Skype or in person. Pick what works best for your life and schedule.
4.Line out expectations and who is responsible for what. What is the end goal? This is the most important part!
I hope this will give you some good examples of accountability. It might take time to establish. You might do better in face to face meetings or you might rock it out over Skype which I do often. The biggest thing is just to have people in your life that know who you are and are willing to invest in you, to make YOU better and you do the same in return!
