The power of accountability
TL;DR
Fact: you are 95% more likely to reach a goal when you have a plan for accountability 🤯.
Given those odds — and if your goals matter to you — then you owe it to yourself to find and commit to an accountability plan that works for you.
Here we are. Already into month two of 2024.
And this is right about the time where your “January-New-Year-New-You-Resolutions” tend to get stale. Or maybe they feel like a half-empty, tired balloon sitting in the corner of a room?
So sad. 🎈
UNLESS you have created Accountability for you and your goals.
I know, I know…that word again. But as far as I’m concerned, it bears repeating and repeating until it’s a constant in your life. That’s how seriously we take accountability over here at Capes Coaching.
It’s basically our middle name. “Capes Accountability Coaching.” 🤣
Honestly, though. Accountability is EVERYTHING.
We are talking about ensuring follow-through for the things that matter most to you.
Research tells us that you are 95% more likely to reach a goal when you have a plan for accountability.
And, yes, that’s right: ninety...five...percent.
Check out these statistics:
If that’s not reason enough to stop doing your goals alone, I don’t know what is!
Now when it comes to creating your accountability plan, I suggest you keep things very simple and focus on the following three steps: WHO, HOW & WHEN.
Step 1: WHO 🙋
First of all, who will hold you accountable? For this, you’ll definitely want to pick someone that you trust to do the job. It could be a family member, a colleague, a friend, a classmate — anyone you’re comfortable sharing your goals and action plans with.
Step 2: HOW 🤳
Next, how will they hold you accountable? There are many different ways you can do this: emailing, texting, phone, zoom, meeting in person (or carrier pigeon 🐦⬛ ). Pick whichever one feels like it will serve you best, based on the way you and your accountability partner communicate.
Step 3: WHEN 🗓️
Finally, when, and how often, do you want to be held accountable? Is it daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or once a month? Again, the best way to gauge this will be to ask yourself, “What will be most beneficial to me in order to help me reach my goals?”
Then what?
Once you are clear on these three steps, it’s time to get in touch with the person you would like to hold you accountable and see if they are up for the job. If they aren’t, it’s your responsibility to find someone else.
Please don’t flake out here. If your goals really matter to you, then you owe it to yourself to give this a try. And remember, nothing is set in stone — you can always change your accountability plan if it’s not working for you.
And here’s the cool thing: almost every time someone in our community has reached out looking for accountability, they have gotten a response which has turned into a new accountability partner! It’s happening a lot right now and it’s so cool to see how this really is a win/win arrangement for each of you.
If you are a Path Alumni or you have purchased The Creative Path course already, please join us in Path&Co. to find a partner if you don’t have one already.
I have Path alumni who have been meeting with their accountability partners every week for over THIRTEEN years!
Take that in.
Can you imagine what’s possible when you have someone holding the space with you and for you (and you for them!) every week for YEARS?
Shit. Gets. Done.
Which of course is the original purpose for many of us looking for support.
But the deeper reason they keep showing up for each other? It’s just easier to do this work with others. And your partners become your cheerleaders and champions. You end up coaching each other and lifting each other up in ways you can never even imagine.
It’s without a doubt my favorite thing about the work we’ve done these past 20 years at Capes Coaching — witnessing the true friendships that have developed and rise above any goals that get accomplished or not.
So many of our alumni have the richest gift of all now, dear friends to share their Paths with. Who stick by their side through thick and thin, through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In the end, it’s what it’s all about, anyway.
Final thought: Accountability can look different for everyone. For some of you, it’s working with a partner like we encourage you to do when you go through my course, for others it’s been working with your coach on a regular basis, for others it’s being a part of a group or community or class.
There are so many ways to design it, I don’t care which you choose, just that you do in fact create that 95% likelihood of getting closer to your goals.
You deserve nothing less.