How Do You Hold Yourself Accountable?

"How do you hold yourself accountable?”

A question I pondered as I was reading, “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins.

I asked myself, “Why is it so challenging to hold myself accountable sometimes?”

As I sat there, at my kitchen table, thinking about how I view accountability and what that means to me, I began to realize something.

One of the reasons why I have had a difficult time holding myself accountable is because I have taken the “path of least resistance.”

In other words, when things got “hard”, I chose to take the less challenging path toward the false feeling of accomplishment.

I would get up and start walking around the room, convincing myself that my time was being well spent.

Or I’d head straight toward the pantry to get one of my favorite snacks even though I just had a big meal, enough to keep me full for the rest of the week LOL.

At the end of the day, the task I was aspiring to complete was NOT complete, but yet I was able to convince myself that I made progress toward completion.

In the book, “Can’t Hurt Me” there’s a chapter where David talks about having an “accountability mirror.”

A physical mirror that he looks at every single day, covered with sticky notes of what he aspires for, his deepest insecurities, in order to keep himself accountable for that day.

I don’t have a mirror, rather I try to observe and eliminate distractions such as checking notifications from every single social media platform.

I don’t get it right every time, but I try.

I’m not perfect.

I am human.

As someone once said, “I am a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time.”

As an example of a distraction in my life...there came a time when I realized how dependent I had become on my phone, and I needed to change this.

I still check my phone at random times, outside of the scheduled time blocks I have for engagement.

But, the time I spend now is significantly less than what it used to be.

I believe that every conscious choice I make to check my phone when the thought comes to me, and I DON'T check it, I am rewiring my brain.

Not every thought I experience do I need to act upon. This has not been easy for me, but I am learning. 

For me the first step in developing greater accountability is understanding how the things surrounding me are serving me.

Does checking social media every 5 minutes get me any closer toward my goal? 

Does having a snack every 15 or so minutes get me any closer toward my goal?

How are the things in your life (habits, behaviors, activities, relationships, etc) serving you and helping you be more accountable in life?