Day Twenty-Two: Accountability Buddy

The only way I have been able to keep going during these last few weeks of “Dream. Plan. Do.” is because of my accountability buddies. If you don’t have an accountability buddy, you should definitely get one. They provide motivation, fresh outside perspectives on a problem, a different set of problem solving skills, and the occasional kick in the pants.

I have a regular phone appointment with one of my friends. Each of us takes approximately half hour to go over our major goal areas and ways we can tackle reaching our goals during the week. She lives in a different time zone which makes arranging the call a little difficult, but it is important to us so we make time for the call. We both have our schedules and notebooks handy when we chat and we help each other plot out all our goals for the month, week, and day by day. If there is a super pressing stressor, then we can spend the majority or all of the call on tackling that issue.

The dynamic between my friend and I works well because she is a different personality type. We have also achieved goals that the other is now working to achieve. I’ve already been through graduate school and she is in the process of picking one. She has reached her goal weight and is maintaining it; whereas, I am currently working on those goals. She also has known me long enough to be able to call me on crap when I am being too hard on myself or not pressing in hard enough.

Aside from all that I gain from our phone calls, I am able to step out of myself and help encourage my friend. Sometimes when I am in the midst of a problem I have trouble seeing outside of myself and the problem; the phone call helps me look outside of myself and my problems. If you don’t have an accountability buddy, I would encourage you to get one. I have some very dear friends and my sweet husband who provide this much needed support for me. Ask someone who is where you want to be or has made mistakes you are afraid to make.  Don’t worry about being vulnerable and burdening anyone—the goal is to share as much as you listen. Sometimes the phone call will be 10 minutes on you and 50 minutes on them or vice versa. 

You might be surprised by who would be willing to stand with you if you would step out and ask.

To Read 31 Days of "Dream. Plan. Do" from the beginning please click here.