Nothing in life can be carried out to the fullest without accountability! It is the one ingredient to this process that glues all these steps together in order to make a new you come to fruition. Accountability means living in integrity, with all your thoughts, words, and actions are consistent with one another and in alignment. Commitment is one thing, but accountability is vital to sustaining long-term success and mastering your Inner Critic. When one is accountable, he or she accepts responsibility for his or her actions and the results of his or her choices in life. Your actions always have consequences, whether good or bad. It is your choice to make sure your thoughts, words, and actions are working synergistically together in a positive way to manifest the results you desire to create with yourself. The key is taking ownership for your part in the process, being accountable for what you can control, and accepting what you cannot.
Accountability starts off in the right direction when you commit to the process from the beginning by acknowledging where you are now and being aware of the reality of your situation. When you acknowledge the truth about where you are now and how you truly feel, you then have the ability to execute the steps outlined in this book. It is very important one accept ownership by acknowledging where you are at the moment. Without ownership, accountability cannot sustain itself! The process of acknowledging and accepting responsibility for yourself allows you to seek solutions found in the steps we’ve discussed and apply the right ones for true change and sustainable success. This also empowers and invigorates you to go for it and see it through despite any obstacles or setbacks that happen along the way.
The process of accountability also prevents you from falling prey to the victim role. It prevents you from being unaware of how you feel or where you are right now. You are more likely not to complain during the process since acceptance helps to alleviate this negative action. Again, it cannot be stated enough that the collaboration of acknowledgment and acceptance in tandem is what will keep you focused on your results without allowing excuses to enter the process. This is not bulletproof, but it helps create awareness about making the positive choices that lead to positive actions. Finally, accountability keeps you focused on the process of change and following through all the steps required. It keeps you in positive action as you watch this process play out.
It was accountability that kept me on track when I went through the process of mastering my Inner Critic several years ago. It was not just starting with acknowledgment and acceptance of my situation; it was also having an accountability partner from the beginning. This person was my sponsor, a term 12-Step groups use for someone to keep individuals accountable to change. However, it also included the 12-Step group itself; this was my mastermind group where I came to terms with my demons and became accountable to my sponsor and others that were going or had gone through this process. My sponsor was a humble man who had experienced situations with his father that were similar to mine. This included dealing with anger issues and living from the false self, which led to a life of misery. We all are different in terms of how we handle and execute change in our lives. Some have more discipline than others. However, despite these differences, it is imperative that we all have accountability partners. Someone with a similar background or past experiences allows you to relate to each other easily, but it’s not required in order to be successful with this process. A person who is unbiased and neutral can be just as effective—or in some cases better, depending upon one’s experiences and background. It is important to go with your gut and align with someone with whom you feel comfortable and can trust to empower and assist you toward being accountable. A coach or mentor also works well, especially if they are unbiased and neutral (even if they had similar experiences or background similar to yours in the past).
Being held accountable to someone was terrifying for me back then because I had never allowed myself to trust anyone in that position after my father failed to be that person for me. I perceived myself to be accountable for my actions before this process began, but my false-self continued to lie to me, and in reality I could not even trust myself. How could I trust others to hold me accountable when I did not trust myself? This was the reality, but my false-self created the illusion that I was in control and accountable for my actions. It took more than merely acknowledging of my current state and owning it when I was going through this process. The guidance of an accountability partner through empowerment played a huge part in carrying out this process. I did the work, but the empowerment factor through my sponsor and mastermind group were instrumental to bring it full circle.
The accountability factor is the glue that holds everything together. A combination of both a neutral accountability partner and mastermind (support) group is highly encouraged. The accountability partner could be a friend that is neutral to your situation, an unbiased third-party person that you do not know well but feel comfortable about him or her being your coach or trusted adviser. The mastermind or support group solidifies this process, providing added support to address your issues and find your solutions. Both working in tandem will yield far greater results with this element of the process. This accountability team will:
- Empower you to acknowledge, accept, and then release the root cause
- Assist you to come up with smaller, attainable goals to achieve positive change in order to realize your core objective or long-term life goal
- Hold you accountable to the list of actions required to fulfill your objective and set a time limit for each task
- Remind you when action steps are not completed and achieved by deadline dates
- Keep you on course toward achieving your long-term goal
Can you do this? You have the strength to do more than you know when you really want or desire to change. It starts with acknowledgement and acceptance, which means taking ownership for being a slave to your root cause. You do not have to be a slave to your root cause any more—taking ownership leads to having more control over your actions as you resolve and release it. You have accepted personal responsibility by holding yourself—and no one else—accountable. Your support team gives you an empowered approach to this process of making positive changes.
Accountability is a friend of your Inner Critic; it always seeks solutions for bettering yourself. It does not allow for complaining—you have the power to take control over the actions you can control and let go of the rest. There is no one to blame now except yourself if for any reason you deviate off course. The good news is you can always hop back on track and move forward. Accountability expands your ability to problem solve or resolve the root cause and move forward in consistent fashion toward your desired outcome. When coupled with responsibility, you can take full ownership of your life. It is not always peaches and cream, but more often than not it leads to positive change and healthier relationships.
In addition, your business or career will vastly improve with accountability in place. It builds trust from the foundation and healthier interactions with team members and customers. Follow-through with tasks and projects become more efficient because accountability keeps you on course to fulfill your commitments. It also plays a vital role in reducing fear because trust increases teams to pull together toward achieving their goals. It also will increase your creativity and innovation toward new ideas that add value to others. Productivity increases as a result of more efficient processes, thus saving on costs and creating more time for innovation. Work becomes fun again as you get along with others to create great things together.
Accountability is not about perfection. It may not always deliver what you want, but it will always deliver what you require. It allows you to operate with integrity in terms of your choices and actions working synergistically together. Accountability empowers you to be in control of your actions in your personal and business life. You can create your own opportunities rather than passively allowing life to happen around you. Accountability is contagious and empowers others to reach for optimal success. Be the example and lead others by empowering them to go through this process of being accountable! A truly authentic leader empowers others.
To your health & prosperity,
Christopher Salem
