The power of accountability

Accountability is a powerful tool to help you achieve your goals!

In a previous blog post, I talked about five tips to help you reach your goals. One tip I shared was that having someone hold you accountable increases your likelihood of reaching your goals. In this blog, I will go deeper into this topic.

Does the word accountability make you feel uncomfortable?

If so, you are not alone! Often, accountability has been used in an unhealthy way by someone trying to control you. They keep you “accountable” to the things they think would help you!

That type of so-called accountability never really works, and, besides, it is not true accountability.

First and foremost, true accountability begins with taking personal ownership of your behavior. You don’t blame others when you miss the mark; instead, you own it and make right anything that needs to be made right because of your error.

How deep you want accountability to go is up to you. The ultimate purpose of accountability is to help you stay on track and reach your desired outcome. You get to decide what you want to be held accountable for.

Therefore, each one must answer for himself and give a personal account of his own life before God. Romans 14:12

First of all, as Christians, we are accountable to God. When I was younger, I used to think God was angry with me, so I interpreted this verse as meaning God would be disappointed in me if I messed up. That is NOT what this verse is saying. God, as our loving heavenly Father, walks in relationship with us, and because He cares deeply about our transformation into becoming more and more like Him, He knows we need accountability. Which means that He gently corrects and guides us when we need it.

But what does healthy accountability look like with other people?

Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16

It’s important to walk in community with others! Why? So we can build each other up and encourage one another. When we isolate, the enemy has a better chance at getting us off track. There’s a lot of power in living in an intentional community with each other.

I believe this verse in James says that when we add accountability to our lives, healing happens. Healing emotionally, relationally, and physically.

Have you ever experienced this?

Over the years, as I look back to when I started walking in intentional relationship with other believers and opening myself up to accountability, I can see how much I have grown. I have grown as a wife, mom, friend, leader, and business owner. Knowing someone else is cheering me on motivates me to keep going and not give up when the going gets tough. I have healed from past wounds, and I am more emotionally whole, simply because I opened up to people close to me about what I was going through.

Walk in accountability with someone you trust.

This can be with a friend, a mentor, or a coach. But if you do not have a trusting relationship with this person, true accountability will not happen. Having a trusting relationship means you know this person will keep the things you share with them confidential. It means you are opening yourself up to honest feedback, and you know they will offer it lovingly, not out of judgment.

Accountability helps us with our blind spots.

We all have blind spots, and we are too close to our own stuff to see them. As we grow and mature as sons and daughters of God, we always lean into our weaknesses to become stronger and more mature.

What better way than to have someone lovingly point out those blind spots? It can be our tone of voice, a misunderstanding, or the way we treat others. We may not see it, but the person we have chosen to hold us accountable is holding up a mirror for us. Then, as we gain clarity on our blind spots, we can begin to address them.

As the one seeking accountability, we need to remember that correction is not rejection. If we truly want to grow, we need others to speak truth into our lives when we get it wrong.

Be clear with your accountability partner about what you are holding yourself accountable for.

Asking someone to keep you accountable is not opening the door for them to hold you accountable for every area of your life. Be specific about what you want accountability for and for how long. Also, make sure to communicate what you want the accountability to look like. Do you want daily or weekly check-ins? Do you want it by phone call or text?

Being clear about all of that helps prevent misunderstandings and hard feelings between you and the person providing accountability for you.

Adding accountability to our goal-setting increases the likelihood that we will achieve them.

Studies show that 20% of people set goals, and of those, 10% accomplish them. If those goals are written down, it goes up to around a 45% likelihood that you will reach those goals. But, if you add accountability to your goal setting, you increase your likelihood of achieving that by up to 95%

Now, I don’t know about you, but that motivates me to add accountability to my goal-setting!

Let me know in the comments if you have experience with accountability and how it has helped you reach your goals.