Accountible

[esn]

What is the best way to hold ones-self accountible for completing (or not) one's goals ?

Thanks,
Eric

[esn]

I wonder what that question means...

I've 'shown up' every day for work since 1972 - likely because my bosses were holding me accountible. It worked - sometimes through fear of being fired, or through a sense of responsibility.
34 years of entrainment have led to this (I feel 'kind of institutionalized'). Steve Pavlina's discourse on why he would never get a job caught my fancy.
I'd like to be my own boss both literally and metaphorically, and I am here (in this forum) to ( I hope) start getting my own projects done with the same efficiency and effectiveness that I provided for my bosses.
So which buttons do I press to make this happen ?
Keeping lists, setting priorities, and all of the usual stuff has not been quite enough for me to GTD.
Many of you appear to be succeeding with your own ideas and goals, and I wonder if you would share some insight with me, provide some guidance.


Thanks,
Eric

[joshbickford]

Know that you and you alone are responsible for your life. If you aren't getting what you want, it's your fault. If you are getting what you want, that's your fault too.

If you want to keep living a life that you don't like, then keep doing what you've been doing.

[Taking Action]

Your goals MUST be bigger and more powerful than anything else in your life, especially bigger than your current circumstances. Accountability will not be an issue if your goal is big enough. Sit down and write out exactly what your life will be like when you accomplish this major goal. Then take time each day to tap into the emotion of having whatever it is and living your life in that manner. Accountability will then be a mute point because you will be focused on the goal itself. Also, with everything you do, simply ask yourself "is this taking me closer to my goal?", this will hold you accountable.

[Milo Riano]

Being accountable is a matter of attitude and character. Decide which way you want to go...

[rene_stpierre]

If your goals come from within you and are really what you want (and I mean REALLY what you want ... almost like needing to eat), you should not have problems to stay motivated and disciplined to take the actions to accomplish them.

Another point is that YOU are responsible for everything you have, you are, you encounter in your life. If you don't like these, YOU need to change. Botton line, only YOU are responsible for your life.

Finally, try to get a "buddy" with whom you can share goals and follow-up on the progress of each other. If you make your goals known to someone else, it will be an additional motivation (assuming you need it) to accomplish them, similar to showing-up for work since 1972.

René

[and]

After working on this for myself... I have found that being true to oneself is what matters most. Most people think that they are true to themselves, and never even consider that they are not, but once you look at their actions you'll see that they let themselves down many times during the day.

There's a two step approach:
1) Start noticing when you are letting yourself down and are not being true to yourself. Like when you promise yourself you'll go to the gym and you don't. Or when you'll start eating healthy but than go out for burgers. Like when you'll read that self development book but instead watch tv. Once you shine light into this area you'll start seeing more and more when you letting yourself down and it'll start bothering you and you'll want to change.

2) The second step is to actually start reprogramming yourself. Start with small things and build on it. Let your mind process be something like this: I know that I don't read the book but watch TV although I indent to read the book, and I'm not being true to myself. So tonight I promise myself to read for 10 minutes and then I'll watch TV.

This way, you'll be making progress towards being true and accountable to yourself, so when you tell yourself something, it'll actually mean it.