Modern Dilemmas: Add accountability to your goal-setting and the net should bulge

We all go through the process of setting goals and achieving them repeatedly during the course of a normal day. For example, when you got up this morning, did you have something you wanted to accomplish, or did you just get up and wander around aimlessly? You had a goal, right?

Maybe it didn’t seem like a goal because it was something that you do almost every day. Even if it was just your normal routine, chances are you had a goal, or a whole bunch of goals to accomplish today. Did you go to work, get the kids off to school, or go food shopping? Did you do all three, and more?

How were you able to accomplish those things? Likely, you planned them out ahead of time, and decided how they would fit into your schedule for the day. You probably made some preparations the night before and determined what time you needed to be up and going. As the day went on, you kept an eye on the clock and made whatever adjustments were needed. Realise it or not, you were setting and achieving goals all day long. That’s what productive people do, and that makes you a successful goal-setter.

True, this is goal-setting on a very basic level, but what would your life be like without it? How many of the things that you do every day would not happen without your ability to follow through on your goals?

When we set a goal we are actually claiming our independence from the crowd by accepting responsibility for the outcome we create. Many successful people even take it a step further by making themselves accountable to someone else. Creating a sense of accountability can be as simple as announcing your goal to a friend, or group of friends. When you tell others what you intend to accomplish, several things happen. You might think that it’s the simple fact that they know that creates the changes, but it’s not. In reality, the fact that you know that they know is what immediately changes how seriously you view your own goals. When we make something public, we are much more compelled to follow through.

In an amazing way, accountability magnifies our own level of commitment. When our name and reputation are on the line, it becomes very personal. With greater commitment comes razor sharp focus and greater adaptability.

Remember, we have already established that you are a capable goal-setter, and that you demonstrate this ability every single day. All it takes to make your bigger goals a reality is to ramp things up a bit.