Accountability. What is it, really? How do you define accountability? How does it play into your daily life, your exercise routine, your meal planning, your workday?
With world events causing whiplash daily, I have had to stop watching/listening to the information overload. One, because it causes me to be pretty anxious, and two, because I started thinking about my own accountability within the world. What am I contributing? What am I withholding? Am I sharing my gifts in the appropriate places, or am I offering advice in areas outside my lane? Accountability.
By definition, accountability is ownership. It’s being honest and working toward change. It’s leadership. It’s admitting a mistake and taking steps to improve the situation – all those things rolled into one. Being accountable is a big job! And by being accountable in our “whole” lives, we discover many opportunities for growth.
I am always battling my weight. I have since my mid 20s. Some days I am accountable. Many days I am not. Then I wonder why my weight never drops. As I was researching for this article, I was not surprised to see where my issue is. I don’t make a conscious choice each day to be accountable to my body. I am waiting for my body to be accountable to my brain. My brain thinks I should be at a healthier weight, but my body just hasn’t responded to that thought. Silly brain, this body only responds to actions, not thoughts. Thus, accountability should also include an examination of my exercise routine….but that’s a story for another day.
As a business owner, I am accountable to my employees, my clients and my business colleagues. I try hard to be available, responsive and an asset to all those I work with and for. I value integrity and honesty in all areas of my life, so most of that is natural for me. However, as I further explore my accountability at work, it’s helpful to consider how I can contribute more. What are my gifts? Where could I offer additional support to others? Could I write more? Could I do more public speaking? Could I share more information to help others with their decision-making? To all of that, the answer is likely yes, in the appropriate manner, time and place. The same goes for staying in my lane and learning from those around me to better understand their position. Listening is a critical tool for an amazing growth journey. I can and will be more accountable to that.
It’s an interesting exercise to dive into what my accountabilities are to myself and to others. How do you think about your accountability? Where can you improve or grow? I would love to hear your thoughts. Shoot me a message on the NO SPEED LIMIT Facebook page or email me at coach_renee@nospeedlimit.coach.