I’m starting this article having traveled much of the day with little time to research and write to a deep topic. I’m also hoping to go to bed in the next hour to not miss too much of my sleep. I could just post this tomorrow and skip the article altogether, but here I am.

So why am I bothering to write this?

Because when I started my blog I told myself two things would always happen as long as I had the ability to write: There would be new articles on Mondays and Thursdays. And trust me when I say, those two things will be a constant.

Focus on the Process

So here I am, writing up a quick article on a Thursday evening. But I believe it’s an important point to make. I recall a podcast with T.K. Coleman (which you can see right below) describing the idea of announcing your goals. There is a hefty debate on this topic. On one hand you feel more motivated when other people are expecting you to reach a goal. On the other hand, those cheers can give you the illusion of  progress. And thus you’ll never work for the goal yourself. 

T.K. Coleman, however, offers a different perspective on this. He believes you should announce your goals. But in a specific way. We often announce what we want to achieve. We want to lose X amount of pounds. We want to get this position at a company. We want to get into this college program. This is where we get the support that tricks us. We keep saying we’ll do it, we feel good that people see it, and that feeling gives us enough satisfaction. And the cycle repeats.

Instead what we can do is announce our processes. That means saying you’ll run 3 times a week. That means saying you’ll call 5 more clients a day. That means saying you’ll read two books a month. We still get the same support in the beginning. But that’s when the real challenge begins. Suddenly, we are held by a standard: Accountability. When we don’t mention the 2nd run of the week or what book we read this month, people start questioning where we are at. Even without others checking, your own mind acts as the inner critic you need.

Accountability is your Mentor

Let accountability guide you. When making your goals, plan on the details and minutiae. It feels nice to dream big and imagine success. But what happens when you woke up late and don’t really feel like going to the gym. What happens when course work gets tough and it feels like reading books is not your top priority. What happens when you want to go to bed but you said you would write an article?

With accountability, these questions don’t become important. You just do it.