Written by Darcel Osei
We see lots of articles and stories about ‘self-made’ millionaires or billionaires or whatever the level of success may be. But I invite you to look a little deeper and see how these stories truly unfolded. I am sure that upon deeper exploration, you will find that these incredible levels of success were not achieved in isolation- just one person crushing goals and moving to success with absolutely no one in their corner. Yes, they may be doing all or the majority of the nitty gritty work that was necessary to achieve their success. But more than likely, they had someone supporting them and keeping them accountable along the way.
And as a coach, I believe that accountability and support are absolutely necessary when you have big goals to accomplish, whatever they may be. We are human, some days are tough. We get discouraged or don’t feel our best, or are just not up for the task. On those days, a word of encouragement or a reminder of our bigger why, or knowing we have someone that we are accountable to, could be just the thing that will push us through that feeling- physical or emotional- that could derail our plans.
Sometimes we feel like those in our immediate circle do not understand what we are doing or why we have chosen that path. So it may be difficult to receive the genuine support and encouragement that we need from them. The great news is that isn’t the only option. No one needs to understand or even agree with your bigger why and chosen path but you. So if you can’t find the support in your immediate circle, find someone on a similar path who understands the journey. Become accountability partners. And if that proves challenging, get yourself a coach.
A coach will listen intently until they understand everything about your journey and your choices. A coach will support you without bias or judgement, have tough conversations, and get you to see different perspectives. A coach will help your path become more clear and less daunting. A coach will celebrate your wins and help you see the opportunities for growth in your perceived failures. And most importantly, a coach will keep you accountable.
Accountability cannot be overstated. Saying to someone, ‘I will complete this thing by this date when we speak again’ somehow lights that fire in us to get that thing done. More often than not, it will mitigate any usual procrastination and get you ticking off task after task en route to your success.
And then there is having someone to celebrate your wins with you, big or small. It is something we often forget to do for ourselves. We tick a task off and immediately move on to the next thing. But when you take a moment to look at your accomplishments and celebrate the little victories along the way, you stay motivated. And this will serve as a constant driving force, especially on days when doubt or fear or anything less than positive threatens to steer you off course.
So don’t travel the road to success alone. Grab an accountability buddy or a coach. Celebrate your wins and find the opportunities for growth in your failures. Having someone in your corner will keep you moving forward and keep you showing up. And on the road to success that’s all you really need to do.
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