Objectives:
Take ownership and control what you can control with the 21-day challenge.
Use a Continue-Start-Stop to get feedback and identify specific areas of improvement.
Accountability
Be Accountable is a powerful principle! It’s emotionally liberating to take ownership of your life and situation and control what you can control. There are no other principles without being accountable because accountability commits you to becoming your best.
View the video below to learn how you can exemplify accountability.
View the video below to learn how you can Fire Up Your Imagination!
Take ownership and control what you can control.
One of the most effective things you can do to be accountable is to focus on the things you can control rather than the things you cannot control. Many things are outside your control, but your thoughts, actions, and responses are always within your control. Accountability is taking ownership of what you CAN control.
Sometimes there is a gray area. For example, there are things you can INFLUENCE but not control…such as children, co-workers, or a sales call. The bottom line is that we want to invest our time and energy into those things we can influence and control.
Activity:
Make a list of things you can control in your life on the left and things you cannot control on the right.
- What happens when you focus on the things you CAN control vs. what you CANNOT control?
- What is one thing in your life you would like to change that you’ve held onto, blamed others for, or consumed your energy?
Download the activity sheet here.
Let’s Practice:
The 21-Day Challenge
Considering what you just thought about in your previous answer, we invite you to focus only on what you CAN control for the next 21 days. Take total ownership of your thoughts, words, and actions. That means there are no excuses, no blaming or criticizing—only accepting responsibility. You’ll become very conscious of your thoughts and how you live this principle when taken seriously.
Whatever you choose to focus on, think about what you can do in that specific area. Then, in 21 days, come back to evaluate your progress.
Use a Continue-Start-Stop
A continue-start-stop is a great way to get feedback. Once you’re aware of it, it’s much easier to be accountable and improve. Often, it’s not what we don’t know that should concern us; it’s what we don’t know that we don’t know. Once we’re aware of something, we can own it and focus on improving it. The continue-start-stop is about identifying what might be a blindspot in your personal development and growth to start improving it.
Share this with some key people in your personal and professional life. Ask them for one or two ideas per area. Most importantly, make sure you don’t get defensive; instead, welcome their feedback!
Select the video below for an illustration.
Download the Continue, Start, Stop worksheet here.
Sumary and Reflection
You may have already noticed that the title of this principle includes the word be. This refers to a state of being, an inner state of the self that is immovable and ever-present.
To be accountable is not only to “do” something—it is to “be” something, to be whole and balanced. It is to acquire, fully develop, and live the principles in a deep and meaningful way.
- What are your thoughts on the principle of accountability?
- What are three essential concepts from this module you want to remember?
- What is something you will start doing today to be more accountable?