Look Internally and Externally for Accountability

We thrive on accountability. But unfortunately, usually falter without it.

Accountability falls third in line in the mindset matrix we began exploring in my previous articles. It follows behind acceptance and awareness. Research shows that people who commit to their goals and actions in front of another person are 65 percent more likely to achieve it. Success rises to a whopping 95 percent when you commit to ongoing meetings for regular accountability.

This external accountability includes people like coaches, trainers, a boss, a clergyman, or a buddy. It is usually much harder to let someone else down than it is to let ourselves down.

This is why so many more gain success when choosing a personal-training gym over a standard big-box gym.

It just breeds consistency. And consistency breeds belief. You need both for sustainability. This type of external accountability is the most common and it is important. Another more elusive form of accountability is internal. Most people fail to recognize this form and do not systematically apply it to their daily lives.

One of the best ways to gain internal accountability is to set aside a regular time each day to do a self-inventory, with specific intention to see if there is harmony between the conscious and unconscious brain.

Without this process, pervasive unconscious negative self-talk can run amuck. The National Institute of Health reminds us that thousands of unconscious thoughts running around in the background are negative and non-serving.

During this quiet and reflective time, we must also check in with our internal narrative at the unconscious level to make sure it is in performance mode instead of survival mode.

Your brain’s No. 1 job is to keep you safe and alive. And when it senses that you are overthinking, filled with doubt, procrastinating, lacking confidence and worrying, it equates this to threat. When we feel threatened, we have limited ability to take action on items of change and progress. The brain can easily get stuck in this survival mode, which leads to retreat, inaction and bound nature. This hinders so many hopes and dreams.

When you are in this mental state, you cannot also be at your peak performance level. Like standing and sitting simultaneously, you simply cannot “survive and perform” at the same time.

By learning this internal narrative, we can now make sure it aligns with the overreaching extremely ambitious cognitive front brain.

To have good internal accountability, we must also review our direction — a quick and easy process of analyzing our intentions of the day and creating our three to five high-yielding tasks over the next 24 hours.

There are deeper layers to this system, but start with these two most important components of internal accountability. Alongside the external connections mentioned earlier, you can be well on your way to achieving your most ambitious goals.

Stay well, and of strong mind and body.

Rod Stewart owns Club Performax in Suntree and has helped thousands with their mindset, fitness and nutrition goals. He works with corporations, physicians, law enforcement agencies, students and anyone looking to move from stuck to sustainable. Simply put, when people learn to change their mind, they change their life. 

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