Step#2 Become accountable
To make progress toward any worthwhile goal, build accountability. We all behave better and perform well with external accountability. I have worked with coaches since 2007. I highly advise you to try it. If you’re not ready yet to work with a coach, you can explore other options for accountability: a friend, a family member, or join a community that has high standards. Experiment to choose what works best, and then stick with it.
Many times, in my life, I have seen good intentions not translate into decisive actions. The building plan is on the table, but the building (life) doesn’t get built. It stays on paper. Glorified intentions don’t bring meaning and happiness, it’s the action that does. That’s when the rubber meets the road!
When you’re looking for a coach, remember this: Performance = Potential - Interference.
A coach’s job is to help you discover what’s interfering in your life: limiting beliefs, stories, or habits.
A coach is not there to share knowledge with you. Knowledge is abundant and free.
We are no longer deprived of information. It’s all available now. What’s needed is the courage to start and the consistency to finish what we start.
Your coach may recommend books to read, videos to watch, or courses to explore, but the real value is in coaching conversations. Reflective conversations surface the perceived limits and invisible glass ceiling. The ceiling is made up of limiting beliefs.
Here’s the truth. If we don’t attempt, we don’t gain anything. If we don’t give our best when we can, we will regret it later. The sting of discomfort is nothing compared to the sting of regret, especially the regret at the end of our lives.
The number one regret of dying people is, “I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” Find your true self, that’s your goal. That goal is personal, it’s your potential. It’s the acorn that could grow into an oak tree. Your job is to convert this potentiality to actuality. It’s the great work of your life. Only you can do it. No one else. And for this to happen, you need an accountability factor.
Coaching conversations bring a new level of awareness and accountability to your life. It’s no longer ruled by your habitual mind. Your life becomes a game with conscious choices you make every moment of the day.
When you play this game, with choices that are rooted in your values, there’s no need to win. Playing is winning. It’s an infinite game. The one you get to play every day. You get another chance every single day.
If you decide to work with a coach, be authentic, be vulnerable, and be a person of accountability. Your investment will grow exponentially.