OK.  We are into the last month of the first quarter of 2010.  Where are you on the resolutions you established in January?  Are you on track?  Have you lost your resolve?  Do you even remember what you said you were going to do?  Are you holding yourself accountable?

       Experience has proven one of the best ways to stay focused is to engage an accountability partner.  By scheduling time (daily is best) to ‘report in’ you are more likely to make progress on your commitment(s).  My suggestion would be to alternate days.  One day you share your progress; the next day your partner shares with you.  You can determine the questions in advance and ask them of one another.  For example, “What did you do since you last shared that is helping you reach your goal?”  “What specific steps are you going to take before you report in again?”  “What gets in the way that keeps you from making progress?”  Anything you ask that encourages your partner and anything your partner asks of you can significantly impact your outcome.  By holding one another accountable, you increase your chances of success.

       I know when I’m ‘stuck’ and I ask someone to help me by listening to where I am and who gives me time to express myself, I begin to hear my own excuses!  Excuses don’t equate to progress.  Determination does!  I encourage you right now consider how your plans are unfolding and if what you want  to accomplish is not playing out favorably, ask for help and return the favor!  It’s better to pick someone who will hold you ‘feet to the fire’ and someone whose opinion you admire.  Asking a spouse or best friend will not work.  You’ll begin to defend yourself and that’s not what you want!   You want a non-judgmental listener -   an advocate – a cheerleader.  And, you want honesty. 

It is my hope, you are making progress.  Let me know how you’re doing!

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 3:36 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.