This month at Fit to Profit, we’ve been discussing all things accountability. But with April coming to a close, I wanted to flesh out a plan for you to create your own accountability system. It’s really easy to say “Yes, I’m going to be accountable.” But to be successful, you must know what you’re being accountable to. And it actually goes several layers deep. Let’s take a closer look.

There are three basic layers of accountability. They build on top of each other like the foundation of any empire. However, we are unique individuals, that the specific tools and strategies may differ depends on what drives you or defeats you. 

First, Being Accountable to Yourself

The first person you should be accountable to is yourself. While we’ve talked about this in previous weeks (click here to view), I still believe that this should be your ultimate foundation. Without the first layer, holding yourself accountable by keeping your word to stay committed, the other layers won’t really help you and support you as they should. It all depends on this first level of follow-through. Otherwise, it’s like building a foundation on quick sand.

Second, Being Accountable to Someone Else

The second layer is being accountable to others. This means you’re committing to someone else, like a friend or mentor, that you will take certain actions in the next few days, weeks, or months. This can be anything from building your reading habit by committing to a certain page amount per day, to increasing the number of sales calls you take on. And if and when it’s done, then they’ll give you a pat on the back or they’ll give you feedback.

Third, Being Accountable to Everyone

Another hack I discovered (in an attempt to make sure I’m really accountable when it comes to the grand scheme of things) is telling as many people as possible about what I’m up to. Everything from what I want to happen, to what is going on in my day to day. The more vulnerable and authentic I can be at all times, the better. We as human beings really hate looking bad. So the more people we tell about a goal, the better the likelihood of achieving that goal. We want to show other people that we have all of our stuff together and that we’re not losers.

This is the ultimate secret to playing BIG by going all-in. If you’re seeking to bring your life and business to the next level, this is it! I suggest you take on this third layer of accountability. And I’ll let you in on another secret. If you suck at holding yourself accountable, then you must exercise this third level of accountability. Consider it as a feedback loop to really see where your pitfalls are in staying accountable to your goals. 

How Am I Holding Myself Accountable? What Systems Have I Put In Place?

For me, creating an accountability system has really come down to continually learning about myself and sharing it with the world. If you haven’t checked out my Fear Factor Podcast (available on most podcast platforms and YouTube every Thursday), you should. If only just to see what I’m talking about right now. I’ve committed to putting out a new episode every single Thursday, come rain or shine. And it’s not always easy. But it has become a new layer of accountability for me, because I’m continually making sure that I’m doing the things I’m sharing with my audience, every single week. Just like how I have new blog posts out every Tuesday. It’s really important to me when I’m working with coaching clients that I practice what I preach.

Overall, You Must Have an Accountability System

These are, as always, examples of what you can implement. But at the end of the day, you must create an accountability system that works for you. Every person is different and there is not one size fit all type of system. Maybe for you it’s about putting a task on your calendar to make sure you do it. Having a mentor or coach that you report back to about what’s going on has been especially helpful for me, and for so many others I know. But where I see the biggest results with my clients tends to be when they make their goals as public as they can. These are three ways that you can really set yourself up for success while making sure that you follow through.

Need some more ideas? Book a call with me to see how we can set up an ideal accountability system for you.