Accountability – Forge
Cut The B.S.
Our Manifesto says…
‘So you screwed up. Or you succeeded. Either way, there’s only one way to point the finger. If you’re not responsible, you’re the victim and that’s not a 3rdNut option. Ever. Learn from what happened and move on. Don’t be sorry, be better.’
It’s time to get real. Now that you’ve dug into the brass tacks of being prepared, you know what you need to do next on the path to earning yours. But how are you going to stay the course? How will you hold yourself to the plans you’ve laid out? This is where accountability comes into play in a major way.
“Accountability breeds response-ability.” – Stephen Covey
SHOULDER THE RESPONSIBILITY.
Are there obstacles in the way of you getting your goal? The easy way out is to say that it’s beyond your control. But we don’t do things the easy way in this tribe. In any situation, you have two options for how you view your role: responsible or victim. Some things are clearly in our control: you didn’t set your alarm and so you overslept. It’s easy to take responsibility when we see a simple solution to the problem. Let’s take it to a situation where it’s not that easy.
Say you’re on a sports team and you must depend on the collective skill, dedication and perseverance of your entire team to win. What if one player has a bad game? What if someone on the team gets hurt and can’t play to their full ability? Maybe you’re on the bench and you’re sure that if the coach had played you, the team would have won. Blaming a single member of the team, the coach, or everyone but yourself for a losing championship game is not a 3rdNut behavior. We all depend on each other to achieve. Did you do everything you could to be a good team player? Did you show support and appreciation for the team during good and bad times? Did you lead by example? Always think how you could have done more when working as part of a team.
The key thing to notice is this has nothing to do with you being right or wrong or about who or what is at fault. Instead, it is acting from a place of power to take control of the situation. Even if it wasn’t your fault, you’ll be able to bounce back more readily if you don’t waste valuable energy playing the victim.
GET A PARTNER.
There are myriad reasons to build a tribe. Accountability is perhaps one of the most important. Once you’ve committed to someone else that you are going to accomplish a goal, it creates a higher level of motivation in your mind. It also gives you someone to turn to for encouragement, guidance, or even a square kick in the pants to keep you on track. Your goal is to earn your 3rdNut, and it would be plain foolish to miss your target simply because you hadn’t reached out for support.
BE BETTER.
Taking the responsibility and having a tribe to help you stay on track are both tools to help you be just that much better. Take each defeat and each triumph as a learning opportunity to help you be be stronger, smarter, and more of a bad ass the next time you’re in the ring.
ACTIONS TO TAKE THIS WEEK.
- Think about an area of your life where you feel like a victim, or where a huge obstacle to your goal lies. Write down all the ways you are responsible for the situation, and what changes you can make to move from victim to victor in the situation.
- Reach out and find a partner to help hold you accountable. Share your goals with them and agree to mutually help each other find ways to accomplish those goals.