What is Accountability and Why Do You Need It

I hear so many walk talk about accountability… But what does it really mean? What does it really mean when you say you want to work on accountability?
And what does it actually look like for you? Not sure? It is okay because so many women CANNOT define it! And guess what…. I have been in your shoes.  I have been in that place where I struggled and needed help and I could not articulate what it is that I needed at that time.

So, you know I love my definitions, which means of course I had to pull up the exact definition of accountability! Accountability means being responsible for the decisions you make and the actions you take.  For you, you may need to flip that around and look for someone who gives you accountability, aka a coach! Heyyy!!  Then this may be just what you need! That is what you are looking for in a coach, to hold you accountable for being responsible for decisions that you make and the actions that you take. So, let’s break apart what this definition really means and get down to what it is you may be looking for!

“At the end of the day we are accountable for ourselves, and our success is a result of what we do.”  I like that because so many of us think our success is outside of them.  They seem to think that success is if I pay for this coach, I will be magically transported to the transformation that I want. The coach is not going to magically fix you. No one needs to be fixed!  That is an old-school philosophy, and we have to stop saying it!

Why should you care about accountability?
It encourages you to take responsibility.  It encourages you to stop sitting in the backseat and get into the driver’s seat.  If you have a coach, that coach is your co-pilot, and they are guiding you where you are to go.  They are there to say I am going to help you with this!  A coach will help you as you drive down your path to take a detour or move this way or that way! It is a coordinated effort, so we are focusing on the actions that are really gonna move the dial.

So many people are stuck on cardio or what vegetables to eat, so let’s not dig down into the small things and really look at the bigger picture things. The things that will move the dial.  We can focus on what to do. You think you need to do all the things and do everything right.  But when you work with me, I ask you to give me 1-3 things that may be challenging but doable for the season of your life you are in and your schedule. Things that you know what to do but you don’t.  This is where a coach can come to help you hone in and get it done.

This is how you know you need a coach….
I always hear “Oh I can do it on my own…” But if you COULD do it on your own you would be doing it! And this is not me trying to be disrespectful. I am just saying what you want to say.  Listen, I know me, I would am the same. I had a coach because if left to my own devices I would keep kicking the damn can down the road and never get started! I needed a coach to get me going.

When you know you are ready for a coach, you know something is off and you can’t figure it out.  We cannot keep making excuses blaming everyone else but ourselves, it is us, and we need to take ownership. I am the bottleneck.  I am the reason I cannot get stuff done.  As a coach, I know I needed someone to help me bust through my own self-imposed roadblocks,  the road back, give me my waypoints in my coordinates and see where I need to go and what the route is to get me to move the fastest without taking detours.  You are ready for a coach when you are done with excuses and done with thinking you know how to get it done!

Here are some ways a coach can really help you.
Accountability – Really define what accountability truly means and what it means to you!

Strategy – As coaches we figure out a strategy and how we are going to get you to where you want to go. You say you want to go to California; we are going to figure out how to get there.  We need to define where in California you want to go… and then we can move forward from there!

Actions – Then we will look at the actions that you take to see if they are in alignment with getting you to California.  If you want to walk and get there in a week, I will say good luck to you.  So, you want to get clear!  The first thing I ask you is, “What is your goal?”, because I want to know where we are driving. Then we will figure out the choices we will make to get you to our final destination.  Do your destinations and actions actually match up? Let’s figure that out!

Time – Is this a short-term thing or a long-term thing? So many of us find ourselves in an overwhelmed position.  What is going on with too much life?? What length of time can you dedicate to this?
 
Positive – Where are you already crushing it?? If you are crushing it in your workouts, then we don’t have to focus on that right now. Or maybe you’re crushing it in your diet, but your workouts don’t match up.  And you could be over-crushing it on workouts so where they are in their journey is too much volume and intensity, so they have to dial that back a bit.
Support – Where do you need more support?  You have to be open to that support as well. You have to be open to have the courage to do something different. You have to be open to saying maybe there is a different path.  It is not going to hurt to try something different so try a 30-day experiment!  And if you do not feel different in 30 days you can always go back! Nothing is written in stone! Let’s do an experiment and see what works!

Time Management – As I work with you, I am really working with you on your time management as well so that you cannot feel overwhelmed by a mile-long LIST.
By doing this, you will stop saying that your days are getting away from you. If I build more space into my day, I stop over-committing and I stop delegating. And that is what I want for you.

When we work on time management, we want to make sure you are working on the things that are the dial movers and look at the places where you are getting stuck.
We are going to focus on your 6 big rocks:
1. Sleep
2. Stress management
3. Nutrition
4. Exercise
5. Self-care
6. Mindset

Measuring Progress – How are you measuring your progress? I ask this because, in order to know something is better, you have to have taken a measurement. This is how I was, and this is how I am now!  Measurement doesn’t always have to be by the scale either.
I ask about how we are going to measure the progress so that you start to create a process, that when things get out of whack because they will because of life, you start to think to yourself “ok, this is the process!”  Then by doing this, you will start to create this routine!

Ladies…. I don’t want you to feel burnt out. I was burnt out; I know what it feels like and what I did to my body.  If you are a woman over 40, you have belly fat, are tired all the time but wired, you cannot sleep, your hormones are a hot mess, your thyroid is a hot mess, then you need some help!  For many of us and I am saying from experience, we did this to ourselves!  And now we just need to chill the hell out!
I was forced to sit on the bench and just CHILL for 8 weeks. I wasn’t happy, it was hard, it was brutal, but it was what I had to do to move forward. Sometimes you have to take a few steps back to take a few steps forward!

Doing this, forced me to go deeper!  We have to have the courage to get clear.
Did I want to go hard or be healthy for the rest of my natural born life? I did this to my body; this was from my go-hard mentality and now I had to fix it and I had to change it.
If I could now take the snail’s pace to connect with my body so I can start to heal, then that was okay, as long as I got to a place where my body was not screaming at me anymore.

Here is where someone who has been there can relate to you. I see it and I have coached thousands of women and I see the signs of burnout. I try my best to say what I can do to stop you from this so that we are not chasing all of these white rabbits out there!

Being accountable is difficult and at the same time uncomfortable. In order for you to make the changes you know you need to make, and you want to make, it is a challenge. But it is necessary for us to hit our goal.  Focus on getting clear and connecting to your goals!

When it comes to coaching, I try to meet you where you are at. That way we can start looking at the actions you can take and the habits you can start to create so you ultimately have routines.  Those are the things you need to establish to meet your goals!

This is FIT GIRL MAGIC! Great habits lead to routines, routines lead to consistency, and consistency leads to results.  THAT is what I am holding you accountable too! So, when we finally get those habits down, you say this is what consistency looks like!

If you are looking for ways to stay accountable, or you are just looking for ways to get your toe into the water of coaching, that is what my 66-day challenge is all about. And it is called Stress Free Summer. If you want in, this is what I am teaching you! There are 3 levels, and you decide which level you want to be at.  I will have tasks based on that level of activity.  And every day we check in, you fill out a sheet and you are done!  Super simple, really easy, and a way for you to hold yourself accountable to someone other than yourself!!!

Let’s get stuff done! Give it a shot! It’s ONLY 66 days! And my goal after those 66 days is to become a foundation of a habit FOR YOU!  The foundation of a routine for you!  Join through the link below!

LINKS

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/kimbarnesjeffersoncoach

Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/

Website:
https://kimbarnesjefferson.com/

Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661

Stress-Free Summer:
https://www.fitgirlmagic.com/stressfreesummer22_eb/