If you have taken the time to get clear about what you want to accomplish and set goals for your business success, you have taken a very important step. But do you know how to set goals and then get them working as hard FOR YOU as you are working for them?
Far too many small business owners, who use traditional goal setting strategies, set goals then tuck their goals away in virtual drawer somewhere and get on with doing their business the same old way – and get the same old results.
If you have set goals that seldom see the light of day you are not using them to keep you focused and on track – you are missing out on two very important strategies.
One strategy, critical to the achievement of your goals is what I call “Measure What You Treasure” (I’ll write more on soon) and the other critical strategy is “Accountability”.
When you tell someone what your goals are, and ask them to support you by asking you frequently “Have you accomplished what you promised yourself to do?” or, even better, “What did you choose to make more important than the accomplishment of your goals?” – you are using the powerful tool of accountability to help you achieve success. You will be moving steadily forward towards what you know is most important to you.
Don’t let the goals you set gather dust! The support of an accountability partner, be it a business associate you can rely on not to coddle your excuses, or business coach whose job it is to support you stay on track, is priceless beyond measure!
One of my private small business coaching clients sent me a lovely essay recently, and since it touches on the subject of accountability, I’d thought you’d enjoy reading part of it. Leaving a comment would be fabulous!
On Accountability:
A New Season is Knocking at My Door (Published with Permission of the Author)
By Anita Jo Meyer, Waupun Wisconsin
I am torn between the simplicity of my surroundings and the vastness of today’s technological complexity, just as I am torn between living in the material world and in the spiritual world. Both exist simultaneously within me. I need to own both. But the question is, how do I live in and with balance?
I cry. Why? Because tomorrow, I have a call with Cathy and I feel accountable to her for my success or my failure.
Why? Why do I feel accountable to her? Why do I not feel accountable to myself?
I often try to appease others. I think they have more of “the Truth” than I. Is that the child, still within me, feeling that authorities outside of me own my power? Is that why I feel accountable to others? How is that so? Why have I abdicated my power to them? Why do I not claim it for myself?
The time is NOW!
I do have within me the knowledge, wisdom and understanding I need. I will use my abilities and unwrap the hidden gifts within. My past is past. My future is not yet manifest. My NOW holds the millions of possibilities and millions of probabilities for all my potential futures! What will I make of them? What will I manifest? My thoughts, words, deeds, emotions and beliefs create my own reality. What will I create? Someone else’s supposed dreams? Or will I manifest my own visions and dreams? The choice is mine alone.
I pray for clarity and order. I feel like I want to know and do “everything”, all at the same time. I want to immerse myself in nature to know the trees, the flowers, plants, forests, prairies, mountains and lakes. I want to know the earth and sky and all that they contain. I want to know the creatures that live below the earth, on the earth and above. I want to connect with the sun, stars and moon, planets and galaxies, and all that extends into the outer reaches of the universe. I want to understand the play between the darkness and the light. I want to know peace and love of myself, my family, and humanity. I want to know myself as one with it all.
Most of all I want to reach beyond my fears and doubts. I want to know the fullest of my capacity and grow into all I can be. Oh, what a glorious feeling that will be.
I sit, here, at my desk in the caress of the warm early spring sun. So grateful. Oh, so grateful for all in my sight and all that is beyond. Stems and foliage of flowers, yet unseen, are stretching through the soil to awaken in the light and warmth of a new season. The trees are budding, puffs of delicate clouds float ever-so gently in the sky, farmers pick stones in the fields, people rake the remnants of last years leaves and grass leaving open space for new growth. The ladybugs and flies walk and fly between the window panes spurred to life by the warmth of the sun. The same sun that warms my skin and my heart, exciting my anticipation of the things yet to come.
I feel the pregnant pulsations in nature, waiting patiently to burst out of the drabness of early spring. I feel the same pulsations within my heart and soul. Something is anxiously waiting to gush forth with new awareness, consciousness, fullness. All it asks of me is to let go of the old growth of the past years of my life, to be grateful for all that is, and to be open to a new season of growth with the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of the mystery of love that I am.
Anita – what an exceptionally well presented article, that captures how I and so many others are feeling. The drive to succed somehow seems to have been accelerated, and yet I yearn for that connection with the energies around me. The internal chatter of do more, do it now, and the opposite of simply letting go and “allowing” is a constant teeter totter in my head.
Thank you for the reflections and to everyone else for the profound comments.
Cathy, thank you for being the wonderful coach and mentor you are – I’ve decided that I’m rather a hand full to keep track of! LOL
Anita-This is a beautiful article that describes the frustration of new technology quite eloquently. A timely discussion. Having recently learned so many new processes myself I can identify with the overwhelm.
I love what you said about accountability. It’s so easy for us to source that outside of ourselves vs. sourcing from within. It’s nice to have someone else see the possibility and create a path toward it. That is until the deadline!
Wow, yes! I would like to practice accountability and come to a place of ‘knowing’ my true capacity and gifts to the world. Well written with honest, sincere realization of being in the NOW to realize the gifts within. Also realizing the power of prayer for guidance and the endless possibilities on the journey to get there. Knowing and owning the true human struggles.
Wonderful Comments! It’s tempting to think that it’s technology, with its myriad of choices and rapid change, that makes being an entrepreneur more challenging than ever before. But, after being involved with technology for over 20 years I can tell you that, while the rate of change is indeed speeding up, entrepreneurs have always had more that they can do (should do?) to create success than can ever possibly be done. You can’t do it all, learn it all, consume it all – something must give…don’t let it be your dreams, your aspirations, your vision for your success. 20 years ago small business owners failed for the same reasons they do today – lack of focus on doing what’s MOST important to their business success. It’s more important than ever before to find simple solutions to get on track and stay on track.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the pressures from technology, which seem to continually compound themselves on my shoulders. When I was in high school we were just beginning to learn the benefits of the internet and half as long ago I created my first e-mail address. Now as a small business owner trying to get my name and products out into the market, it is basically essential to use social media to sell your goods. I just can’t fathom how anyone has the time to follow all the tweets and facebook entries and more importantly why is society telling me that I HAVE TO suddenly care about all the blabber that is going on in other people’s lives. I ask myself the same questions, Anita, how do I keep it simple and attain all that I want for my life?
So many times in my life, thus far, I have found that when I am able to quiet the noise, the external energy from others that is disrupting my energy flow, is when my greatest realizations occur. To me, simple=natural=real=balance=calm, which leads to understanding. I believe this is how we cross the bridge from our material world and into the quiet of our spirit.
What you are going through and what you expressed so eloquently and passionately…is being experienced by many, many others. Technology is moving at a rapid pace and there is so much to do, so much to absorb but do we really have to know it all? We may learn enough about diet and nutrition to make intelligent choices for our health and well being but we do not become an expert…we may learn enough to be financially fit but we don’t go out and get an MBA… what I am observing with new technologies, the internet and such, as well as its children, twitter, facebook etc… is that too many online entrepreneurs feel they should be an expert at everything. They become overwhelmed, get stuck and some of them give up.
Thank you Cathy for your support and inspiration. Thanks for helping me work through procrastination. You never fail to help me reframe my “problems” into new and more positive actions. We will succeed together. I can’t thank you enough. Anita