Last updated on December 19th, 2019 at 10:51 pm
When you bring another person into your dream achievement goal, you have a better chance of realizing your dream.
Sharing your dream progress with others holds you accountable for the promises you make to yourself.
Without accountability, you will procrastinate, change direction over and over, or decide your dream is just not worth the hassle.
Success Accountability is the gas that makes your dream move forward.
Accountability is why I started the 8 Women Dream blog. Each week we must write about what we have learned or explored about living our dreams. Trust me, as each one of us, sits down to write about our dream each week, forces us to take a hard look at where we are with our big dreams.
Did we spend the week ignoring our dreams, or did we actively pursue a goal that moved us closer to the images we’ve placed on our big dream vision boards?
Are we making progress?
The weekly check-in blog posts are like a slap in the face — because we are accountable to someone other than ourselves. We are accountable to each other and to our dear readers.
Many people start the new year with resolutions for the year, but as you move into that year, as a dreamer, you’ve probably set goals–you may even have a dream plan like,
“I will lose 50 pounds by November.”
You begin the year thinking about all the things you need to do to lose the weight, like walk more, join a gym, cut out dessert, drink less alcohol, drink more water, etc.
But all too often, you let more immediate needs (like needing to sleep in instead of getting up to walk) delay your dream progress. Avoding your dream continues for several months, until the next thing you know, it’s November, and you still haven’t lost any weight.
The missing piece to dream success is being held accountable, in some way, to your resolutions.
Having a dream partner, or someone who will hold you accountable can mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to your dream goals. Unless you’re consistently a highly-motivated, self-starter, your chances of sticking to a long-term dream plan, without a way to hold yourself accountable, are significantly less than they are with a success accountability check-in partner.
6 Benefits of Having A Dream Success Accountability Partner
1. You have a way to measure progress.
Progress measurement is a crucial component of effective dream management; after all, if you don’t measure how you are doing against your dream plan, then the dream begins to die a slow death. All dreams will deviate from their dream plans, and goals can change as the dream progresses.
Unless you are aware of what you are accomplishing within a specific time-frame, you will always be reacting to circumstances instead of controlling them.
2. You can’t ignore your dream.
When you share your dream plan with others, it becomes more real to you, which raises the bar. Sharing your dream with someone who will hold you accountable forces you to claim responsibility to the dream you want to pursue. Suddenly, you are more focused and an active participant in your dream plan.
There’s nothing more annoying than telling someone you are going to do something, then having to explain why you didn’t do it when they ask you about it later.
3. You have to pay attention to time management.
The human brain works more efficiently when it is focused. As we have previously said on 8WomenDream: multitasking kills productivity. If we want to shorten our workdays, then we should focus on just one thing until it is complete before moving on to the next task. Having someone hold you accountable forces you to focus on only one thing.
If I say I am going to walk 25 miles this week, and have to tell you about it next Sunday, then this week I am going to be hyper-focused on walking those miles, knowing that I am going to have to tell you about it later.
4. You’ll be motivated by a perspective outside of your own.
Sometimes it is hard to view our dreams objectively. When it comes to your dream progress, you may not see how much you’ve progressed over time. particular is one reason I love the idea of blogging your dream with periodic status updates. At any time, you can go back through a year’s worth of posts and see how much you’ve changed. Objectivity is also why fitness coaches recommend you take those underwear photos where you are holding a newspaper so you can objectively see how much your body changes over time.
Having someone who will remind you of how much you have completed can help keep you motivated to continue dreaming through the rough patches.
5. You force yourself to commit to your dream fully.
When you communicate your dream goal with other people, it forces you–like nothing else–to commit to getting off your butt and doing something about your dream. If I say I am going to make improvements to this blog, and you are expecting it, then eventually I will stay up late one night and complete the changes.
I may get away with letting myself down, but I hate letting others down.
6. You will be more likely to celebrate your successes.
Celebrating your dream progress by yourself isn’t as much fun as it would be to celebrate with other people. Sharing is why you will see the women of 8WomenDream show up in the lives of the other dreamers. We want to help each other celebrate our accomplishments and the things we discover about ourselves along the dream journey.
When I see that a travel dreamer has traveled over her weekend, or a photography dreamer has taken new photographs, or a dreamer has discovered something new about funding their big dream–I am thrilled for them.
When I comment on their Facebook Newsfeed, on their website, or on an article they wrote, I am letting them know that I value their dream, and I support them.
How do you find a success accountability partner?
This special person can be someone from your family who you trust; a best friend or co-worker who has your best interests at heart and will be someone who encourages you. You might even consider checking in with a life coach or joining a group of people who are trying to achieve the same dream as you.
But you need to find a success accountability partner who will resonate with you and your dream.
This person needs to allow you (and encourage you) to grow and change as your dream progresses.
You must be honest with this person about your dream progress and where you are trying to be within a specified time commitment (I want to travel to Italy by 2018.). This person needs to be able to frame their encouragement in a way that keeps you motivated while still holding you accountable to your commitments when you waiver.
You also must be willing to check in with this person regularly.
You should come away from your conversations inspired to achieve maximum results the following week. The simple knowledge that you are expected to report your dream progress each week, and discuss your procrastination excuses, is enough to motivate anyone.
Most big dreams do not come true because we are not held accountable to anyone to achieve them. Having a success accountability partner may be the only thing keeping you from achieving your greatest dream.
Catherine Hughes
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Catherine Hughes is an accomplished magazine columnist, content creator, and published writer with a background as an award-winning mom blogger. She partners with companies to create captivating web content and social media stories and writes compelling human interest pieces for both small and large print publications. Her writing, which celebrates the resilience and achievements of Northern California’s residents, is featured in several magazines. Beyond her professional life, Catherine is passionate about motherhood, her son, close friendships, rugby, and her love for animals.
Note: Articles by Catherine may contain affiliate links and may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.
