You know those toys that have the pulley string at the back and have a handful of words//phrases that play, on repeat, from their automated little voice chips? Think Woody, circa 1995, ‘there’s a snake in my boots!’. If I miraculously transformed into a Mattel endorsed talky toy – I can guarantee what my words would be. There would be a flurry of should-be-censored potty mouth words, wildly optimistic and romantic words, a couple of cliched quotes and then one word which has frequented my vocabulary like a mother bitch as of late … accountability. You may remember a while back, I posted on the importance of accountability and responsibility in our lives. This mid-walk epiphany has since, hands down, changed the way I live day to day. I’ve challenged myself to welcome every single situation (even the funky and nasty ones) and take complete ownership and responsibility over their existence in my life. Dimply butt? Well have I been swapping early morning training with snoozy sleep ins? A lull in finances? Have I been indulging in meals out or spontaneous take away coffees a little more as of late? Stress? Have I been neglecting little jobs and allowing them to pile up and appear more overwhelming? Rather than throwing my arms up and declaring ‘the Universe is out to get me’ and playing the ‘woe is me’ card – which, yes, we are all entitled to play from time to time and host a short-and-sweet pity party for ourselves, I exercised my accountability muscle and got busy. By acknowledging what is within your power, you can then hustle to ignite//action change. One of my favourite lessons and quotes is by the ever inspiring Marie Forleo who simply and powerfully reflected that ‘everything in life is figure-outable’. But in order to ‘figure shit out’ we need to release the attachment to the expectation of it looking a certain way. Things don’t always turn out how we had once hoped – sometimes more incredible things are born of our initial dream and sometimes things fall spectacularly apart. Our realisation that even the unexpected hiccups and misses that we encounter are the breeding ground for something magic, universally scripted, that we can’t yet see – that is when we achieve a greater sense of peace, acceptance and alignment. So if things are feeling icky, think about what elements are within your control and set that ball rolling. In turn, release your clinging onto whatever is beyond your control and trust that, your own hustle should be enough to drive the result that you’re chasin’. These lessons in accountability can be applied to every area of your life that you’re hoping to see change or growth. I’ve applied them to my health, business, home life, finances, relationships, projects and so many more – with the most incredible changes already happening after just a few weeks of mindful accountability practice. It’s so easy, and trust me I rock this attitude in default mode 99% of the time, to subscribe to the role of ‘victim’ and completely downplay our own power and influence and control over our lives. But to rise above, challenge that default mindset, consciously evaluate what is infront of you and what role you’ve had in its manifestation in your life and then bust out some goals and to-dos that will see this undesired or desired outcome come to fruition. I tend to, as a word nerd, write out my worries on scrap paper and list everything that’s making me feel icky. I then, in a column next to the initial ‘ick’, write out all the factors within my control that I can change//action, and then in another column write all the shiz that I need to release because I just can’t be accountable for that! Things we can’t take immediate ownership of include weather, current affairs, political issues, unavoidable//unforeseen expenses etc … What you’re then left with is a consciously created ‘to do’ list that will see big change and big lessons.

I declared August to be my month of ‘accountability’ and spent the evening of the 31st jotting down all the things that were within my control, that I wanted to see//achieve//commence by the months’ close. One week into it and I have been so blown away by the incredible gains that this simple change in perspective has yielded, that I felt compelled to share it in this little online space for all y’all. Another all too powerful tool that I recommended and whole heartedly endorse is an accountability buddy. Who do you know who possesses similar drive or values or ambitions to yourself, or perhaps even inspires you a little and offers that extra push to challenge and push yourself, that you might be able to partner with? For some it could be a friend or family member. For others you may want to seek out someone who is perhaps more of an outsider and objective to your life, maybe a coach or counsellor? Whoever it may be, having someone else at your side will inevitably help to keep you on track, be super accountable (I do love me that word) and instil a sense of solidarity as you both embark on your chosen journeys. For those of you who might be looking for external support, have a look through the Blessed Life coaching packages to see whether this might be something that resonates with chu!

Blessings and a whole lot o’ goal busting, accountability and love x

Images sourced here | here | here