Are you frustrated with your life?
Not getting to where you want with your job or business?
There is a big realization that not many come to in life. And it doesn’t matter age or where you started with your family background or anything.
The realization is that you control much of what happens to you.
It’s accountability.
Taking responsibility for your decisions and especially your actions.
It’s both freeing and scary.
Angry that you don’t have money to do something? There are a million ways to earn it today. That’s exciting, but also scary for some.
If you’re happy, this post isn’t for you.
But if you’re frustrated, keep reading…
1. Only Blame Yourself
This is a trap that many people fall into. I’ve been working on correcting it with myself and I still catch myself blaming others.
If you want to have accountability in your life you have to have the mentality that you’re to blame for everything.
Let’s say you’re sitting at the airport and someone comes up from behind and punches you in the head.
Most people would blame the puncher.
But to be accountable you have to look at your role. Why did you sit with the back of your head exposed? Why were you not watching people instead of scanning through Instagram?
It seems weird especially if you’ve been in blaming mode for awhile. But taking the blame for everything really gives you power and accountability over your life.
2. Self Analyze
Determine what you want, why you want it and who you are.
It’s not necessarily easy to know what you want. But it’s something worth pursuing. The more you know what you want the more likely you are to follow the path to it for internal reasons.
We may think that we want to write a novel. We tell people about an idea we have. We may write for a day or two. But it never happens.
The reality is that if you’re not writing everyday then you don’t really want to write a novel.
And that’s okay.
Schedule regular time to self analyze. Be alone with your thoughts. Go on walks. Sit in silence. Think about what’s important to you. Think about what you enjoy doing when nobody is watching.
3. Disassociate With People That Allow You To Blame
Your frustration may be a result of your friends and family enabling your behavior. If you blame your boss or coworkers for your situation at work and you friends listen to it then they’re enabling you to be in your current state.
And unless you change friends you’re not going to see a change in your situation.
You need to be around people that push you. That want to see you succeed, but not for their own reasons, but so that you’re happy.
4. Set Limits
We live in amazing times. We can have just about anything we want. Access to any information. Access to food. Access to work. Access to entertainment. There is opportunity everywhere.
Our minds are wired to seek out stimuli. But we have to be careful. One reason that many of us don’t self analyze is that we’re “busy” all the time consuming content.
Successful people have discipline. They set limits. They follow their own guidelines for life and they live by them.
Setting limits is personal. It involves a balance of working toward a long-term goal while also allowing time for things you enjoy doing.
For some that might mean working 15 hours a day to build a business. For another person it might be spending 2 hours a night searching for the right job so they can work 9-5 and spend time with friends on weekends and two nights a week.
5. Audit Your Actions
Every six months I like to audit what I do everyday.
Life changes. We get into habits. Some good and some bad.
I’ve found that every six months I’m able to look at what has changed and get myself back on track toward my long-term goals.
I think about what I should be doing everyday that gets me closer to my goal in one year, five years and even ten years.
Do this today. Then set a reminder to do it again in six months.
6. Know Your Intentions
It can seem like you get criticism from different people in your life. Even those close to you. Friends. Parents. Your spouse.
None of it matters.
What matters are your intentions. If you believe your intentions are good then you’re doing the right things.
You have to be honest with yourself.
But you can’t let other people’s opinions influence how you want to live your life. That will get you back into the blame game.
And remember…this is about being accountable for yourself.
7. Make Decisions
We’ll end with a simple one, but it might be the most important one.
Have you ever tried to organize an outing for family or friends? It can be incredibly frustrating.
Nobody wants to make decisions. Nobody wants to commit.
When it comes to your life, make decisions. Either do something or don’t do it. Don’t put off the decision until it’s too late.
You’ll drive people crazy and you’ll lose accountability for yourself.
Make decisions. They won’t always be the right decisions, but you can learn from them and move on and make better decisions in the future.
Conclusion
Being accountable in life is incredibly freeing. You’re not sitting around waiting for the environment around you to change. You’re not waiting for someone else to make a change so that your life can be better.
You’re putting yourself in charge of what happens to you. It’s an incredible feeling when it happens.
