Staying on track and remaining committed to ambitious goals and new habits is undoubtedly challenging. Competing priorities come up, people can pull you in a variety of directions, and days get busy.

One of the best ways to help you stay on track and stick to your goals is to form an accountability partner. Research has shown that when people want to create positive new habits that are challenging to form, their chances of success are 500% higher if they have an accountability partner rather than doing it alone. That is a five fold higher likelihood of success!

According to Gretchen Rubin, author of the book Better than before: What I learned about making and breaking habits - to sleep more, quit sugar, procrastinate less, and generally build a happier life, “if we believe someone is watching, we behave differently.”

This week I began an intensive training for coaches to learn the research and techniques around positive intelligence and building mental fitness, and an accountability group with other coaches going through the training is built into the program to help us stay committed. We are required to meet weekly as a small group to reflect on our learning and check in with each other daily to ensure we’re completing the requirements of the program. I know that because I have a group of people that are expecting me to meet with them weekly and check in with them daily that I am much more likely to stay committed to the training program than if I were doing the training on my own without that built-in support and accountability.

When I was on my weight loss journey last year and reached a plateau in my results, I took the steps to hire two health coaches who were leading a weight loss group coaching program to help me stay committed to my goal. I was a part of that community for 6 months, and it provided me the guidance, accountability, and support I needed to stay on track with my health goal. The weekly Q&A calls, the 24/7 access to a private Facebook group, and the weekly one-on-one check-ins helped me overcome the weight loss plateau I was in and I made friends in the group along the way.

As a life coach to my clients, serving as an accountability partner to them is one of my core responsibilities. During our coaching calls I provide guidance, feedback, and resources to help them reach their goals, but our biweekly calls also act as an accountability partner for my clients to remain committed to the goals they set out to achieve. I also provide homework at the end of each coaching call so they can continue to grow and make progress in between the coaching sessions. At the start of each coaching call I ask them how they did on the homework and what kind of progress they’re making towards their goals.

While a family member, colleague, or friend can serve as an accountability partner for you in helping you reach your goals, it could unintentionally create tension in that relationship when they need to show you tough love. The powerful act of spending money to hire a coach eliminates that dual-role a current person in your life would play, and is a way to communicate to your future self that your goals and bigger future are that important to you.

If you are in need of an accountability partner in your life, send me an email at liz@lizbapasola.com to set up a complimentary coaching call. I would love to be on your journey to help you reach your goals.