Did not need to write this one…it comes word for word from Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning.
“Accountability is the act of being responsible to someone else for some action or result, and the link between accountability and achievement is irrefutable. Consider that most highly successful people, from executives and CEOs to professional athletes and top performers from all walks of life, embrace a high degree of accountability. It gives them the leverage they need to take action and produce extraordinary results, particularly when they don’t feel like showing up at their best. Accountability brings out the best in people.
Consider also that most of the positive results you and I produced from birth to about age 18 were thanks to the accountability provided for us by the adults in our lives (parents, teachers, bosses, etc.). Vegetables were eaten, homework was completed, teeth were brushed, we bathed, and we got to bed at a reasonable hour. If it weren’t for the accountability provided for us by these adults, we would have been malnourished, uneducated, sleep-deprived, dirty little kids.
“Think back to an occasion when you knew someone was counting on you to meet them somewhere, but you didn’t feel like going. Maybe it was for a workout at the gym or for a dinner out, and if it weren’t for them expecting you to show up, you would have just stayed home. Aren’t we always more likely to show up and follow through when we have someone else we’re accountable to?”
“The reality is that accountability has brought order to our lives and allowed us to progress, improve, and achieve results we wouldn’t have otherwise. The problem is that most of us tend to resist or altogether reject accountability. We do so because it was never something we asked for. Rather, it was forced on us by adults against our will. No kid ever said, “Hey Mom, will you do me a favor and hold me accountable to brushing my teeth and maintaining other positive habits in my life? Thanks.”
“As with most things forced upon us, we grew to resent accountability. Then, when we turned 18, we embraced every ounce of freedom we could get our hands on, continuing to avoid accountability like it was the plague. This attitude toward accountability is largely responsible for perpetuating our downward spiral into settling for mediocrity, causing us to develop detrimental mindsets and habits, such as being lazy, procrastinating, deflecting responsibility, and generally doing the minimum amount required to get by. Of course, all of this is counterproductive to fulfilling our limitless potential”
Excerpt From
The Miracle Morning (Updated and Expanded Edition)
Hal Elrod

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