The power of accountability š¤
- Emma Nelson
- Jul 14
- 4 min read
Good news: You don't have to do it all on your own.
If thereās one thing that makes all the difference in your journey as a writer - and, more importantly, as a human being - itās accountability.
Can you accomplish things entirely on your own?
Yes!
Is that the easiest, most effective way to push yourself towards success?
No!
At least, not always.
Take a second to think about the things youāre really good at: perhaps youāre awesome at a particular sport or hobby. Maybe you just kill it in school or at work. Maybe youāre a great leader, parent, or friend.
Whatever you excel at, there was likely some form of accountability or encouragement that helped you get there. This is not to say you didnāt succeed on your own or that your accomplishments arenāt serious, but to point out that having others on your side matters.
As children, weāre supposed to develop the sense of self-efficacy that underpins our ability to work through things, try again when we fail, and push towards success. Itās unsurprising, then, that encouragement and accountability in childhood have a major effect on what kids accomplish.
If parents are positively involved in their kidsā schooling, their children tend to perform better academically. When you were a kid, your parents were probably the ones who paid for (and drove you to/from) your tennis lessons, soccer games, or after-school clubs. Whether or not you realized it, you were held accountable by your parent(s) or guardian(s). They made sure you showed up and had what you needed to succeed.
The caveat to this, of course, is that not all parents are the same. I understand that not everyoneās mom was encouraging. I know not everyoneās dad showed up for their basketball games and made sure they did their homework.
If thatās you, I see you.
But even if your parents werenāt encouraging, there were likely other people in your life who encouraged you to try new things, to keep at things, and to be successful. There were coaches and teammates who noticed if you didnāt show up for practice. There were teachers who worried about you when you didnāt show up to school.
People who donāt learn how to overcome adversity as children struggle in adulthood because - shocker - adulthood is hard. As an adult, youāre going to go through a break-up, get fired from a job you love, get in a car accident, or have a house fireā¦ And then you have to figure out how to deal with it! Adulthood comes with many freedoms, but it also brings on a whole new set of responsibilities, many of which arenāt fun.
Oftentimes, accountability is the difference between whether or not weāll accomplish the things we need to do. One of the most difficult things about freelancing is the lack of built-in accountability. Without a boss or coworkers checking in on your progress (or whether you even show up for work on a given day), you have to force yourself to be hard-working and consistent.
Iāve found that the best way to combat laziness and procrastination as a freelancer is to establish accountability as early as possible. This means finding others to check in with!
I get excited to tell my friends about my work, so I often update them on my writing progress. However, connecting with another freelancer for weekly progress check-ins or joining a co-working group is instrumental to keeping myself on track.
If you struggle with getting in enough work hours as a freelancer, you need accountability!
Without it, you will very likely fail.
Whenever I try to convince myself I donāt need work accountability, I reflect on another area of my life in which accountability has made all the difference. Until fairly recently, I always struggled to make going to the gym a priority. Iād go consistently for a month or two, then fall off my self-imposed āscheduleā and not return for a long time. Nobody was paying attention to whether or not I went, so it was really easy to skip.
Making gym buddies has been instrumental in making my exercise routine more consistent. If I donāt go, theyāll know (š±). I have a few friends who sometimes work out with me, and others who go to a different gym but still check to see how many times Iāve gone in a given week. Frankly, I donāt want to tell them I havenāt gone - so I go consistently.
But guess what?
Now, going to the gym is a part of my routine. I donāt even need the external motivation anymore because, as I catch my rhythm and improve in the gym, Iāve developed a stronger sense of internal motivation for exercising. Believe it or not, I actually look forward to my workout time - something that a year ago, I never thought Iād say!
You were created for community. You were designed to have people who love you, lift you up, and encourage you.
So, be sure to choose friends who will hold you accountable as you reach for your goals.
You can travel much further when youāre not moving alone.
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