Read below about "boot camp" accountability coaching.

If left to our own devices, we humans would likely take the lazy route. Accountability is therefore quite useful in many areas of life.

Being accountable means you are answerable to another person for your declared responsibilities or commitments. Employees are accountable to their managers at performance reviews. Students are accountable to their teachers; kids to parents; spouses to each other.

Accountability is especially essential at the beginning of a habit change, such as reducing sugar intake, or for a specific project you just can’t seem to maintain on your own, such as de-cluttering your home. Your accountability partner serves to motivate, advise, and keep you persevering, so he/she is a brilliant support in helping you build your character and integrity.

In 1998, I ran my first (and so far only) marathon with the support of Team In Training.   Had I not committed to show up to Saturday morning long runs  or promise to sponsor a little boy with leukemia, I’m not sure I would’ve finished (or at least finished well.) I was able to rely on the experience and camaraderie of other runners, the expertise of a coach, and a shared vision–far superior than going it alone.

Sometimes accountability is already in place, and other times you have to engineer the circumstances yourself. i.e. Sign up for a Biggest Loser challenge to lose weight, or with an accountability coach to write that book you’ve put off. Otherwise, find a serious, kick-butt kind of friend to help.

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Even more fun: Lunch Book Club!

There’s a reason why Jane Austen book clubs, Ya-Ya Sisterhoods, and every kind of Meetup you can imagine exist. We yearn for community.

And although in-person conversations are best, I wouldn’t give up my virtual Monday Morning Book Club for the world. We are four women and two men who have made it through not quite three books in a year–and 50 life-changing conversations in the same time.

Granted, my book club is comprised of fellow coaches, and we all have given permission to speak into each other’s lives with curiosity and fierce compassion. So rather than simply discuss a chapter, we usually get right to the heart of a matter and relate it to life. We may be reading chapters, but what we’re really doing is supporting each other in writing new chapters for each of our lives.

If yours is anything like mine, here are just a few things that joining a book club will teach you about life:

1. You are not alone. People want to share in your experiences–whatever they may be.
2. Others enjoy your presence and notice when you’re not there. You have a unique contribution to make.
3. Show up–even if you didn’t do your homework. Consistency establishes your commitment and engenders trust.
4. Two or more gathered + differing viewpoints = An expanded perspective + clearer choices for action.
5. Life is better with friends.

Your community (I would imagine any dedicated group would do, as long as you create a context for open sharing upfront) makes life vastly more full. Start your own, or join mine–the Self-Truce virtual book club coaching starting next month. We’ll coach from books about weight and wellness, God and joyful living, money and more–and quite possibly all at the same time! You don’t even need to leave your house. Grab your coffee, cozy up in your favorite chair, and let’s begin.

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