Jack Canfield explains how to find an accountability partner who will help you stay on track. Pick someone pursuing their own goals, ideally in your field or one level above you, and avoid romantic partners. Daily five-minute calls work best: report five action steps, then listen to theirs.
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Hi, I'm Jack Canfield and today I want to give you a few tips on how to find your ideal accountability partner to help you achieve your goals faster and easier. Now, as a reminder, make sure you click the subscribe button and the Bell icon to get notifications when I release new videos. If I could give you just one piece of advice on how to be more productive and get more accomplished in your life, it would be to find and work with a really great accountability partner. Why? Because success is not a solo activity. Success is a team sport. And despite all your best intentions, if the only person you're ever accountable to is yourself, you will find it much harder to stay motivated and on track toward achieving your goals. Then if you have a dedicated accountability partner who can cheer you on, give you advice and support you when you need it, and most importantly, hold hold you accountable for taking the actions that you need to take when you need to take them as you work on bringing your dream to life. So today I'd like to give you five tips on how to find an ideal accountability partner who will help you get more done on time and faster and give you the support you need to make your ideal life a reality. But first, let's talk about what exactly is an accountability partner. Basically, it's someone who holds you accountable on a daily or weekly basis for staying on task and taking the required action steps that you need to take to achieve your goals as you work to achieve them. Now, I recommend you have a five minute phone call each and every day as you commit to the five action steps you're committed to taking that day and then reporting how you did the next day on that same call as you commit to the five action steps for that day. Now, having an accountability partner is a total game changer, but choosing the right partner is very important. You want to make sure you ask someone who has your best interest in mind, is strong enough to hold you accountable without accepting any excuses, and who will give you the encouragement you need to stay on track. So with that in mind, my first tip for you is to never ask your romantic partner or your spouse to be your accountability partner. Now, even though they are someone who loves you and wants the best for you, they may not fully understand your goals or they may be too close to you to really hold you accountable, or they may be too critical rather than neutral on those times when you don't follow through. For example, they may want you to go to a dinner party with them instead of staying home and working on your business even though your launch date for your new online marketing campaign is fast approaching and there's still a ton of stuff you need to do, and this can lead to unnecessary extra strife in your relationship. So for the health of your relationship and for your success in achieving your goals, it's better for you to choose someone who's not so close to you, someone who's neutral and objective enough to call you on your stuff without any guilt or hesitation, and who can help you keep your priorities focused on your goals no matter what else is happening in your life. Now my next tip is to find someone who is also actively working on pursuing their own goals. Someone who also has big goals they want to achieve in their personal and professional lives. And their committed efforts and their achievements will inspire you to keep you working toward your goals even as you're taking action and having those achievements that will inspire them as well as you. Now, the more you motivate each other, the more successful your accountability partnership will be. Also, be sure to choose someone who isn't afraid to give you some tough love when you need it. If you ask someone who's a pushover, they'll accept any excuse you give them and then they won't end up holding you accountable. Ideally, if your goals are work related, it's also a good idea to find someone who's in the same profession or field as you because they'll know what you're dealing with. And if your partner is working toward a similar goal as you or has some sort of experience with it, you will benefit more from his or her knowledge and support. Now if possible. And it may not always be, ask someone who is one level above you in already producing better results in the world. Someone who's making more money or outperforming you in sales, having more impact in the world, or who has more clients, has a broader social media reach. All those kind of things. And lastly, you may want to choose someone who you can meet with in person by Skype or Zoom, because you will be able to force forge a stronger personal connection face to face than over email or text. And if you can't meet in person or face to face over the Internet, then speaking to each other on the phone is more personal and more powerful than just doing it by email or text. Okay, now that you know the kind of person you're looking for, the question is, where should you look for them? It could be somebody who works in your company or another branch of your company, or a fellow franchise operator. If you belong to a professional organization that's also a really good place to start looking for an accountability partner. Or maybe you belong to an online group that's focused on personal development or that's related to your industry or your profession in some way. Or you could look in your church, your temple, your mosque, or even the local country club if you're a member. If you're still in college or graduate school, it could be someone from one of your classes. Ideally, you want to be looking in a place where you will find people who are as committed to being successful as you are. So make sure you spend some time talking with potential accountability partners to see if they'll be good match for you. Once you've found someone who fits your needs, all you have to do is ask them. Some people may say no, but if you keep asking people, I promise you you will eventually find the right person for you. Now I'd like to hear your thoughts after watching this video. Have you ever worked with an accountability partner before? What challenges did they help you overcome? And if you feel inspired, please leave a comment below with your answer. I'd love to read what you have to say, so thanks for watching. And remember, nothing in your life will change for the better until you do. Now, if you found this video helpful, please make sure you like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel. For more videos like this one, and for some additional resources on how to find an accountability partner, please visit my website@jackcampfield.com and thanks again for watching.
