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Remember “I Love Lucy?” Well, I love Lucy – really! She was so public and out there with everything she tried to do. We laughed at her epic failures, but we also cheered for her and secretly wanted her to succeed. I keep her in mind when I need to give myself a boost toward a goal. I have a Lucy magnet that I use to pin my goal to my refrigerator when I’m really trying to challenge myself toward something. Everyone who sees the fridge can ask me about it, and I see it every day, multiple times a day. I cut the note out of colored construction paper, so it looks like a cartoon message balloon, with Lucy saying the words. I also try to talk to friends and family about the events I have coming up—what I’m training for and what new foods or food changes I am working to implement (thank goodness I have tolerant friends and family!). Right now, I’m searching for some new athletic goals for myself. I want to do something epic. So, look for me to be sharing those ideas sometime soon. I’m going to take my own advice…and go public with it! Accountability to yourself, while important, can be a lonesome journey. There’s a reason why sports teams need cheerleaders and fans. There’s a reason why we go to the dentist to get our teeth cleaned and checked. There is a reason why schools give grades and measure performance. We need someone besides ourselves to help us stay on top of those things that are important to us. We need a way to measure our progress. We need a way to find out how we are doing outside of our own opinion. We need to share and be shared with. How many times do we say, “I know what I need to be doing, but I’m just not doing it,”? Staying accountable and consistent to your goals is half the battle of getting lean and healthy. In fact, it is half the battle of any goal you might set. The consistency of doing the good stuff, is where real change comes from. We can all talk about how it’s important to keep going and stay motivated, but where does accountability actually fit in? Staying healthy and fit is no different. One of the best ways I’ve found to keep myself accountable to my health and fitness goals is going public. If you put it out there and you aren’t afraid to talk about it, you’ll be surprised by how supportive people can be. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable, if you aren’t staying on top of things. Sometimes you’re just itching for someone to ask you, so you can say proudly how well it’s going. If you don’t tell anyone, you miss out on both sides of this. Pick something on your goals list and give it a try. Post it on your refrigerator, put a sticky note on your desk or wall at work, tell your friends what you are working toward, and put it on social media if you REALLY want to go pubic! How you choose to share, that’s up to you, but keeping it only to yourself reduces your probability of success. Make it big, make it little, it doesn’t matter, just pick something and go public about it. It can be as simple as committing to meet someone at the gym at 5:30 am for a workout, and not cancelling. Maybe you are trying to give up diet soda? Put it out there – let people know that you’re working hard to make it happen So, here’s the bottom line. “Go public. “ Share your goals and be proud of what you accomplish. Put yourself out there—just like Lucy!   |
