“The Importance and Relevance of Accountability” by Debbie Waters

I had an interesting conversation this morning that really got me thinking about a very important and necessary evil in life, that without it we tend to flounder and fail: accountability.  As is always true this time of year, many people make New Year’s resolutions.  They range from everything from losing weight and eating healthier to starting a new business and making more money.  In the beginning, most people are excited and motivated.  But, as time goes by, so does the motivation, and eventually, only about 8% of the 50% or so of people who commit to a resolution actually stick to it.

This brings me to the conversation I had this morning with Nicky and Jennifer.  Now, if you know Nicky from Ron’s boot camps, you know she’s a small, but a serious force to be reckoned with.  After all, she manages a room packed full of students all while taking insults (loving insults, of course) from Ron and successfully does so with a huge smile on her face.  So, I was a little surprised when Nicky said she uses a personal trainer for her workouts at least three days a week.  I thought it interesting that such a strong-willed, out-going and determined person would “rely” on a trainer.  I pictured Nicky cycling for miles, to and from work (which she often does) and running 5Ks as if she were getting the mail.  I questioned her reasoning for feeling the “need” to seek a personal trainer, and her response made so much sense.  She said, “Well, he holds me accountable!”

That’s when Jennifer beamed in that she too would like a personal trainer because it would hold her responsible, and she’d automatically feel more committed just knowing someone was waiting on her.  We talked about how personal trainers are like your “good” angel sitting on your shoulder.  They’re there waiting for you to show up.  They’re there to call you and find out where you are if you don’t show up.  They’re there with a smile on their face at o’dark thirty in the morning waiting to cheer you on, to help you push through when you’re too tired or too lazy.  A personal trainer shows you proper movement techniques so you don’t injure yourself.  They teach you how to use the exercise equipment to help you get the maximum benefit of your workout; the most “bang for your buck,” so to speak.  It really does make perfect sense.  It actually doesn’t matter how tenacious you are or how strong-willed you are, rather it’s having to answer to another human being.

This got me thinking about other areas of my life where I am held responsible, made to answer or report on set goals or by certain deadlines.   At work, I have deadlines and meetings to discuss my progress on different tasks.  If I didn’t, they wouldn’t get done on time.  Other things would inevitably come up, and things would get put on the back burner.  When it comes to our New Year’s resolutions, we need to find ways to be held accountable so we can’t put things on the proverbial back burner.

If your New Year’s resolution is to better your business, to make more money or whatever, there are several things you’ll need to do to stick with it and make it happen.  First of all, you must be specific about your resolution or your goals.  Write them down and make mini-goals to achieve larger goals and give yourself a time period to accomplish this goal.  Have a partner to share it with (to be accountable to) whether it’s a spouse, a trainer or a friend.  If a business goal, get a Mentor!

A mentor is the most practical and proficient tool in your toolbox when building your business.  There’s no need to reinvent the wheel.  People who are successfully doing what you want to achieve are the best people to make you accountable to.  Once you’ve taken Quick Start Real Estate School, you might feel overwhelmed.  After all, it’s four information-packed days crammed into your brain all at once.  You’ll need some time to break it down, digest it, understand it and implement it.  Implementation is where a mentor will come in and hold you accountable.  I can’t tell you how many testimonial letters I receive from folks who have taken mentoring, and how much it has not only changed their business, but their lives as well.  The accessibility to the mentor gives you the ability to have questions answered quickly so you don’t get derailed and frustrated.  They help you develop your plan of action and check in with calls and emails to monitor your progress.  This ensures you continually move forward giving you more confidence and practice in establishing and closing deals.

You’ll also want to surround yourself with like-minded individuals.  I won’t be spending much time with my friends at McDonalds over the next few months.  My New Year’s resolution to eat healthier and exercise more has me thinking about changing some of the rules for the menu at my monthly Bunco.  I have a feeling the other 11 women will agree they’re all great changes.  We’re all working moms and wives with busy lives.  Our goals are very similar.  For most of us, we want to shed those extra holiday pounds.  So, we’ll need to switch out our table snacks from the M&Ms to whole wheat crackers and cheese.  Of course, the red wine can stay; I mean it is made from grapes, after all.

As a real estate investor, if you want to surround yourself with likeminded people and you don’t already belong to Gold Club, you’ll certainly want to join.  Our interactive Forum is a great place to meet in cyberspace over coffee and ask questions to other real estate investors, read blogs and even ask Ron questions directly on our Ask Ron forum.  Every week, we release an Ask Ron video where he answers your questions.  You’ll also have access to hundreds of forms and agreements in the library, your own Private Lender Website and hundreds of training lesson videos and so much more.  It truly is the number one community of real estate investors!

Remember, one of the most important factors in your success once you’ve set your goals, is to have a means of being held accountable.  Take a few moments now to assess areas in your life, whether personal or business, where you consistently fail to meet your goals, and determine the level, if any, of accountability. You can be the most tenacious, strong-willed person on earth, like our own Nicky, but, if no one is holding you accountable to do what you say you’re going to do, most likely it won’t get done.

If you’re not where you want to be in your real estate investing career and you haven’t considered Ron’s mentoring program and our Gold Club, perhaps we can help you achieve your goals, push past them even further and more importantly, hold you accountable.  Kick off the year with your best foot forward.

Cheers to you and your most profitable and productive year yet!