Getting a Couple of People to Hold You Accountable
Your Project
Find a couple of women to hold you accountable for your goal. It can be someone who lives close, or an internet or phone friend.
Every woman has done it. You get up early New Year’s morning. You write down your goals on a piece of paper. If you are really bold, you’ll post them on the fridge for the rest of your family to see. And that is where it ends. You have no one checking in with you, no one holding you accountable. Your husband certainly is not going to ask you, “Hey, it says here on your New Year’s resolutions that you are going to the gym five times a week. How’s it going?” No, he is not going to ask. He is smarter than that.
This is the point where a woman needs a couple of good, godly women in her life. These are the women who are assigned to ask The Project Manager (you) the tough questions and keep her going down the road God has set out for her.
You Goal Girl!
The waitress knows that we are in deep discussion so, instead of refilling our ceramic mugs, this time she just leaves the pot of coffee. She is used to this scene – the three of us friends talking, laughing until we have to “Shush!” each other, as well as stopping to pray along the way. We are the “Goal Girls” and this table is our monthly meeting spot.
The Goal Girls start six years ago when every area of my life was in transition. My marriage was falling apart and I found myself back in the job market to support myself and my kids. On top of all that, I needed to find a new place to live. I felt like everything was spinning out of control.
I knew that I also needed to makes some changes in other areas of my life. Spending time with God had become a faint memory for me. I wanted to reconnect in a real way, but I was having trouble being committed to my day-to-day relationship with Him.
I needed support that was more than a once-a-week Bible study. I needed people around me to love and guide me through this hurtful time in my life.
At the same time, my friend Vikki, a 30 year-old wife and mother, was just plain overwhelmed. With her two active kids, and another on the way, she was feeling the pressures of keeping it all together. In addition to taking care of her family, Vikki worked outside the home several nights a month, and was the women’s ministry leader at our growing church. The fast pace of Vikki’s life was threatening to swallow her up if she didn’t makes some changes immediately.
Another friend, Angela, young and vibrant at 34, had an even more desperate situation. Complicating her busy life caring for her two small girls, her health was in serious jeopardy and she knew that she had to take some radical steps including losing weight and exercising in order to start restoring herself physically so that she could lead a normal life.
All of us were longing for change. We wanted to live healthier lives, not just physically, but also emotionally and spiritually. Each of us needed help figuring out what God designed us to do, but we also needed a way of making sure that we stayed on track- someone to hold our feet to the fire.
I asked Angela and Vikki if they would be interested in trying an accountability group. I was honest and upfront,” I had no idea how it would work, but I am so frustrated and scared that I am willing to try just about anything. I guess we can just make it up as we go along?” Apparently, they were just as desperate and we decided to meet the next week.
That was eight years ago, and the effect of those meeting are still very present in my life.
Here is my question for you: Are there a couple of people that you can ask to support you along the way? This doesn’t mean that they stand over you with a ruler, beating your up if you don’t get your stuff done. You want a couple of cheerleaders who are going to keep you motivated.
In the comments, tell me who you love who you could ask to cheer you on. One or two names is all I ask. I want you to make this real, live step to making your dreams a reality.
One commenter will be randomly drawn from all the commenters and will win:
a $10 starbucks card to take your accountability person out to coffee.
I am going to ask two friends, accountability partners for the past 4 years. I love this idea of a goal group!
My prayer partners from the past 16+ years, Kathy, Karina & Janet.
I meet with my accountability partner every Thursday. She holds my hand, prays for me, periodically kicks my keester, and laughs at my jokes 🙂
Megin is a gift. Thanks for giving a shout out to accountability, Kathi! 🙂
Amberly
Hmmm…I”m going to have to pray about this one. This actually fits in well with my goal to get more connected to people I care about. I could either pick local people so I can have coffee face to face or friends in other cities that I don’t get to see very often. My only concern about that is that I already struggle with “out of sight-out of mind” friend syndrome, and it would be very easy to meet twice and drop the ball. The out of town friends are the ones going through transition though…I also have local friends that I want to go deeper with. What a blessing to have such wonderful women in my life! Please pray for me as I seek God’s direction; I know he’s up to something here.
My friend Susan and my mother-in-law Helen
Hi Kathi!
I’m finally (or yet again) making some big changes, you know my struggle. It’s how we met :).
I have enlisted two women whom I didn’t know well but with similar issues. Actually one enlisted me. We really keep each other accountable and because there are three of us if one can’t physically be present for me, the other one is. It works really well. We are all there for each other. We build each other up. A big shout out to Cathy and Vickie! Thanks, ladies! Perhaps we can cheer each other on in other areas to meet our goals.
For eating, my sister and for fitness, a co-worker.
My friend, Melissa, has already agreed to do it with me. I still want to check with Celeste and Aleta.
My friends Jamie and Gayle keep me accountable (and sane. Without them to talk to I’d probably lose it!).
Thanks for your direction and encouragement.
My buddy, Becky, is going to cheer me on, and I’m going to be her personal cheerleader. We already do this in other aspects of life. In Biggest Loser tradition, we weigh in on Tuesdays (in our respective homes), then e-mail each other our results, either good or bad. Doesn’t matter. we still cheer and encourage each other to keep on and never give up. And we did The Husband Project together also. I can’t think of a better partner to travel with on my dreams journey!
God has blessed me with a small group of godly women…we call ourselves the “Bad Girls”. They are my accountability group, my prayer warriors, my Aaron and Hur:
1. Nancy Sheets
2. Nancy Commins
3. Ellen Hogue
4. Tina Roberts
5. Melinda Chase
6. Jeannie Hilt
Oh Kathi, thank you for the reminder!
I have them, I just don’t use them like I should…
1. KATIE (My best friend and a godly woman that all would love to be like!)
2. Rici
3. Kristy (local! always a plus)
4. Elise
I’m gonna get on this! Thanks for the encouragement!
My hubby has to be on board or it just won’t work.
My friend Julie.
P.S. Danica … I would be glad to be your accountability buddy. 🙂
This is a hard project for me, too. I’ve never had a lot of good girl friends (one of my 50/50 goals is to make more!). I do have a couple cousins, though, that I am really close to. They live far away, and I think this will be a fun way for us to stay connected.
This was one of the scariest challenges for me…but I’ve made progress and asked to friends to hold me accountable just in the last week. Now I’m excited to share my weekly progress with them!
My friend Tessa is a gift to me. She inspires me in my relationship with the Lord, first and foremost, and she encourages my dream-chasing. We both transitioned from work-from-home moms to fully stay-at-home moms at the same time, we share prayer requests and creative inspiration (and even the ever-present quest to find outfits that are cute and also practical for running after two-year olds!).
We keep in touch with each other at least weekly about our current goals and prayer requests. In fact, she’s offered to help however she can with my two-year old, should the Lord send my husband and I to Africa on the mission trip to the orphanage this summer!!! She is a huge blessing! I’m an only child, so she’s like a sister to me. (And she LOVES Starbucks, so it would be awesome to have a gift card for her!)
Sounds like everyone has a great support system! You go, girls!
I have two:
1) My husband
2) Leah, my closest friend.
This is really good stuff Kathi, thanks.
Okay, thankfully this is an easy one since it is already in place.
1. husband
2. Sofia
3. Brigitte
4. Diana
5. Pretty much a dozen other people on my Prayer Shield.
This one was too easy, I’m scared what tomorrows assignment will be! 🙂
I was finally successful with the Husband Project relying on the support of my small group last year with nightly emails expected reporting on the day’s assignment and outcome. I plan to do the same this time around… So Michele, Katrina, Marisa, Gabriela, Carrie and Dee, get ready to go on another adventure with me!
Kathi– I have two friends that not only encourage me they inspire me to be better. A better person, friend, writer, wife and mother. They will tell me like t is even if I would not like to hear what they have to say. I do not know what my life would be like without Terri and Sarah. We mentor each other in so many ways.