It’s hard to change. But it’s a hell of a lot easier than staying where you are.
We all have goals we want to achieve, and working towards those goals requires a commitment to change. But without staying focused every day, those goals will never be realized.
Even for the most disciplined, motivation and accountability can falter from time to time. So how do you stay accountable in order to reach your goals?
One way you know is to find an accountability group or accountability partner. But if you want to take action today, you don’t want to wait to find an accountability group, or you just don’t want to rely on others, here is a way to hold yourself accountable.
An Unbreakable Contract
Now, this isn’t something to blow through. Take your time, and really internalize the contract you are going to make with yourself.
Take out a piece of paper or your journal and write the date across the top.
On the next line, write:
This is my first unbreakable contract.
On each line, write out what you are committing to each day of the week ahead:
- I will do ____ on Monday
- I will not do ____ on Monday (if you are working on breaking a habit).
For each day of the week, write out, in long-form, each commitment you are making to yourself. If you have a task, such as exercising, that you need to make every day, take the time to write it out for each day. Put a box for your checkmark at the end of each line, and go back to this paper at the end of each day to mark which commitments you have kept.
Take Your Time
Instead of doing this digitally, block some time to write it out with pen and paper. Consider what you need to commit to every day, and as you write it down, you can even recite your commitments out loud. Fully absorb your goals so that they hold weight and have meaning; otherwise, you may be tempted to break them.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Before you get to the bottom, add this line:
It’s hard to change, but it’s a hell of a lot easier than staying where I am right now.
Then after that, write your name with the date and time.
Finally, sign this unbreakable contract in cursive. Then hold yourself to it each and every day.