Personal accountability isn’t a habit for mindful leaders alone. It is a habit that can benefit anyone at any time, no matter how you see yourself in this current moment. Generally speaking, though, people tend to be afraid of responsibility, personal or otherwise. Until you’ve tasted the liberation that personal accountability can give you, you don’t realize the truth: it’s empowering!
You may be wondering how in the world realizing that you’re responsible for your entire life – the good, the bad, and the mediocre – could possibly be empowering instead of depressing and scary. This is completely normal. However, a big part of it is allowing that self-awareness and sense of responsibility to flow through you despite your aversion to it in the beginning. This is very akin to overcoming a fear, and once the scary part is over, the best part has just begun.
Why Personal Accountability is Important for Mindful Leadership
Mindfulness in general is a lifestyle that allows you to make more out of what is tangible by incorporating concepts that aren’t always tangible. Perception, positivity, empathy, awareness of yourself and others, not to mention psychology. These are all things that play a part in mindfulness as well as life, and those who can master their inner world are more likely to prosper in the external world.
Let’s talk about what happens if you don’t have personal accountability. If you don’t feel like you’re in control of your own life and destiny, then who has that control? The government? Society? The economy? It’s easy to look at your circumstances and blame others… or blame the circumstances themselves. And yes, we have all done that and probably will again at some point in our lives. However, once you take control of your own life and know – really know – that you can make this happen, you’re in charge, and you’re responsible, then you’re much more likely to succeed at whatever it is you set out to do. This is exactly how personal responsibility empowers you.
Of course, there will always be things that you have no influence over, and I’m not saying that every little thing needs to be monitored and controlled. That tends to do more damage than good, anyway. So what are you in control of no matter what?
· The way you react or respond to things that happen. In his documentary on Netflix called I Am Not Your Guru, Tony Robbins says to think of life and circumstances as happening for you, not to you. What is the most beneficial way to handle whatever is happening? Can you learn something from it? Use the experience in a positive way? Throughout the course of whatever is happening, have you come out on the other side wiser, stronger, more determined? If not, why not? Could you adjust your mindset and perception to make more of whatever is happening for you in your life?
· How you look at whatever is happening. Whether things are going fantastic or falling apart, the way you look at it can have a huge impact on whether you feel like you’re making progress or running on a hamster wheel going nowhere.
· Whether you take action or not. The worst thing you can do is nothing, especially when there’s a problem that needs to be solved. You ultimately want to make the right decision, but if you overthink it and make excuses to justify your procrastination, you’ve officially trapped yourself into a sense of inaction and waiting for the problem to resolve itself, which we all know rarely – if ever – happens. After debating it, mulling it over, and writing down pros and cons, chances are there’s one decision you’re leaning toward more than another. Do that. Above all, be honest with yourself about which decision that is.
· Being at peace. Making decisions can be nerve-racking. However, if you’ve finally come to a decision, you know it’s the right one, and you’ve played through whatever might happen afterwards because of it (because it’s impossible to make everyone happy), it’s extremely valuable to come to a place of peace and acceptance about the path you’ve chosen. This peace and acceptance will help you to quickly solve any minor issues that could arise as well as allowing you to stand firmly behind your decision in case you have any critics out there.
Now that we’ve covered some of the basics about personal accountability, you should have some tips and tools to use in your life and your leadership position that will help you work toward success more quickly. Of course, many of these mindset adjustments need to become habits before they get easier, but after a few times of consciously incorporating them, you will feel like things become effortless. Even if there’s work involved or you have to overcome a few snags along the way, the decisions and the actions you must take will feel easier. That’s when you know your mindset has begun shifting and to keep it going for optimal results.
As always, continue leading mindfully and we’ll see you back here next week on the Mindful Leader Blog.
