Episode 55 : Have Accountability
February 19, 2024
In this podcast episode, Michele Heyward discusses "Goal Digger Sunday," offering tips for achieving goals. She emphasizes the importance of accountability in reaching goals, sharing her experiences with multiple accountability partners. Michele explains how regular check-ins with these partners help her stay on track and outlines steps for creating effective accountability groups or masterminds, emphasizing the importance of commitment and reliability.
What is going on Periscope replay viewers, viewers in the web Twitter. Thank you everybody for joining me. I'm Michele Heyward McMullen stem civil engineer, founder of a tech company positive hire everybody. Hey, girl, girl, guess what? It is time for gold digger Sunday. And gold digger Sunday for those of you who are new to me, gold digger Sunday is when I come on and I give tips, hacks, processes you can use to not only create your goals, but truly, truly win at your goals. So, hey, Michelle, even though you're too out, and you will come in here anyway, we all know the other one won't show up. So don't tell her we don't tell I'm live. Okay, so if you are into goals, put a one up in the chat. If you're like Michelle, I have always dreamed about stuff. But I don't know how to do goals put up a to put a two up in in the chat. So one is you all about that goal get in line two is it sound good? But I'm not sure how to do it. So if that is you? I have a few weeks of goal. Focus live streams here on Periscope and you can search for by hashtag gold digger. Hashtag goal. go getter? There we go. Yes, one. You about See. See. Okay, you all right with me? Michelle, you are you alright? You said one. Okay, so tonight, I want to talk about accountability. A lot of times when you're seeing so many people when you're seeing a person consistently hitting their goals, what number one, what you're not seeing is them failing people for whatever reason. Don't see you failing, all of all the attention goes to when you blow up, right? When you doing good. You get the new car, a new job, the new house, the new hair, the new nails, I'm just playing, people pay attention. But there's a lot of work that goes on to getting that newness to getting what I call it that shine. And one of the main reasons you see people when you see people achieving so much is the word accountability. And it was like what held me accountability, being accountable. But being accountable to yourself can be hard. If you're trying to do great things. You do not go it alone. And this is still true. When it comes to setting and reaching your goals. You have to have accountability partners. I have several Yes. Not one, not two. I think I have 236. Like that I meet with every week and I'm about at a seven. That's crazy, right? You think that's absolutely crazy that I have that many accountability partners that I meet with on a weekly basis. Let me tell you something. How many of you when you're looking to lose weight, you step on a scale every day? Or you try on a pair of pants or a dress or whatever to kind of get it Kana Kana, right to see how far you come. For me having accountability meetings with different people throughout the week. helps me stay on track, right? So even if you're hitting your goals, you're only doing it 30 day sprints or 90 day sprints, or six months sprint, for me talking to somebody it almost every other day, or every three days, really helps was like yeah, I do nothing on Monday and Tuesday. Ooh, I got that meeting coming up on Thursday. Let me do something on Wednesday, right, I gotta get it in. So let me tell you how you can create accountability groups, right. And some of you may call them masterminds, where you're really helping and grow. Sometimes you will pay for these groups. Sometimes they're free. I went from having I'm creating a free one with a friend of mine when I was looking to get out of debt and do some other goals in my life. To go on into paid masterminds, they're rolling out in a paid mastermind, and creating free accountability groups, then being back in paid mastermind, where I'm working with more people, and there's a difference. A lot of times in between the two. So number one, there's a lot of difference in the type of people that are in a pay than those that are in the free sometimes people in the free don't show the hell up because when you pay money and you pay a lot of money, guess what you're gonna do, you're gonna show the hell up, right? So that's the first thing you need to find accountability partners who don't show the hell up, they are not gonna flake out. They're not gonna have excuses as to why they can't be there. How often they can't be there. And trust me, I have been the person, September and October. I was just traveling, like, I did not meet, I think like six weeks in a row. And you know what my accountability is by like, yeah, we know, I like I really wouldn't be there. They're like, yeah, we know. But they knew for the eight months prior, I was there every single week. If I had a one of us, if I had a one group is four of us. If the other two could meet, I was one. I was the one that was was always available, and it'd be somebody else, right, that will consistently show up. And so for me showing up, even if I said, I have five goals for the week, even if I only had one set to go, I will, I was ready with one. Guess what happened. I was I got I got something done. And I was ready to talk about it. Or if I say you know what, this was not a good week. I didn't get anything done. But what it did do was help set up a process and a thought process. Where in it is truly truly important to have somebody that shows up. So you want somebody who is going to show up to every scheduled meeting.
So some of you like Michelle, I can't meet every week. If you can't meet every week, go for every other week
excuse me, then go for every two weeks. But don't go any further than once a month, once a month, it's really hard. Especially if you're new to goals. If you're new to goals, you really need to be meeting once a week. More than once a week may be helpful. You just have to test it and try it out. All right. So you want somebody who shows up. The second thing is you want somebody who listens. And when I say they listen, they're not doing ah ha yeah, that sounds good. Okay. All right. Okay, you want somebody who's listening intently to what you said. So they thank you. So they are truly truly in tune to when they know you hold him back when they know you lie in. And when they know you're not pushing yourself. And maybe sometimes when they know you're pushing yourself too hard. So that person or those people that are part of your accountability circle, are helping to keep you in balance. Right? Now, that doesn't mean they're not going to do this. Number three, push you and what does what I mean by push you they're going to not let you always sit in your comfort zone when it comes to reaching your goals. Because the truth is goals are not about being in your comfort zone. That is why a lot of people do not reach their goals. It is about doing something you've never done before. That's what goals are. And that is why so many people never achieve them. It is very difficult to get out of your comfort zone. And I'll put this at I'll give this example. I am not a cold weather person. For me to leave my nice warm cozy home in the middle middle of winter, especially I lived in the Midwest and the Northeast. North knows I had to have a good reason. Five days a week. That reason was a job to pay the bill. So I had a nice warm cozy home are you feeling me? So when people have to go after their goals that is a reason for me like Ooh, it's cold outside and wind blowing and it's snowing. Number of cars kind of sliding on the road to data salt truck hasn't been through. I think I'm gonna stay in here is comfortable in here. I don't really need nothing right and they go sit back down. But for those of us who know that we got to go out in the cold in the snow in the winter, because we have a face to face meeting with somebody who is going to engage with us who want to take us to the next level. So we're gonna do we're gonna get us back as prepared as we can to go slide on the road, you're trying to make that meeting, right? We're going to do things that we have not done before, and get out of our comfort zone. So that person needs to be pushing you to the next level, pushing you to not sit in your comfort zone to not have a pity party to not let you say, Okay, well, I'll just do it another week. Honey, it's been three weeks, get off the pot a shit is one of them two bills to decision. They're separate, do or do not? Right. And that's what that's what you want to for somebody who is in your accountability group. All right. Now, this one may not seem important to a lot of people, but it truly truly is. And it's the follow up. Yeah, like the follow up. Okay, so we meet every week, we talk about what our goals are. And we tell you what the plan is. And guess what we do that every week? How to hell, I know, you really do what you say, do. You have to start every meeting with what happened? With the goals you said you'd want to do last week? Not a very first meeting, you may not do that. But your accountability partner should be following up with you as you follow up with them. And so right now I'm doing something that it's very difficult for me, I'm writing a blog post today a minimum of 500 words. That is my goal to write seven blog posts, a set seven blog blog posts every day for the month of November, because it is national blog writing mother blog, sunlight dad, diva, MD gear, Michel de guerre, it has me doing this. So blame it on her. So these are my goals. I'm actually I do a Twitter chat to talk about goals every week. And the second question and part of this Twitter chatter, what are your goals for the week? So I literally publicly announced my goals. Do you know what the first question is that they asked? How did you do with your goal? This week? Seriously, they do this and we publicly publicly? Announce it. So to follow up comes first. Next is what do you plan on doing the next week with your goals? Y'all with me? I know y'all got quiet on me. But it's really, really important that you have this as part of your accountability. It is truly truly important. Okay. Now, this is not a necessity. This will be nice to have. If you have accountability partner, or partners who are resourceful, yes, resourceful. your accountability partners do not have to know the answer. They just need to know how to know Google use Google, they just need to know how to tap into their, their network. They just need to know how to be resourceful. If you have these people, or at least one person in your accountability group, it pushes you further ahead and it cuts down the time you spend working on your goals. Seriously, how many? How often have you said oh my god, I don't know how I'm gonna do this. If somebody goes, oh, we'll just call such or such. Anyway, well, who is that? Oh, well, they're the vice president or the chair or such as like this organization. And then a friend of mine, we grew up together, or we went to college together or they're my next door neighbor. We go to church, we have dinner, why kids play soccer together and you like the hail? How do I not know this? Because you did not share your goals, especially publicly. So having risk being resourceful or having somebody who's resourceful in your accountability group, y'all is Bay. Oh my God. It is absolutely, absolutely Bay. So be sure you have somebody who is resourceful in your accountability group. Okay. Now, if you are looking like okay, Michelle, I don't have my goals written down. Go ahead and get my free guide to how to write out smart goals specific, measurable, attainable, reachable, and time bound goals are realistic timeline, time timeout will depend on what you want to our enemy. It will is a free guide. You sign up for it, you download it, and you just write on it. Just make as many pages copies A lot of it, when you look at the guy, there are only there's only room for seven goals. And it explains in there why it's only seven, which is a lot of goals to have in a year. But it's to really help you focus and I like to do certain goals. I work on year round. Other goals only work on certain times of the year. Right? So, so it helps you Hey, Jeff, to really really focus on one or two goals per quarter, or even less, a one or two goals every six months. So seven goals is a lot. I'm usually like five. I like the number five, sorta kind of me because I'm one to five, I have five fingers. On one hand. What did he say shorty neck, oh, Lord, Lord, help him. But it's really really good to stay focus on your goals. And not be overwhelmed by the goal by your by the number of goals you have. When you have a smaller number of goals, you can intently focus on them. And having a large number of goals, especially if you're not a goal oriented person, it is not your thing, do not do seven, do two or three. Thanks for the super heart, Jeff. So it is really, really important to keep that in mind. When you go download the guide and you start writing national goals. Just aim for two or three. And you do not have to worry about whether you want to start in 2019 started now. What is something you want to work on? between now and December 31? Hey, Natalie, what is something you want to work on? between now and January 31 2019?
What does that look like? And because you do not have to wait to work on stuff for the new year. New year new me know you can start that change now. Do not wait to put a calendar four o'clock. Guess what? Um, one day, why not make it day one today? Yes, make day one today. Get the guide, fill it out, and just start writing out your goals. Then next Sunday. When we come back here we're talking about? Oh, yeah, you're not ready. You're not ready for this being in your feelings when it comes to reaching your goals? And you're like, what would you mean in your feelings? You're gonna be in your feelings, you're gonna be scared because going after your goals takes you out of your comfort zone, like I said earlier. Okay, so I'm gonna do a recap. What do you need to look for when it comes to building and creating your accountability group number one, they must show up as well as you they must listen. As well as shoe they must push you encourage you make you get out of your comfort zone is number three. Number four. They're going to follow up with you with where your goals were. What followed with you with last week's goals when you meet in the current week. So you don't just talk about oh, this is what I'm gonna do this week. No, we want to know what went well, what didn't go well, let us know. And number five, it is not a must. But it's really nice if that person or persons in your accountability group are resourceful. Yes, yes. Yes. Yes. So that is what I have for all of you go hustlers out there. Gold Diggers out there. Go getters out there. You got this. You got this. Yes, I do tweet out my goals. And then I take a screenshot of it. And I posted it on Instagram. And I know you're like Michelle, that's too much. You crazy. I will not share that with the world. Guess what? The world will come ask me did I write my six seven blogs? And guess what? I'll say no. I wrote and they'll go, Oh, that's really good. Or I'll go I wrote one is like or what happened? What you need, what went wrong? And then they'll start helping you? Because that is part of being accountable. And that is part of sharing even in a community and being held accountable for your goals. Alright, everybody, I'm out of here. Have a great week. You got this. What is that one? Action you're gonna take this week to get you one step closer to a goal does take just do that one action. That's all I ask. Alright, everybody, have a good one and I will talk to you later. Bye.
So some of you like Michelle, I can't meet every week. If you can't meet every week, go for every other week
excuse me, then go for every two weeks. But don't go any further than once a month, once a month, it's really hard. Especially if you're new to goals. If you're new to goals, you really need to be meeting once a week. More than once a week may be helpful. You just have to test it and try it out. All right. So you want somebody who shows up. The second thing is you want somebody who listens. And when I say they listen, they're not doing ah ha yeah, that sounds good. Okay. All right. Okay, you want somebody who's listening intently to what you said. So they thank you. So they are truly truly in tune to when they know you hold him back when they know you lie in. And when they know you're not pushing yourself. And maybe sometimes when they know you're pushing yourself too hard. So that person or those people that are part of your accountability circle, are helping to keep you in balance. Right? Now, that doesn't mean they're not going to do this. Number three, push you and what does what I mean by push you they're going to not let you always sit in your comfort zone when it comes to reaching your goals. Because the truth is goals are not about being in your comfort zone. That is why a lot of people do not reach their goals. It is about doing something you've never done before. That's what goals are. And that is why so many people never achieve them. It is very difficult to get out of your comfort zone. And I'll put this at I'll give this example. I am not a cold weather person. For me to leave my nice warm cozy home in the middle middle of winter, especially I lived in the Midwest and the Northeast. North knows I had to have a good reason. Five days a week. That reason was a job to pay the bill. So I had a nice warm cozy home are you feeling me? So when people have to go after their goals that is a reason for me like Ooh, it's cold outside and wind blowing and it's snowing. Number of cars kind of sliding on the road to data salt truck hasn't been through. I think I'm gonna stay in here is comfortable in here. I don't really need nothing right and they go sit back down. But for those of us who know that we got to go out in the cold in the snow in the winter, because we have a face to face meeting with somebody who is going to engage with us who want to take us to the next level. So we're gonna do we're gonna get us back as prepared as we can to go slide on the road, you're trying to make that meeting, right? We're going to do things that we have not done before, and get out of our comfort zone. So that person needs to be pushing you to the next level, pushing you to not sit in your comfort zone to not have a pity party to not let you say, Okay, well, I'll just do it another week. Honey, it's been three weeks, get off the pot a shit is one of them two bills to decision. They're separate, do or do not? Right. And that's what that's what you want to for somebody who is in your accountability group. All right. Now, this one may not seem important to a lot of people, but it truly truly is. And it's the follow up. Yeah, like the follow up. Okay, so we meet every week, we talk about what our goals are. And we tell you what the plan is. And guess what we do that every week? How to hell, I know, you really do what you say, do. You have to start every meeting with what happened? With the goals you said you'd want to do last week? Not a very first meeting, you may not do that. But your accountability partner should be following up with you as you follow up with them. And so right now I'm doing something that it's very difficult for me, I'm writing a blog post today a minimum of 500 words. That is my goal to write seven blog posts, a set seven blog blog posts every day for the month of November, because it is national blog writing mother blog, sunlight dad, diva, MD gear, Michel de guerre, it has me doing this. So blame it on her. So these are my goals. I'm actually I do a Twitter chat to talk about goals every week. And the second question and part of this Twitter chatter, what are your goals for the week? So I literally publicly announced my goals. Do you know what the first question is that they asked? How did you do with your goal? This week? Seriously, they do this and we publicly publicly? Announce it. So to follow up comes first. Next is what do you plan on doing the next week with your goals? Y'all with me? I know y'all got quiet on me. But it's really, really important that you have this as part of your accountability. It is truly truly important. Okay. Now, this is not a necessity. This will be nice to have. If you have accountability partner, or partners who are resourceful, yes, resourceful. your accountability partners do not have to know the answer. They just need to know how to know Google use Google, they just need to know how to tap into their, their network. They just need to know how to be resourceful. If you have these people, or at least one person in your accountability group, it pushes you further ahead and it cuts down the time you spend working on your goals. Seriously, how many? How often have you said oh my god, I don't know how I'm gonna do this. If somebody goes, oh, we'll just call such or such. Anyway, well, who is that? Oh, well, they're the vice president or the chair or such as like this organization. And then a friend of mine, we grew up together, or we went to college together or they're my next door neighbor. We go to church, we have dinner, why kids play soccer together and you like the hail? How do I not know this? Because you did not share your goals, especially publicly. So having risk being resourceful or having somebody who's resourceful in your accountability group, y'all is Bay. Oh my God. It is absolutely, absolutely Bay. So be sure you have somebody who is resourceful in your accountability group. Okay. Now, if you are looking like okay, Michelle, I don't have my goals written down. Go ahead and get my free guide to how to write out smart goals specific, measurable, attainable, reachable, and time bound goals are realistic timeline, time timeout will depend on what you want to our enemy. It will is a free guide. You sign up for it, you download it, and you just write on it. Just make as many pages copies A lot of it, when you look at the guy, there are only there's only room for seven goals. And it explains in there why it's only seven, which is a lot of goals to have in a year. But it's to really help you focus and I like to do certain goals. I work on year round. Other goals only work on certain times of the year. Right? So, so it helps you Hey, Jeff, to really really focus on one or two goals per quarter, or even less, a one or two goals every six months. So seven goals is a lot. I'm usually like five. I like the number five, sorta kind of me because I'm one to five, I have five fingers. On one hand. What did he say shorty neck, oh, Lord, Lord, help him. But it's really really good to stay focus on your goals. And not be overwhelmed by the goal by your by the number of goals you have. When you have a smaller number of goals, you can intently focus on them. And having a large number of goals, especially if you're not a goal oriented person, it is not your thing, do not do seven, do two or three. Thanks for the super heart, Jeff. So it is really, really important to keep that in mind. When you go download the guide and you start writing national goals. Just aim for two or three. And you do not have to worry about whether you want to start in 2019 started now. What is something you want to work on? between now and December 31? Hey, Natalie, what is something you want to work on? between now and January 31 2019?
What does that look like? And because you do not have to wait to work on stuff for the new year. New year new me know you can start that change now. Do not wait to put a calendar four o'clock. Guess what? Um, one day, why not make it day one today? Yes, make day one today. Get the guide, fill it out, and just start writing out your goals. Then next Sunday. When we come back here we're talking about? Oh, yeah, you're not ready. You're not ready for this being in your feelings when it comes to reaching your goals? And you're like, what would you mean in your feelings? You're gonna be in your feelings, you're gonna be scared because going after your goals takes you out of your comfort zone, like I said earlier. Okay, so I'm gonna do a recap. What do you need to look for when it comes to building and creating your accountability group number one, they must show up as well as you they must listen. As well as shoe they must push you encourage you make you get out of your comfort zone is number three. Number four. They're going to follow up with you with where your goals were. What followed with you with last week's goals when you meet in the current week. So you don't just talk about oh, this is what I'm gonna do this week. No, we want to know what went well, what didn't go well, let us know. And number five, it is not a must. But it's really nice if that person or persons in your accountability group are resourceful. Yes, yes. Yes. Yes. So that is what I have for all of you go hustlers out there. Gold Diggers out there. Go getters out there. You got this. You got this. Yes, I do tweet out my goals. And then I take a screenshot of it. And I posted it on Instagram. And I know you're like Michelle, that's too much. You crazy. I will not share that with the world. Guess what? The world will come ask me did I write my six seven blogs? And guess what? I'll say no. I wrote and they'll go, Oh, that's really good. Or I'll go I wrote one is like or what happened? What you need, what went wrong? And then they'll start helping you? Because that is part of being accountable. And that is part of sharing even in a community and being held accountable for your goals. Alright, everybody, I'm out of here. Have a great week. You got this. What is that one? Action you're gonna take this week to get you one step closer to a goal does take just do that one action. That's all I ask. Alright, everybody, have a good one and I will talk to you later. Bye.