Why You Need Public Accountability (and Here’s How To Get It!)

How many of us have secretly started a new diet, looked for a new job, perhaps began dating a person all without telling anyone in our normal circle of friends, family or co-workers?

You lurked around getting some workouts in, submitting resumes, planning meet-ups in off the beaten path places…it was a little bit exciting…

How Did Keeping The Secret Work For You?

Did you lose the last 10 pounds? Did find your purpose? Did you meet Mr. Right?
Perhaps, but I bet your success hit a ceiling at some point and then you simply had to tell everyone who would listen what you’d been up to.

I personally can’t keep secrets–I could barely contain telling strangers the day I found out I was pregnant with Mila.  I like having people know what I’m up to, maybe I like the encouragement or the sense that someone’s watching me (so I better not screw up!) to fuel me forward.

You could probably use some form of public accountability to stay on track, too.

Think about it.

The Wrong People

If people you knew and cared about knew what you were up to, they’d be able to support you, push you when you needed it, question you so you could clarify what you’re doing, and let you know when you might want to change what you’re doing….

Oh wait, those might be the same reasons why you DIDN’T tell them.

Sometimes getting people we know and “trust” involved in our specific goals is tough.  When you have a dream of a better body, a better career, a better life, a better relationship, it’s hard to have someone you care about squash it with a small unintended comment.

But we forget and often spill the beans to the wrong people.

So, if we all need some form of public accountability to achieve success, where can we get it without all the emotional entanglements that our family/friends often come with??

Get support and advice from people who don’t know about your life’s baggage.

I’m going to share one of the best ways to go public with your goal and get the support, advice, and direction you need.

But I’m getting ahead of myself … I think you still need some convincing to make your journey public.

Case Study: Taking Your Fitness Journey Public…Very Public

Ever watched The Biggest Loser?  Well, I watch it.  I love watching the struggle, seeing their emotions, and watching the contestants pushing to change their lives.  Yes, the contestants are in a highly bizarre and controlled situation.  But beyond that…I think the reason why it works so well is because these people have opened up their struggle to us. They are on public display.

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty good motivation for staying on target.

Now…imagine how you’d feel knowing someone might see you eat that twinkie or miss that workout…or give up running only 1/4 way up the mountain.  Yes, this is an extreme case of being in the public eye, but think about how it works for you now:

You might hide your eating from others.
You might say you go to the gym.
You might say you don’t drink alcohol often.
You might say you live a healthy life.
You might say you plan all of your meals.

But who’s to know if you really are.  You’re on the honor system. Right?

Put up or Shut up.

If you’re ready to get real with yourself and maybe with a larger audience around you, I encourage you to do 1 thing.  No eye rolls, please, this stuff works!

Start a Blog and start blogging. I know a few of you are already doing this…in fact, I’m gonna put you on display right at the end of this post, so keep reading.

Yes, you heard me right…blogging.  It’s a way for you to be in the public eye.  You allow others to see what you are doing without them knowing you’re every life detail or judging you or putting you into your place.  Believe it or not, you’ll benefit from blogging no matter how many eyes read your posts.

And if you are rolling your eyes right now, thinking, Anne I am not starting a blog…consider this:

1. You don’t have to use your real name.
2. You get to share the good & bad about your journey.
3. You choose whether to share your posts with friends, family on Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites.
4. You have a built-in food & exercise journal that you can update anywhere–work, home, or vacation.
5. You create a public record of your progress — one that you can go back over to see what worked and what didn’t.  Remember my series on Kickstarting your Weight Loss? You can do it all online.

I’m not going through a step by step on how to blog – you can find a great free video here that helps you get started and is really easy to understand. It says a professional blog, but really it’s a step by step plan to start any blog.  And who knows…maybe you’ll build a following simply from sharing your story…it’s happened before.

As always…have fun with this don’t be afraid to let people peek into your world.