You’ve done a great job at setting your goals, but now it’s time to enforce the commitments required to achieve them and that can be the hardest part. Setting a new routine or keeping a commitment required to enact change takes a tremendous amount of self-motivation. To increase your odds at success, we’ve come to find that an accountability partner is often the key to maintaining your commitment. Accountability partners can be individuals or teams whose role is to help you to stay motivated, inspired and on track toward achieving your goals.

Just how can an accountability partner help during retirement? Well, excuses are easy to come by, especially when it comes to an exercise routine. The weather, visitors, a late night, the beginning of a little cold, there is always some reason we can convince ourselves to take a day off, which sometimes can lead to a few days… and then weeks and suddenly we are off track. This happened to me a few weeks ago. I had been travelling away from home for a few weeks and suddenly found myself finding excuses to slip away from my daily exercise regimen. I knew I needed to get back on track, but how?

I quickly figured it out, upon a visit with my friend Jim. A few months ago, Jim started riding a Peleton and lost 30lbs. He did a great job on his own, but he too found himself slipping away from the daily bike routine. We discovered that we both wanted to get back on track and decided that we would become each other’s accountability partners, and now are going to hold each other accountable to our fitness commitments. I am happy to report, that after my check in texts with Jim, I was able to get back into my routine and feel motivated to do so.

Sometimes it takes a 3rd party with consequences, peer pressure or simple competition to keep you on track. Ideally you want someone to keep you motivated, inspired, cheering you on and of course accountable. It’s often best to find someone outside of your daily environment and trust me…your spouse might feel relieved!

5 pillars – All five pillars that we have identified; physical, mental, relationships, spouse-partner relationship, and wisdom sharing, will likely need some level of accountability to make sure that we’re doing what we say we’re going to do to meet our vision. For example, my physical wellness vision of being physically independent at the age of 90 isn’t just going to happen on its own. I will have to work on my personal commitment to physical wellness consistently to achieve my goal.

Sometimes you may want an accountability partner to encourage self-care to help ensure that you have given yourself some time and space to rest. This person might check in regularly to see how you are feeling and to provide gentle reminders to slow down.

Tips for choosing an accountability partner:

• Look to find a partner who can help you with the three Cs – Clarity, Commitment, and Celebration.
  
• Find someone who you don’t see necessarily every day, or all day long. You want someone that will allow for space if you should need it.
  
• Decide if your partner will be reciprocal partner (meaning they are checking in with you as you are with them) or if this will be a one-way engagement.
  
• Create a “Check-In” routine. Decide upon a regular text or call to ensure that you are meeting your commitment.
  
• Set expectations for accountability. Will there a be a time that you should allot for a day off here and there, or are you looking for strict adherence.
  
• Decide on a time when it might be appropriate to re-visit your goals.

Let us know…. what commitments are you wanting to make and who do you think will be able to be your accountability partner to help you keep them!