Monthly Archives: January 2011

accountability

Show up…or Clean up

January 12, 2011 – 8:08 pm

I never thought I’d be quoting Woody Allen, but he really was on to something when he said, “eighty percent of success is showing up.”

I had a meeting scheduled this morning for 10am and the person cancelled at 8:30am. It wasn’t an emergency, it was more of a – sorry but I can’t make it. It got me wondering about the person, their character, and I had all sorts of thoughts about common courtesy and then of course the value that they would have gotten from the meeting. Then I had to be honest and say it was a relief, my morning was starting out very hectic even by 8:30am and I was juggling all sorts of conflicting obligations to get myself to the 10am meeting on time. So on some level deeper than being peeved I was grateful.

Then I started to think of all the times I haven’t shown up especially lately. The holiday parties I didn’t attend because I was too tired and figured the host wouldn’t miss me or mind. The social functions I was non-commital towards because I didn’t want to over schedule myself. I resolved to clean it up. Every once in awhile I need a reminder that saying no, is sometimes better than saying maybe and saying yes, means yes I will show up. It’s simple but if it’s 80% of success, which I agree with, I intend to be doing a much better job of it in 2011.

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Being accountable…especially when we don’t want to be

January 4, 2011 – 1:09 am

Being accountable is a funny thing. When you do everything you set out to do it’s a wonderful feeling to recognize it. To reach the finish line, to feel the satisfaction of a job well done. Especially if it wasn’t easy and you had to work really hard to get there. But the flip side is when you don’t quite make it to the finish line. When you come up short and you don’t want to look at it or acknowledge it at all. You let the “stuff” get in your way, you didn’t hold to your goals or commitments, you feel at a loss for how time went by so fast and you have to look at what you didn’t do rather than what you did. It’s a bummer…it doesn’t feel good…but take a good look anyway. Be honest, if you had big goals for 2010 look at them. I know I have. There are things I can be proud of and there are others that I cringe at but I am thankful that I got to write them down and that I get to be held accountable to them so I can wipe the slate clean and start again. Being accountable can feel not so good but it also means a fresh start. So if last year wasn’t the year you hoped for or aimed for – acknowledge it – and LET IT GO. It’s time for making new big, hairy, audious goals for 2011.

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