Personal accountability is an ultimate goal of most creators. Why? Because self accountability is autonomy. It’s about answering to oneself… managing and disciplining yourself.
There’s a common trend amongst people to lament that they’re their own worst critic. Generally, whenever we proclaim this, friends and family will rush in to comfort and reassure us and advise us to not be too hard on ourselves.
But there’s another view.
Worst Critic or Best Friend?
If you have a growth mindset, self criticism is simply feedback for learning and growth toward improving. Greet your inner critic as your best friend and benevolent coach, and she will become so.
Welcome her with delight when she shows up for whatever she has to share to help you learn and grow. Dance with her, argue with her, and then hug her and thank her for having your best interests in mind. If she goes overboard then put her in her place and tell her that’s enough for now.
Personal accountability and our inner critic are tools of conscience, and conscience is a tool of the soul for getting our attention. They’re all assets if used objectively, wisely, and compassionately.
The Mature Creator
The mature and serious creator is an eager learner and welcomes feedback and personal accountability. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t sometimes sting, and it doesn’t mean that you’ll always agree. But it means you’re ready to implement suggestions for improvement for you’re ever open and receptive to learning and growth.
When we thrive on growth, we also thrive on feedback, accountability and pushing beyond our comfort zone. We don’t waste time excusing, explaining or defending, for that is trying to protect what is versus considering what could be. Growth is ever about that next vista view.
“When we thrive on growth, we also thrive on feedback, accountability and pushing beyond our comfort zone.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®
If it Hurts
Working our muscles in the gym can “sting” too, but in doing so we get stronger, better and more capable. Same for creative feedback. Embrace feedback as nurturing your growth.
If it hurts a little, then we’re sure to be growing, like the muscle in exercise. If it hurts too much, then we’ve gone too far and need to take it a little more slowly. Either way, we’re making progress by being open to it.
“The more we become accountable to ourselves, the stronger and better we’ll grow to be in every area of life.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®
“Self discipline is self love.”
~Will Smith, actor, b.9/25/1968
The Serious Artist
Self accountability… to answer to yourself… is the maturing of the creative spirit into the serious artist, able to get stuff done. It’s about bringing your work to light and into the world, where it can touch hearts, open minds and inspire.
“I am inspired by how much more I can achieve with a little added structure and accountability.”
~Lynne Hundley, artist, retired pastor, writer & editor
Personal Accountability
Ultimately, we’re each accountable to ourselves.
Achieving—or not achieving—your goals will impact you more than anyone else. Only you know whether your words excuse or own… avoid or create the life you imagine in your highest aspirations. And only you can achieve that life.
It’s well known that the majority of people who win the lottery often end up broke if they were broke or poor to begin with. Their life choices and activities thus far hadn’t built the mental acumen and emotional maturity to handle it.
The Filthy Rich
Often, people with money issues have the mindset of resenting what they call “the filthy rich”. Yet the majority of wealthy people in this country achieved their wealth through great sacrifice and tremendous effort and struggle over time. Most of these same kinds of people are not only not “filthy” nor snobs or jerks, but rather compassionate value-centric donors and philanthropists.
Who taught you that attitude? For it is a learned behavior, a programming taught and perpetuated by those who very seldom have any personal exposure to or relationships with the wealthy.
Most of the filthy rich aren’t filthy.
Personal Transformation
The heirs of wealth who didn’t work for it, often end up with all kinds of psychotic issues. Growing up in wealth and privilege robbed them of the character their parents or ancestors built through the sheer grit and determination of an unstoppable work ethic.
Our greatest personal transformation occurs in the hardest of times, when we face challenges with courage, dignity and accountability.
Personal accountability produces confidence, strength and greater ability.
It’s by doing the hard stuff, failing, falling and getting back up to achieve victory, even — or especially — when it’s difficult. That’s what makes the difference in your happiness and sense of contentment in each day.
“What you do or do not achieve will impact you more than anyone else.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®
You Cannot Delegate Your Life
We’re all for outsourcing and delegating tasks that are not our strengths, so that we can focus on things that are. We all need to focus first on things that move the needle of our business — and our life — ahead farther and faster.
For iCreateDaily, we have VA’s — virtual assistants — helping us in our business, and we’re steadily growing that team. However, some things can never be outsourced.
You cannot pay someone to get fit for you. Health and fitness doesn’t work that way.
Similarly, you cannot pay someone else to do your art… to do the work that only you can do. You cannot dream of ideas and wish they were so. Your art unfolds day by day, effort by effort, one word, one page, one canvas at a time.
As you grow in success, you can certainly expand your opportunities to employ others to do more of the work you’d rather not do. Until then, if you’re serious about creating, whether it’s for the love of it or to be a sustainable business, you’ll need to push through the hard stuff and do the things you don’t care to.
When you fully realize that there’s no one to rescue you, and no one to give you permission, you’re free to work toward creating the life of your dreams.
When it’s up to you, that means you can choose to make it happen by the efforts you make each day, one day at a time.
Personal accountability to your dreams is invigorating and intimidating. But to embrace it is to be free to become more of who can be.
“Empowerment is never about blame, it is about taking personal responsibility.”
~Bryant McGill, social media influencer, author, b.11/7/1969
How to Improve Personal Accountability in 5 Simple Steps
- DECIDE – make up your mind to be accountable… to do what needs to be done.
- COMMIT – to yourself; a commitment is a promise. Keep your promise to yourself.
- DECLARE – out loud – tell your family and friends and enlist their support to help you stay accountable.
- PLAN – set and track quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily goals.
- DO – the work – just get it done. Work your goals daily. Tweak and adjust as needed.
Shall we elaborate on each of these? No. There’s no need to is there. You know what needs to be done. If you find yourself resisting or asking too many how-to questions, chances are you’re stalling. Don’t procrastinate.
The best learning happens in the doing. The answers answers and opportunities live there.
Don’t overcomplicate things. For best results, create your plan based on your goals, break it down into daily tasks, tweak and refine it as you go. Creating and working your goals keeps you accountable.
“Personal accountability is simply doing what needs to be done and what you know you need to do.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®
Becoming Your Best
You become your best vision of yourself with each effort you make to achieve while others play. Your creations becomes your play. The artist entrepreneur’s zone is where she is productively at work that feels like play; work that energizes and inspires. Creating is the artist’s Mecca.
The thing about personal accountability through setting and achieving your goals, is that it’s empowering. The more you work on achieving your goals the stronger and more capable you become.
Setting and achieving goals is empowering. The more you do the more you can do, and the more you want to do.
“The ultimate critic is within. That is the voice to answer to. She will keep you accountable to your best self.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®
Be Accountable to Your Dreams
There has never been a better time in the history of the world for creators to create. It’s an amazing blessing to live in an era where creators can take their art directly to their audience. There is no middleman needing to approve you; no gatekeeper to let you in (or not) to the favored artist “club”; no elite echelon, unattainable to unknowns.
It is a time like no other for reaching out and touching your audience directly. Writing from your heart to theirs. Painting from your soul to theirs. Singing from your depths to theirs. Raw, unfiltered… heart to heart.
How incredibly propitious to live in a time where you are free to create daily… to do your art with abandon.
To help you stay on track with your goals, we recommend the iCreateDaily 90 Day Goals Journal. You can get a free 30-day download or the 90 day physical journal here.
“Creativity is my core.”
~iCreateDaily.com
Accountable to Your Dreams
“Personal accountability to your dreams is invigorating. To embrace the discipline required is to be free to become more of who you’re here to be.”
~LeAura Alderson, cofounder-iCreateDaily.com®
Self Love
“I think self-love is all about pushing yourself, demanding of yourself that you stretch and reach your boundaries.”
~LeVar Burton, American actor, presenter, director, author, b.2/16/1957
Your ultimate critic is a loving and benevolent fan who will always speak truth through your heart. Your conscience… the seat of your soul.
“The ultimate critic is within. That is the voice to answer to.”
~LeAura Alderson, writer, editor, creator iCreateDaily.com®
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Hello! I’m LeAura, owner and co-creator of iCreateDaily.com®. As an autodidactic philosopher, generalist, personal development advocate, entrepreneur, writer, editor, author, ideator, media publisher, and podcaster, I’m passionate about helping others achieve their best possible life! Our small family of entrepreneurs, writers, investors, educators and creators own and run websites around topics we enjoy, such as gardening, health and fitness, creativity and pets, with more to come.
While my greatest teacher is Life… my formal training includes certifications in mediation, fitness, and strategic intervention coaching, including marriage and family. Today, the synergy of creating websites, articles and podcasts, brings together all my favorite things: family, learning, growth, creating, connecting and contributing. To share these with you is a privilege, that serves my lifelong aspiration to help others.
My personal areas of creativity are in writing, masterminding, ideation, synthesis and bringing ideas to life through business and entrepreneurship, all with a pervasive spiritual foundation with a focus on elevating the lives of others.
Want to submit your photos, videos and/or article content for publication? We love to consider your contribution for publication! creators@icreatedaily.com