Accountability Journaling for Beginners: Tracking Your Growth

The anniversary of my birth and other important annual dates allows me to reflect on the past year and celebrate my successes. To do this, I must keep track of my accomplishments, but first, I must hold myself accountable so that I actually get things done. I do this using an accountability journal. While it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the information about journaling out there, accountability journaling for beginners doesn’t have to be hard. It can be a fun and self-nurturing way to keep on top of your goals. Let's talk about ways for you to hold yourself accountable throughout the year.  

Accountability (the ability to give account) 

What does it mean to give an account? It means to keep a record of a descriptive report. What does ability mean? It's the "act of an experience." Put it together, and you get accountability, which is to "act upon your responsibility." In other words, to track the patterning within your relationships, workplace, and day-to-day life.  

Do you have a routine you follow? If yes, that means the repeated acts you perform daily are what you are accountable for. We all have healthy habits and unhealthy ones that do not serve us. Accountability allows us to reflect and act on those responsibilities that keep us in the present moment, optimize our time and energy, and realign our lives into what truly serves us. 

How to do this? I suggest having an accountability journal to keep you focused. This is where you write down what you plan to do, check it off once completed, and celebrate the accomplishment. 

Question: when you say you're going to do something, do you do it? If not, follow the rules below: 

1. Skip the boring generic journal and buy one that makes you feel good and positive. It can even be a blank journal where you can make it your own, with positive affirmations or photographs that empower and motivate you to use it daily. Pinterest has a lot of great suggestions for things to track along with templates you can use to make your journal perfect for you.

2. Write your name in your journal and tell it what its role is in your life. For example: "to lovingly keep you disciplined and accountable for your actions."

3. Write or doddle your long-term goals. Such as "happy, healthy relationship, homeownership, weight loss, being more positive, etc." Perhaps your journal is a place to capture and manifest your dreams through this process of accountability.

4. Make a note of the steps you can take NOW to get that goal started. Keep it practical by giving yourself a balance of smaller and larger tasks through two separate lists. For example, a big project could be "start a business," and the smaller task could be "pick a logo, or brainstorm ideas for that business idea." Breaking down these lists and balancing out your tasks makes it less overwhelming and more enjoyable to see the whole process through your personal accountability journal.

5. Regularly re-read through your journal and take the steps for reaching your goals.

6. Add stickers, colors, or pictures to revitalize the energy of your journal and meditate with it. Create a sacred space for journaling if it feels good to do so. While there are a lot of ideas around best practices for regular journaling, the best advice I can give you is to keep it fun. The more fun it is to journal, the easier it will be to keep up with it.

7. If you mess up and don’t complete something, don't worry! Just refocus and recommit. Or perhaps you've had a change of heart, in which case amend your goals. Got too much on your list? No problem. Recruit an assistant to help you accomplish things or a Mommy or Daddy helper. Kids love to help, so go ahead and invite them to play in your world. 

8. Once you accomplish your short-term and long-term goals, celebrate! And share your triumphs with a supportive person who will celebrate right along with you. Achieving a goal deserves self-love, so pat yourself on the back, listen to your favorite playlist, or go to your favorite spot in nature to replenish yourself for your hard work.

9. Got it down? Repeat these steps, and make sure you update the lists as you go to ensure a natural flow of change while you continue to become closer to your manifestations. And remember to make two lists as mentioned above to make the transition to the new steps more manageable and fluid through this accountability process.

10. If you want, share how well it worked for you with others to inspire them. Post about it online, do a podcast, or video, etc. Check out other journal enthusiasts too, like AmandaRachLee or Boho Berry to keep your motivation up. And when you witness the accomplishments of others, celebrate them! Together we can become more accountable, recognize our responsibilities, give back the power to our true potential, and follow our higher path.

Now that you have a better understanding of the meaning behind being accountable and how to implement the practice of journaling, you have allowed yourself to connect to your dreams and to reach them without feeling overwhelmed. Start journaling practice this year and see how much easier it is to manifest your goals. Through this process, remember to be gentle with yourself and go one step at a time to bring the focus to the present moment. Know that you have the power and responsibility to be true to yourself. I send many blessings to you all on this journey of unlocking your true potential. 

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