Letting Go

For the past 3 years, I have been interviewing, writing, revising, and getting my new book, The Sport of Motherhood: Training Tips for a Full and Balanced Life , to print. I have hit a spectrum of emotions along the way ranging from euphoria to tears. Why? Because the path was not always clear. When I hit walls along the way, I'd hammer away or devise an alternate route. Sometimes, I needed to back off and focus on a different area of writing or the business. I had to "let go" of my timeline and my expectations, but I could keep doing the footwork and keep some momentum.

Though I could revise until the cows come home, I am ready to put Sport out in the public domain. It is the right time. A year or two ago would have been too soon. See, I needed to grow in other areas of my life too. So now I am ready to see what all of this brings.

Accountability Buddies

This morning, a friend and I went for our weekly run. Though it was raining and cold at first, we chatted our way up and down the mountain for an hour and 45 minutes. Initially, I did not want to run and just wanted to crawl back in bed. That is a fine option too - but on another day. What got me up and out the door was that I did not want to miss my time with Suzanne. See, she is both a friend and an accountability buddy. We both count on our long run each weekend. We also both laugh about how we keep each other motivated and showing up.

An accountability buddy can help you get out the door and show up for something that is important to you - and to her. It is easy to develop accountablity buddies through exercise classes or activities. These buddies may also end up becoming accountability buddies in other areas of your life. Suzanne, for example, started our Dream Team. Our Dream Team meets monthly to go over work/life goals and balance. On our long runs, we also cover time management issues, discuss roadblocks regarding our respective businesses, and track progress. No matter what, I always end the run with renewed perspective and enthusiasm. Today we ended the run amidst a number of deer and their fawns beneath a rainbow. Pretty awesome.

Have you cultivated any accountability buddies for one of your goals or interests? If so, how did you do it?