Category: accountability

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accountability storytelling

We all Need Help

high angle photo of woman on ladder
Photo by Samantha Garrote on Pexels.com

In a good story, the hero rarely succeeds alone. Especially in a plot where the circumstances appear dire, the hero has some help.

We all need help. "People seldom refuse help, if one offers it in the right way." A. C. Benson

One of the tragedies of this age is that we are increasingly loners and lonely. We go about self-improvement projects alone and falter because of our blind spots. And it seems to be getting worse. It’s become an epidemic after the pandemic. When we feel we have to go it alone, all hope evaporates.

But we are never truly alone. Keep this in mind: we can be recipients and givers of assistance no matter what stage of need you are in.

Help that maintains the dignity of the one in need and gives kindness and consideration to them works wonders.

Think back to when you were in need, and someone was there to give you aid. That is a story worth telling. Perhaps that story will help someone else see that they can rise from a low place.

An encouraging story can be just the help someone needs.

Categories
accountability

Little things make a big impact

Many times, we like to focus on the big, hairy audacious goals. But don’t forget that little things make a big impact!

Photo of dead trees surrounded by green trees. The caption says, "Little things make a big impact."

Several years ago, the emerald ash borer made its way into Indiana and Ohio. At the time, the only evidence I saw that there could be a problem were signs warning us not to transport firewood across state lines.

Continue reading “Little things make a big impact”
Categories
accountability motivation

Anything Goes… Until it Doesn’t

Quote by John Maxwell: a life in which anything goes will ultimately be a life in which nothing goes well. Maxwell, John C.. Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 (Developing the Leader Series) (p. 34). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition.

“A life in which anything goes will ultimately be a life in which nothing goes well.”

Maxwell, John C. Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 (Developing the Leader Series)(p. 34). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition.

We all have at least some autonomy to do whatever we want. We can…

  • Spend work goofing off because the boss is out today
  • Eat that full bag of chips… along with an entire pizza
  • Cheat on those financials because only you know the data
  • Lie about what happen since you were the only witness

Yes, we have the freedom to do what we want. And in an anything-goes-world, there is much more beyond my imagination that any of us could do.

But sooner or later, we will suffer the consequences of bad decisions.

  • The latest employee evaluation criticizes your lack of productivity
  • You suffer a health crisis because on your eating habits
  • The auditors are demanding the data because something is definately off
  • There is evidence that proves you lied

Anything goes is a poor strategy for going forward. We all need boundaries. We are accountable for our actions. John Maxwell had this quote concerning planning our daily-to-do list. It’s a reminder to me that even the decisions that may not appear to have large consequences can come back to affect us.

Categories
accountability motivation

Stop wasting your life!

How much time do we spend doing wasteful things? We all have time-wasting bad habits that can burn up our time in creative ways. Do any of these sound familiar?

  • Did that one episode turn into a binge-watching bonanza that lasted through the night?
  • Do you find yourself munching down on the Halloween candy that was meant for the trick-or-treaters?
  • How about that one Twitter thread that was a train wreck of ideas, but you just couldn’t stop scrolling?

I won’t say which ones are my bad habits. But lets face it, we all know how to wast time.  An article from Inc. Magazine got my attention. My big takeaway is to consider how much time per hour that bad habit is costing you. Could you be doing something more productive instead of that bad habit? Is it costing you more than you thought?

For the most part, that advice holds up. Unfortunately, I can scarf down candy like it is going out of style. Wait, did I just confess one of my bad habits?

We all need a few moments of diversion and we can’t be productive twenty-four seven. However, the tip from the article reminds me that time is precious and we need to consider what choices affect us in the long run.

Categories
accountability communication

Responsible Communication

It’s never been easier to communicate with the world. What we write can go anywhere with an Internet connection in seconds. Fifty years ago, it would have taken a heavy investment in satellites, negotiations with gatekeepers, and a good dose of determination to get anywhere close to that kind of reach.

Before digital communication, it took so much to get a message out worldwide, that it was carefully edited. Experts would examine each word and phrase to be sure the intention of the message was optimized. Such an expensive message resulted in more responsible communication.

Now, a teenager in Bangladesh can become a worldwide sensation with a quirky video. The communication doesn’t have to be responsible, just viral.

And video is just as cheap and quick to get out as the written word. It would have been the envy of major television stations just a few decades ago.

We can get information out with ease. We can also push disinformation out just as easily. Before we know it, a lie can make it all around the world. A flippant comment can influence far beyond its original intent. That puts a lot of responsibility on us… at least it should!

We live in a time full of communication. Let’s be sure we’re responsible with that power.