#MotivationMonday: Enlist Others on Your Journey

You can’t do it all alone. You might try, but it’s rough. Even if you’re a practicing solopreneur, you’ll need people in your corner cheering you on when things get rough – and they will get rough. When you’re trying to be productive, knowing that someone is waiting to hear whether you met your goals can make all the difference between a day spent on the couch and a day making things happen. This is where an accountability partner or a mastermind group can really help boost your success.

What is An Accountability Partner

Years ago, when I first started getting super-serious about the whole success thing, I read “Find A Writing Partner; Make Yourself Accountable” by Anne Wayman at About Freelance Writing. I wound up meeting my first accountability partner through the post, and it was a great experience. We would check in with each other Mondays and Fridays, bookend things we were trying not to procrastinate on, and support each other virtually through our writing ups and downs. Then life happened, moves happened, and very unfortunately, we moved on in our accountability journey.

I do have an accountability partner now, and like clockwork we meet on Mondays and check in throughout the week for “water cooler chat” while we work on things. This makes the whole working at home thing a lot less lonely and isolating – and it helps keep us both on track for our goals.

What is a Mastermind Group?

A mastermind group is a small (under 10 usually) group of people who meet to go over their goals and what they need to do. I run a Facebook group for women who would like to boost their efforts to do well. Mastermind groups usually meet either weekly or monthly, often over coffee or lunch (or virtually), and they answer four questions:

1. What successes did you have?
2. What challenges or obstacles did you face?
3. What opportunities did you come across?
4. What is your next set of goals?

People in the group work together to ensure that they help build everyone in the group up by answering questions about strategies for overcoming obstacles and challenges and by cheering one another on.

What’s Best for You?

What’s best for you and your situation will depend upon your goals, the stage of life you’re at, and what your preferences are for getting together with others. Accountability partners and masterminds can be virtual or in-person meetings.

Have you had an accountability partner or worked with a mastermind group before? Post about your experiences in the comments.