I used to think the A in “PACE” was just about achievement. Surely if you plan well, you will succeed. Nada. There’s a big piece that comes before: accountability. No one does anything for you. You make choices, own your actions and the outcomes.
If you understand accountability and can accept the power it has to transform your life, you’re going to succeed. Accountability is about taking consistently responsibility for your behavior: choices, actions and outcomes. It’s one of the hardest things you will ever face in your adult life, but you can do it! The empowering piece is it’s something you and only you can create, shape and change. Yep, it’s 100% authentically yours!
People fail to achieve because they don’t “own” their choices, actions, and outcomes. They talk (complain) more and do less. They say they “can’t” do something when in fact this means “they won’t.”
1. Have a conversation with yourself and face the cold hard facts. In late July I did just this. Here’s what I came to acknowledge:
In 2012 I went to Berlin with a painful foot injury that cause me to drop from the marathon. It took 6 months to remedy. This summer I had to stop running for 14 days due to a bone bruise on my heel. All of these outcomes are because my post pregnancy body is 15 pounds heavier. And,
I am doing a really poor job at stretching and icing.
2. Own your choices, develop a measurable action plan and then DO it! Here’s what I’ve come up with:
I will lose the weight by January 31, 2014 - one week after my next half marathon. I will stretch and not short change the time it takes to adequately warm up and cool down. I can and I will do these things because I’m worth it.
What are you waiting for? You can, you will...because you are worth it.
