Social Media: The Accountability Partner You've Been Looking For

As I was making my kids breakfast this morning, a CBS This Morning story caught my ear: using social media as an accountability partner.

The anchors discussed how Matthew Cherry once tweeted that he would win an Oscar someday and since then he'd been recognized for his short film (and children's book) Hair Love and that Demi Lovato tweeted that she would sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl someday - and that dream came true in 2020.

If they can do it...why can't we?

Social media can be a great tool to use for accountability. I know because it's worked for me. Combine the promise of regular posting with the fact that am an Obliger (you can read more about that here), and you've found someone who blogged her way into a book deal.

Many people have used social media for good. Want to lose weight? Post your goal on your favorite platform. Want to run a marathon? Post your progress. Starting your own business? Let everyone know so that you're less likely to give up.

Here's how using social media worked for me:

Consistency

As soon as I had one person following me on my social media page...I felt a responsibility to that person. No one starts out with thousands of followers, but if you concentrate on how you might be making a difference to that one person, you'll be more likely to keep posting about what you're doing.

Transparency

The road to whatever your goal is will not be straight and smooth. Post about your downs as well as your ups. Your audience will appreciate your lessons learned and you'll find a surprising amount of support in the community you've created.

Habit-Forming

Creating a posting schedule will naturally get you into the habit of doing what you're supposed to do. In my case, I was trying to build an online community and I knew I wanted to write a book someday. I made myself blog every Tuesday and Thursday without fail. I posted something on that page every single day - a quote, a graphic, a discussion question...anything. By doing that, it completely changed my thought process. I found myself looking at every life experience as something I could write about and blogging got easier and easier.

With all the talk about how terrible social media can be for you, there are good things about it. The original purpose of social media was to connect people. When you go back to the basics and use it in that way, it really can work for you personally and professionally.