Accountability

It's funny...the other day I was at the grocery store and I heard the clerk say to a woman, "don't you remember the days when you had to ask your parents permission for ice cream?"  When we are younger we are held accountable for our actions and are rewarded or punished based on what they are. Just like eating your dinner you were rewarded with "ice cream," if you missed curfew you were grounded.  When you are younger you have someone else keeping you "in check" with your life and the decisions you make.

Well at nearly 32 I don't have a parent I need to ask for permission to have ice cream even if I don't eat dinner.  I don't have anyone to report to if I come home at 2am instead of 10pm.  I don't have anyone making sure that I get my workouts in or that I take my vitamins or that I eat a balanced diet.  I am responsible for all of my own decisions and the outcomes from those choices.  I was reminded by a friend the other day when I used work as an excuse for staying out too late, having one too many drinks and missing my own workout in the morning..."it's always somebody else's fault."  Unfortunately and fortunately those words hit home pretty hard.

A lot of times we try and push boundaries and limits in an unhealthy way until the consequences for those actions teach us a lesson.  While I'm thankful that the only consequence I've truly suffered is my own guilt, it's enough to kick my butt back into shape!  I can't blame anyone else but myself for the lack of sleep, the inability to get to the running pace I want, or the crappy feeling you have after having one too many martinis.  This is my life...and my life alone to conquer in the way in which I want.

So although we all have "excuses" as to why we can't work out...why we "need" a few extra drinks...why that slice of chocolate cake is well "deserved"...it is up to us to hold ourselves accountable for our actions.  Everyone should enjoy life (and that chocolate cake, that glass of wine, and that late night out), but as with anything indulgent...we should only do these things occasionally and not make them a habit.  As adults, it is up to us and our own determination to decide how much we are willing to hold ourselves accountable to achieve the results in life that we want!