ACCOUNTABILITY

ac.count.a.bil.i.ty (uh-koun-tuh-bil-i-tee)

1. the state of being accountable, liable or answerable

I do believe that President Harry Truman, upon whose desk in the Oval Office this sign sat, would be absolutely horrified at just how much "the buck" gets passed in today's society. The lack of accountability is epidemic and spreads across all demographics :

• People don't budget or save, and then expect Social Security to pay for their old age;
• they sign for huge mortgages without due diligence, and hold the banks to blame when they lose their house;
• kids don't do their homework or pay attention at school, and the teachers are held liable;
• video game designers are blamed for everything from failing grades to school massacres;
• you get my point.

So I was absolutely horrified to discover that I too have succumbed to this plague. Without my being aware of it, I have slid into a set of comfortable "reasons" for my lack of stellar success in my MLM business in particular, and abundance creation in general:

• My sponsor is in another state;
• I'm very busy in my other job/s;
• I don't know many people in this state;
• I need to be at home with my family;
• etc, etc.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

And slowly but surely, this "excuse-itis" has infected other endeavors :

• I can't be on stage until I get rid of my English accent;
• I can't lose weight because I have digestion issues;
• My husband/children/schedule make -fill in the blank - difficult;
• etc, etc, etc.

But once again, the Law of Attraction flexed its muscle, and no sooner had I noticed my malady, when, voila!, the remedy appeared in the form of The Action Accountability Program, facilitated by none other than the Greatest Networker, John Milton Fogg. Out of many, many applicants, I was chosen, and as if to remove absolutely all possible excuses, it's FREE!

Plus, as an added bonus, I got partnered with a Prosperity coach!!! How cool is that?

The Universe couldn't have shoved me any harder if it tried!

So here I am, ready to start; ready to hold myself accountable, and to finally, take action.

In parting, I have a challenge for you, Dear Reader. Who are you blaming for your current condition? Your parents? Your spouse? The previous government? The current government?
I'm here to tell you - this attitude does not serve you!

Accountability leads to acceptance, and only then can we move into action. And then we can finally accept the abundance that is our birthright.

I leave you with one final thought:

"I am responsible. Although I may not be able to prevent the worst from happening, I am responsible for my attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that darken life. Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself."

Walter Anderson

I am responsible. I am accountable to no-one but myself.
I am brimming with excitement and anticipation, and not a small amount of stage fright!
The spotlights are bright in my eyes.
Ladies aaaaand Gentlemen. Jacqui has entered the building!

Wishing you Bliss and Blessings,
Jacqui

Wake Up Call!

Picture this. The New Year begins with a horrible reality check. A couple of cold hard facts (or more accurately, cold hard numbers - see previous post) prove irrefutably that a lot of Musing and not much Manifesting had been going on throughout 2008.

Not a good start and I must admit, I was feeling small and useless, a sad shrivelled up version of my usual Abundant self. But, experience has taught me that the best balm for a miserable soul is a cup of fabulous coffee, sipped while leisurely wandering the aisles of a fabulous bookstore.

So I found myself last week in the Self Help section of Barnes and Noble, which while not quite as fabulous as my local independent bookstore, does provide one a vast array of possible remedies to whatever ails you.

I was so engrossed in the first luscious sips of said coffee, cup up to my nose, eyes closed, that I almost fell over the floor display for Larry Winget's new book.

Ok, this counts as more than just a nudge from the Universe. This is a "well-if-you-can't-take-a-hint-I'll-shove-your-face-in-it" type of move.

I stood there and looked at the title, and just smiled.

In my head I heard a small, resigned little voice say :
Hi, I'm Jacqui Gates and I have been an idiot.

What else can you call someone who knows what they should be doing to make themselves healthier and wealthier (or at least has a damn good idea!), and yet doesn't actually do it?

Or someone who whines about regaining 10lb but still buys bags of jelly beans "for the kids"? (Those kids ain't gonna see none of them jellybeans!)

Or someone who has the perfect vehicle for financial success, but doesn't spend any time on it?

Or who owns a library of self help and finance books and yet still wastes money at the mall buying stuff she could/should do without?

That person would be called an idiot - and that would be me.

If you ever catch yourself doing stuff you know will make you unhealthy, unwealthy (I just made that word up!), or is just plain unwise, then this is a great book to read. Larry is not called the Pitbull of Personal Development for nothing, believe me.

Without pulling any punches, he lays out in no uncertain terms just how we are sabotaging our own lives, and why there is no-one else to blame for our dismal situations but ourselves.

Personal accountability is somewhat out of fashion at the moment, what with government bailouts and people being "forgiven" for defaulting on home loans they couldn't afford in the first place, but in truth, we all create our own realities and I have to own up and take full responsibility for mine.

I feel like I've had an intervention! And some very exciting things have been happening since I stopped whining and started doing.

Former Idiots Unite! There's still time to create that life of Abundance! We don't have to wait for anyone's permission - in fact, we don't have to wait for anything.

The time for action is Now. Ready?