Professional Accountability 

I absolutely love it when a client comes to a session saying ‘I did all my homework’. This is not in service of my big fat ego, it is in service of my client beginning to reap the rewards they truly deserve
There are many things that prevent us humans from taking the actions, on our own behalf, that would serve us well. Give any one of us a ‘friend in need’ and we can see just how valuable she is and just how worth the investment of time and money in their continuing professional development. Shine that same light on us and usually we find it difficult to cut anywhere near as much slack for ourselves.
Why? Because we are our own harshest critics. Why is this? It is because we are made up of layers and layers of a lifetime’s worth of judgements that we have gathered up from others, carrying this ever growing bundle as the years have accumulated. These are beliefs and ideas that in no circumstances would we apply to another human being in adulthood, but somehow, because we received them when we were younger, or more vulnerable, or from people who at the time had authority over us, we continue to hold them as ‘true’ about ourselves. 
Sometimes In order to really unpick these erroneous beliefs it is necessary to engage with a prolonged therapeutic process. This is work I have done in my past and I would never underestimate the power of doing so – my life was transformed as a result.
Sometimes however, it is possible to jettison behaviour that we no longer want,  by simply consciously choosing another way. By taking your old behaviour, it is often perfectly possible to substitute it with one that serves you in the present, and then, with practise, the brain catches up. 
This way our self perception is changed. By taking action that is right for us now, as opposed to actions that are driven by a now redundant past, we can actually change our brain chemistry.
There is very little that is more motivating regarding trying new behaviours and sticking with them, than knowing you will be answerable to you coach in two weeks time. Accountability- it works!

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