Accountability ≠ beating yourself up

Let’s say you fell short of your goal today — maybe you were aiming to finish a project, but because of distractions and unexpected challenges, you only got 50% of it done.

There are a couple of ways that you could respond:

You could berate yourself, saying something like, “why am I a failure?”

Or you could be compassionate and constructively critical to yourself, saying, “I’m glad I tried my best, but I know I can do better. How can I improve tomorrow?”

There’s a difference between beating yourself up and holding yourself accountable in a way that makes you want to become the best version of yourself.

The first way is about adding insult to injury; the second way is about fostering a mindset of understanding and constructive reflection.