For almost a full year, instead of meditating and focusing on my clients during my most productive early morning hours, I was reading the news. Thinking about this makes me shiver. I wanted to stay informed, but I was inadvertently producing anxiety that consumed my creativity.

I knew I was hurting myself by prioritizing the news because of the difference between my mindset on news-first days versus meditation-first days. Yet I found it incredibly difficult to break the habit. So I went to a group of friends and told them about my addiction. About how I received a fleeting energetic reward from the drama of the news, but an even bigger reward by meditating and focusing on my most important client work first. I committed to them that I would postpone news consumption until 11am.

That was several months ago. I think I stayed on the higher reward path because I couldn’t bear the idea of letting my friends down. Just asking 5 friends to hold me accountable made the difference; it felt like magic, and that’s how I feel about accountability.

Here’s how to transform intention into reality:

1. Think about a positive intention that has a 70-80% probability of happening and a near 100% chance of adding value to your life. Find that sweet spot between challenge and achievability—for example, if you’re new to exercise, walking for ten minutes daily is more realistic than promising yourself a two-hour run.
2. Formulate a clear statement about the intention. (My example: Postpone news until 11am.)
3. Acknowledge both what's holding you back (eg. the fleeting satisfaction from habitual behavior), and the greater reward when you follow through.
4. Find a friend or group of friends and tell them what you intend to do. Ask them to provide supportive accountability by asking you about your intention, every 1-3 months.

Remember that setbacks are natural - they happen to all of us. If you eat a bag of potato chips one night, you can still celebrate that you had X days of not eating chips (those chip-free days would not have happened without your commitment and accountability system).

Take advantage of the magical property of accountability. Once you declare something to others who hold you accountable, it is much more likely to happen.

I invite you to share your intention with me. Sometimes, taking that first step of putting your intention into words can be the most powerful catalyst of all.