Goal setting is one of the most effective ways to inspire and guide change in your life. The challenge for most of us when we set goals is that we fail to stay on track, and eventually we give up on them. One thing you can do is to get an accountability partner who will help you reach your goals.

Accountability partners are one of the best ways to help motivate you to stay focused. People hire accountability partners all of the time to help them grow. Personal Trainers, and Life Coaches are two examples of such a principle. By paying someone to keep you accountable you can make significant progress. Finding an accountability partner for your goals is equally effective. You can hire someone to do this, but I am going to show you a couple of ideas to get accountability partners for free.

The best way is to find a friend who is as goal minded as you are. You want your friend to be serious about personal growth. Have the both of you sit down together and form an accountability partnership. An effective goal setting partnership meets regularly. You probably want to meet once a week and report to each other on your progress toward your goals. During this meeting you let each other know how you did last week and what you plan to commit to the next week. If you are dragging your feet, it is the partner's responsibility to give you a kick in the butt.

When you set up an accountability partnership, be sure to give it a time frame like 3 months or less. Otherwise, if there is no end date, you will eventually lose momentum and quit. It is better to commit to a certain time period, and then when it is over you can re-evaluate as to whether or not you want to commit to another session.

If you do not have any friends that are goal minded you can still find an excellent accountability partner for free. Here is how you do it. Find a friend and let them know about your goals. Then tell them that you want them to hold you accountable. Most friends will say yes, but the reality is they will never actually remember to do so. This is because it is not really important to them. So, to change this you need to have something in this for them. Let's say you want to get in shape. Tell your friend your goal and let them know you are planning on working out 3 times a week for the entire month. Over the course of four weeks that is 12 workouts. Tell your friend that for every workout you miss you will pay them $10 or perhaps clean out their car. Now your friend will be interested in your progress. They may not be rooting for you but the extra element of competition is motivating. I did this one time with a workout goal and I never missed a session in the gym. There were times where I did not want to workout but the thought of giving my friend $20.00 for every missed workout motivated me to overcome any obstacle. Try it and see how effective it is.

Having another person involved in your goal setting is crucial. Not only will they make a difference in your life, but you will make a difference in theirs. It is a win-win scenario. Make sure you find an accountability partner and watch your results soar.