Accountability. You hear this word a lot here at November Project Austin. We talk about being there for each other as a foundation of our community.
Merriam-Webster defines accountability as the quality or state of being accountable; especially :an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions. But what does it mean to you? This week, tribe member Andrew Holmes shares with us what it means to him.
“There is no ‘I’ in team” has to be one of the dumbest phrases in the English language. Sure, for the sake of the argument it is true: it does take a whole group of people working together to accomplish a goal. But there is an ‘I’ in team because you are a part of the whole. It takes your strength, your commitment, your dedication to helping your team win the game or your department to accomplish a task at your job. If everyone relied on the next person to carry them, nothing would ever get done.
When you feel you a part of a November Project tribe, you become accountable for yourself and for others. All of the ‘great job’ and ‘fuck yeah’ shouts of encouragement aren’t being shouted into the barely lit oblivion to make one person feel better. It becomes a rally for everyone else struggling (or kicking mad ass) to keep at it for just a little bit longer. One more plank. One more burpee. You’ve got this.
But that comes at a cost. The cost of sleep.
I’m not usually a morning person. There are days I’m not willing to get out of bed. But knowing there are several tribe members who are driving from much farther distances after working much longer and more arduous hours than I to be there at the same time gets me motivated and out the door. They’re coming for the same reasons I am, so I should roll out and put my happy face on because they’ll be doing the same thing for me at the same time. My presence is as needed to them as they are to me.
6 am isn’t easy; some (most) days it isn’t fun. But you’ve made a choice to get out there with everyone else, so why not put the hustle on when you hear “get in close and let’s get a bounce going.” I hear that other tribes make folks eat burpees for breakfast being late, and honestly, I think that’s the greatest idea. Every other single ‘I’ got up to be there, so why would it be okay for you to stroll up casually and expect them to offer you words of encouragement later when you need it? Your attendance and punctuality mean just as much to them as it should to you.
Now, I understand there are those times you’re just physically unable to get there on time. That stuff happens. Car trouble, kid trouble, hangover trouble – whatever it may be at the moment that makes you late happens sometimes – we’ve all been there. But when you begin to make it a constant 6:05 call time, you’re being noticed.
This doesn’t just extend to workouts, either. Let’s say there’s a race that you and your tribe decide to undertake together. You all show up in your tagged shirts with smiles on your faces. There are hugs and bounces and it’s time to get on with it. Once again your ‘I’ makes the team, no matter if it’s an individual race or a group event. You’re there to support each other, encourage each other – and most importantly – make sure your team finishes strong and celebrate the accomplishment together.
I fell in love with the community because it is bigger than ‘I’ am. I am responsible for my strength and my accountability and my punctuality by my tribe as much I hold others, and that has made me a better human. I have never been this fit, this fast, or this happy to have found such amazing people in this world, and it all started from getting up to be there with them. So when you receive a hug from me at 5:55, know I’m as excited to be there as you are, and I hope you’ll remember that the next time you decide one more snooze would be acceptable.
Share via socials:
