Accountability gives you the power to decide what gets done and when to start.
Grit is the fuel to keep you going to the end of what you’ve decided to do.
Empathy ensures we balance our pursuits with our relationships.
Put these into a cycle and you get the Power of A.G.E. - a personal Plan-Do-Check-Adjust methodology for a fulfilling life.
Consider the following hypothetical scenario:
- The decision is made to take on a major project and it can start next week. [Accountability]
- There is enough passion and drive around what the success would mean to your financial wealth and professional growth that you’re willing to give it 18 months of focused effort. [Grit]
- Reflecting on current relationships, the work commitment interferes with a variety of commitments made to your partner and the commitment to coach the kid’s team. [Empathy]
Given the conflict, cycling back to Accountability to reconsider the decisions prevents potential erosion of quality of life.
- Upon further review, the goals are revised and extended. [Accountability]
- Extending the timeline means more patience and resources may be needed, but they’re worth it. [Grit]
- The modified goals and timelines fit with the relationships averting a potential undesirable circumstance. [Empathy]
This is a simplified representation, but hopefully it demonstrates how combining the three concepts of Accountability, Grit, and Empathy into a cycle can lead to a life better lived and the power to be deliberate about it.
There are plenty of resources about each of these attributes individually.
What makes this different is that any one of them without the other two is like a one-legged stool. And any two of them without the third isn’t much better:
Just Accountability is control, but:
- without Grit: There's no perseverance, we likely give up at resistance or problems.
- without Empathy: It’s all about me. My needs/preferences only.
Grit is the perseverance, but:
- without Accountability: There's no starting point. Grit is no use if you never decide to start.
- without Empathy: Others are left on side/behind or, even worse, pushed aside.
Empathy is consideration of others, but:
- without Accountability: We risk being led by other’s whims or needs, risk of emotional burnout.
- without Grit: Direction changes with others. No perseverance or personal passion.
This can be applied in many contexts. The important part is that applying all three allows us to give fair consideration to what’s important in life.
Was this helpful?
If this concept was helpful and provided a new way of thinking about how life is lived, please let us know!