Putting Your Balls (or Lady Bits) on The Line

Every Sunday, I send you something to THINK about, a question to ASK yourself, something to TRY and invite you to SHARE.

Want to advertise in this Newsletter?

Book HERE

THINK

“If you think someone or something other than yourself is responsible for your happiness or success, I’d guess you’re not that happy or successful.”

– Rob Liano

Wait… can you hear that, or is it just me?

Click, click, click…

Is it the sound of a clock ticking?

My jangled knee cartilage getting ready to kick you in the nether regions?

Or worse…

BOTH! ⏰🦵

As of the 10th November 2024, there are 51 days left in the year. 😳

5 1 D A Y S !

You know THAT THING you’ve been putting off.

Yeah, that thing you’ve been talking about, daydreaming about, putting off until some “perfect” moment…

It’s time to get started!

Start the blog. Quit the job. Launch the business. Dump the missus. Push-ups and running. Save up(s) and investing. (Ahh, so close! 🤏)

Whatever your thing is…

It’s time.

Want some help? Don’t just yelp. I’m right here. Lend me your ear. (Better Huw, better! 🤌)

What I Hate About This World And How YOU Can Be Different

In our modern society, we’re missing a crucial ingredient that’s been diluted in the name of convenience and bureaucracy.

REAL accountability.

Imagine if everyone felt the burn of their decisions.

Administrator to CEO
Parent to child
Reporter to celebrity
Politician to voter
Content creator to commenter

The world would look a whole lot better!

So many people are disconnected from reality because their balls (or lady bits) aren’t on the line.

Reality is rooted to the ground.

That’s why I love the term “skin in the game”.

Definition: “To have incurred risk (monetary or otherwise) by being involved in achieving a goal.”

It’s about paying for choices and facing your consequences.

You win or lose with no excuses.

Bureaucracy builds bullshit.

Big systems let people sidestep responsibility, filling roles with folks who are “out of touch” and rarely face the fallout of their actions.

No wonder so many things are in a mess. (Eg. NHS, Policing, Government Policies, etc.)

It’s also why many of the best leaders flip the hierarchical pyramid upside down and prioritise the employees and customers. They get closer to the ground, where there’s less room for bias and more space for reality.

Imagine if business owners had to live on minimum wage or if hospital administrators had to experience life as patients. When you don’t experience the consequences firsthand, empathy goes out the window.

As a society, we need to go beyond observing to EXPERIENCING.

This is why the following quote, traced back to Cherokee Indians, is one of my all-time favourites:

“Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked in his shoes.”

Walk the walk, and you can talk.

If you’re not on the ground, don’t make a sound. (Nailed it! 🎯)

Accountability Starts at Home

Accountability at its best needs no one.

Just you. 🫵

You don’t need a coach, buddy or team to help you get started (although all those things help!).

And it’s easier than you think…

Before broadcasting your wisdom on ‘Big Complicated Systems’ like politics, the environment, the education system, or how the NHS or Police Service should be run, consider how well you’re managing your:

Body
Mind
Appearance
Kindness
Relationships
Home
Local Community
Local Environment
Etc.

Once you’ve mastered these less complicated aspects in your immediate control, you’re better placed to cast judgment.

Truthfully, no one ever gets to this point…

But it’s the principle of prioritising the internal world over the external world that helps to shift how you think. 👌

As Admiral William H. McRaven so wonderfully put it, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

Have you made yours?

Raise the Stakes to Elevate Execution

So, you’re focusing on the things in your immediate control and taking accountability.

You might not be any richer… but you’re feeling better and setting yourself up for success.

Now, we need to raise the stakes.

I’m not referring to the traditional ‘caveman cheers’ 🥩🥩 (although that’s pretty awesome!), I’m talking about intentionally creating painful consequences. 😳

When the stakes are high, the mundane is no longer boring.

When your life’s on the line, you run faster than any competition. Survival is only for those willing to put themselves on the line.

Today’s society is FILLED with people who are too comfortable. They are so far away from the line, it looks like a dot.

Evolution thrives on risk.

Look at ancient rules like Hammurabi’s Code from nearly 4,000 years ago. Proper eye for an eye law – If a builder’s work kills someone, the builder pays with his life.

How much effort and attention would the builder give to his work?

Now, I’m not suggesting we all put our lives on the line and return to this way of life…

But we’ve become so far removed from this level of accountability that we’re at the opposite end of the spectrum. The consequences are either so weak or, in some cases, non-existent that we essentially incentivise poor behaviour.

Road rage is commonplace
Footballers dive in the box to get a penalty
People freely rob and steal in the UK
Anonymous haters abuse creators online
Kids/teens/students are cocky or offensive towards adults/teachers

I’m not leading into a “back in my day” rant… (although I’m tempted! 🤣)

The examples of distasteful and unhelpful behaviours above are not the fault of the perpetrators. We, as a society, are to blame.

The consequences of these actions are not strong enough to deter them.

How does this relate to you?

What are the self-imposed consequences of not achieving your goals or keeping to your habits?
Have you been living too comfortably?
Could you raise the stakes for inaction?

When you raise stakes, you elevate execution.

Raise the Stakes Without Putting Your Life on the Line

One member of my Property Accountability Mastermind demonstrates this wonderfully…

He commits to completing around 10 tasks for each upcoming month.

He attributes a fine for each uncompleted task – Ranging from £50 up to £1,000. 😳

If you put £1,000 on the line for NOT completing a task, would you find a way to complete it?

This month, he completed 10/11 tasks. An excellent level of execution. The task he didn’t complete cost him £100.

He said, looking back at the list of completed tasks, “I can’t believe I did all 10 of those tasks! If you’d told me last month that I’d be sat here having completed 10/11, I would have easily paid you £100 to guarantee that.”

Lightbulb moment. 💡

By raising the stakes, he paid for first-class execution. And it only cost him £100.

His actions probably earned/saved him £1o,000s.

Would you pay £100 to save/earn £10,000s?

What is inaction costing you?

When you pay for Financial Coaching or joining my Mastermind, you’re handing a proportion of the accountability over to me.

It’s my job to make you more money than the cost of working with me. Otherwise… I add no value. 🤷

How much would you pay to get clarity on what to pursue? And having someone by your side ensuring you do it?

10 Hilariously Brutal Ways to Keep Yourself Accountable

Accountability isn’t just about doing the work. It’s about making the stakes high enough that you can’t wriggle out of it.

Here are 10 brilliant, slightly savage ways to keep yourself on track:

1) Go Public

Tell everyone your goal. Yes, EVERYONE! Post it on social media, tell your mates, or even announce it at work. Once the world knows, there’s no hiding. You’ll be embarrassed into taking action.

2) Donate to Your Nemesis

Make failure really sting. Commit to donating to a cause or organisation you despise if you don’t hit your target. Nothing motivates you like avoiding a payment to your arch-enemy.

3) The Dreaded Time Sink

Hate scrubbing toilets? Detest filing paperwork? Perfect. Promise yourself a day of doing that if you don’t follow through. Suddenly, progress seems like a breeze.

4) Fascist Friend

Hand over the keys to your favourite indulgence to a friend. It might be Netflix, your PS5, or even your secret chocolate stash 😬. No mercy until you’ve done the thing.

5) Team Jackpot

Get your crew to chip in for a prize fund for you. They all want you to succeed in said thing. But here’s the catch: you only get it if you hit all your goals.

6) Escalating Fines

Start small, but let the fines grow with each flop. Miss a goal? That’s £10 down the drain. Miss another? Now it’s £20. Fail a third time? You better call your bank.

7) Bet on Your Success

Wager an amount that’ll make your stomach churn. Pick someone ruthless to hold you to it. They’ll love reminding you of the consequences if you falter.

8) Time-Lock Treats

Lock away something you love. It could be your favourite snack, that fancy whisky, or even your Saturday lie-in. You only get it back when the job’s done. Simple but savage.

9) Go Viral for the Wrong Reason

Agree to post the most embarrassing photo or video of yourself online if you don’t follow through. Think drunken karaoke in a dinosaur onesie. Motivation unlocked.

10) The Creative Punisher

Get an accountability buddy who isn’t afraid to get creative. Miss your mark? They decide your punishment. Maybe it’s wearing a “FAIL” sign in public or singing your goals at the next team meeting.

Reflect and share this with someone.

ASK

“If you had to pick one strategy from this list of 10, which would you dread the most, and why is that the one you should choose?”

“Could adding a little humour to your accountability strategy make sticking to your goals easier?”

“What’s one hilariously brutal way you could tweak a strategy on this list to fit your personality?”

Write down what comes to mind.

TRY

Accountability isn’t for the faint-hearted or the flaky. It’s about stepping into the fire, feeling the burn, and owning the REAL cost of staying stuck.

In a world where consequences have been watered down, true accountability is the antidote.

It means putting your money where your mouth is and turning up the heat so high that doing nothing hurts more than making a move. 🥵

Accountability means no dodging, no excuses, and definitely no “I’ll start on Monday.”

Own Your Choices – Use the sting of your decisions as fuel for future action.
Raise the Stakes – Failing isn’t just an option, make it an unthinkable one.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable – Growth doesn’t come wrapped in bubble wrap. Evolution thrives on risk. Intentionally create uncomfortable consquences to force growth.

Whether it’s declaring your goals to the world, sending £100 to your least favourite person every time you slack off (you have my email), or saying goodbye to your beloved Netflix binge until you hit your target, accountability is about making the stakes so ridiculous and so savage that you can’t wriggle out of it.

Why?

Because comfort is the silent killer of progress, and the cost of staying where you are is always higher than the price of putting some skin in the game.

HIT REPLY and tell me your 51 day plan, and what you’ll do if you DON’T hit your goals.

Do you have the ?

I read and reply to every email, and remember, I’m rooting for you!

Remember: Little by little, a little becomes a lot.

Reply to this email and share how it went for you. Let me know if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.