Mental Fitness for Good Health

Accountability versus Empathy

Coaching accountability generates and maintain success.  From a mental fitness perspective, accountability instead of empathy is necessary for success.

After reading about Steve Rom’s miraculous recovery from leukemia and his friend, Rod Payne’s coaching, it was very apparent that Rod coached Steve with accountability instead of empathy.   Accountability overcame a poor medical prognosis, the illness, and succumbing to the illness.

Ron Payne, Play to Inspire, chose not to be an empathetic friend, passively understanding and validating his friend’s feelings during the process of fighting life threatening cancer.  Instead, both were accountable for completing their game plan.

Ron Payne was accountable by being there for his friend and teaching his friend how to mentally cope with his illness. 

When Steve was too sick to eat, cope with another medical procedure, or overcome the emotional devastation of his illness, Ron was there to strengthen his friend and hold his friend accountable for sticking with their game plan. 

Rod challenged his friend to defeat his cancer.  In "The Wolverine", Steve wrote, "He coached me through the difficult physical and mental obstacles I’d face during my quest to get into remission".

Rod held his friend’s medical team accountable.  He told a doctor "you have to get your head on straight!", when the doctor was paying more attention to Rod’s Super Bowl ring then his patient.

Rod held his friend accountable, when Steve was having "a fit over a simple blood transfusion".  Again Rod demanded, "You have to get your head on straight"!

What motivated Rod to be so strong?  Was it his mental and physical fitness training from his coaches?  I believe it was.   The "coachee" became the coach.  Rod told a reporter, "It was Steve’s battle to face, but I was going to coach him through it".

Steve became accountable for not giving up and for pushing himself to do what was necessary to win, by living.  Steve became accountable, when he made the decision to live rather than to die.  He was able to make this decision, because of the acceptance and commitment from his friend.  Now he was accountable as a team member.

Steve was accountable for caring out the instructions of his coach.  When Steve was weak, his coach was strong.  Steve carried out the game plan.  He ate, when his throat was too sore to eat.  He built up his emotional and physical strength in order to go through medical procedures such as a bone marrow transplant.  His coach even told him to clean his apartment. 

Steve learned to be accountable, because his coach expected Steve to be responsible.

The nature and significance of your goal does not matter.  It does not matter whether you’re circumstances are favorable or unfavorable.  It does not matter whether you’re successes are improbable or improbable.

What matters is accountability for doing what is necessary to be successful!  You are accountable for doing all you can do to reach your goals and complete your game plan.

If you are having difficulty reaching your goals in life, you either need to become a stronger coach for yourself or find a coach to hold you accountable.

Are you lacking accountability and success in your life?  Can you become more accountable to yourself or do you need a mental fitness coach?

Remember, You Live within the Environment Created by Your Choices.

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach

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