I’ve always thought about accountability as being responsible to others for what I do. It came into play a lot when I was working in the corporate world. I think of accountability when I look at our government in action. And I think of it in my relationship with God. But I’ve never thought of it in terms of being accountable to myself.
In my battle with diabetes, I became lax in looking at the truth of my actions. I was seeing the result when my A1C climbed from 6.4 to 6.9. I know I wasn’t eating a proper and regular diet for my disease, but since I wasn’t tracking, it was easy to fool myself. I had been stressed, more so than usual due to some heart issues cropping up, and holidays, plus a senior cat who required a lot of special attention.
Yes, stress can play a big factor in my numbers, so I settled for that. I brushed aside my own contribution of not eating the right foods. As my doctor’s appointment grew nearer, I realized I had to begin taking control of my own actions. I started to focus on being accountable to myself! I made changes in my daily eating and started tracking everything in an app. Oh, how easy it would have been to just skip the half a bagel I ate before bedtime, but I sat myself down and had a heart to heart. What good did it do to ignore the things I wanted to discount? No one was seeing this information but me. I needed to stay accountable.
I’m happy to say in 6 months my A1C dropped from 6.9 to 6.5. My doctor was pleased. I was pleased. I’ve always been one to set goals for myself. Now that I’m retired and my husband has passed, these goals, no matter how small, are achievements I can reward myself for accomplishing. Tracking my diet and exercise is a daily goal for me now. I’ve added healthy goals to my writing and hobby goals. Now I want to continue with the downward trend, lose weight, and hopefully reach a point in the future when I can get off medication for diabetes. It will require staying accountable to myself, trusting God, and a lot of prayer.
Carol Ann Erhardt, Author 