MOST MEN cringe at the thought of getting an accountability partner. That’s because we often assume that only lazy and unmotivated people really need one. But there is nothing further from the truth. There is an African proverb that goes, “If you want to go faster, go alone; but if you want to go further, go together.” Success in life comes quicker and easier to those who are willing to walk the journey with an accountability partner. Here are some reasons why you should get an accountability partner.

Tracking your goals

It is good that you have clear goals of where you are going and what you are looking to achieve in life. An accountability partner will help you keep track of those goals. We can easily get caught up in the routines of life until we forget important milestones that we are supposed to hit. For instance, if you have a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound) goal for this year, the accountability partner can help you remember the important steps you need to be taking in order to achieve the goal. Let’s say you decided to go through the Bible in one year – the accountability partner can keep track of your progress and remind you how much more distance you have to cover.

Tells you the bitter truth

Jesus was one of the best accountability partners in the Bible. His relationship with the disciples was based on absolute honesty. He never sugarcoated the truth. For instance, when Peter tried saying something that sounded good, Jesus discerned that it was actually the devil speaking through him and without blinking an eye, he stared at Peter and said sternly, “Get behind me devil!” (Mathew 16:23). A good accountability partner will always call you out on stupid mistakes. Even when your friends are afraid of confronting you with the truth, they will tell you the truth as it is. And such bitter truth will help to shake you back to reality and thereby keep you on track.

Source of encouragement

An accountability partner can be a great source of encouragement. There are moments when David would encourage himself in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6) and that was sufficient but there are many other moments when David needed someone else to encourage him. Like the time when Saul was after his life. At that time, Jonathan was a great source of encouragement to him. However strong you might be, it helps to have some external support system from a friend – and an accountability partner can be a great source of encouragement especially when things go haywire.

The most important quality to look for in an accountability partner is firmness and absolute honesty. When looking for an accountability partner, make sure you look for a friend that does not fear to tell you the hard truth. He should be ready to deal you some tough blows as occasion demands. Yes, you may have lots of time to laugh and have fun but you can easily get that from any other friend. An accountability partner should be firm and brutally honest with you.