The power of accountability is something you can feel in your bones.

And it might be scary.

"Oh no," you think, "once I say my hopes, dreams and goals out loud someone will hear me and then…" You'd be accountable for it.

You've heard the stories of young artists who walk up to their parents and friends and say, "One day, I'm going to be a famous musician."

There's power in saying it out loud.

Stefani Germanotta, AKA Lady Gaga, did just that. So many times, in fact, that her NYU classmates started a Facebook group called "Stefani Germanotta You Will Never Be Famous."

Yet most of us don't want to reveal our desires because if they don't happen, then we feel foolish for even sharing them.

What to do? How can you develop your dream of a successful voice over business?

Here's my suggestion: find an Accountability Buddy.

The most effective and least nerve-wracking way to declare your goals and make sure you stick to them is to find an accountability buddy.

It could be a fellow voice actor you trust. What better person to report to than someone who knows what you're trying to do?

You might also ask your voice over coach, or maybe a casting director you're good friends with.

It just has to be someone who understands what you're trying to do and will ask you each week what progress you've made since the last meeting.

Once you find your accountability buddy its time for the next step…  

The one thing that makes having an accountability buddy effective is establishing regular meetings.

I find that meeting once a week with my accountability buddy keeps me on track with my tasks. It works both ways, too. They know that I'll be asking about their progress.

Regular meetings pay off in two ways. One; having to report progress each week keeps you on task; and two, you begin to form good habits.  

There is at least a metric ton of research on the science of forming good habits.

It all basically concludes that repetition of an act, with some reward as the result, creates an enduring habit.

Example: Tell your accountability buddy that your goal is to audition for at least five jobs a day. Each day you do at least five auditions, then when you have your next meeting you get to proudly report that you met your goal!

The buddy says, "Great job!"

You feel good about yourself, and you might get a few gigs along the way.

Repetition of a task with positive stimuli means you're building a new habit.

That's the power of accountability!