Ever think of putting a contract out on yourself? I’m not talking about the sort of contract that’ll have you sleeping with the fishes, courtesy of a big guy with the middle name “The” (eg. Johnny the Fish, Jimmy the Squirrel). No. What I’m talking about is a contract that puts not your life, but your reputation on the line.

Interesting prospect, right?

That’s the thinking behind stickK, a personal accountability tool that’ll have you achieving your goals, be they personal or professional.

Let me explain.

Let’s say that you wanted to lose 10 pounds. Normally, you’d start out all gung-ho, but most people end up getting distracted by life, get discouraged by the diet or exercise plan they’ve chosen, or for some other reason, never achieve their goal. But what if you had some personal accountability — your reputation — at stake? Would you be more likely to stick to your plan? Probably.

stickK holds you responsible for the weight loss to which you’ve committed. With stickK, you log in and tell it how much weight you want to lose. After that, things begin to get interesting. stickK will have you select a referee. This is a person who’ll check in with you to make sure that you’re sticking to your goals. They can take your word for it, or ask for some sort of proof that you’ve done what you’ve said you would. You can also set the stakes higher. For example, if, with your weight loss, you said you wanted to lose a pound a week for ten weeks, you could set some financial stakes, too. stickK will take your credit card information up front and, if you don’t meet your goal, will ding your account for a pre-set amount each time you fail to meet your goal. At the end of your goal period, stickK will send whatever money it collects to a charity (which you select at the time you start).

Pretty hardcore.

stickK will also allow you to select supporters, or people whose job it is to cheer you on and make sure that you achieve the goals you’ve set (because really, no one should have to do things all on their own). You can add as many supporters as you like, and continue to add them even after you’ve begun your journey. stickK (and its community) want you to succeed! But remember that it’ll get the word out (however you set things up at the outset) if you don’t. Whether you achieve your goal or if you don’t, your inner circle’s gonna know about it.

And stickK isn’t just for personal goals. There’s a special section that’s designed to help organizations achieve their goals, whether it’s an increase in sales, greater customer satisfaction, fundraising, or any other goal that can be dreamed up.

stickK makes you put your money where your mouth is. It pushes you to do what you’ve said you would do, and takes you to task if you don’t. If you’ve had a hard time achieving a goal, maybe a little personal accountability is just what you need. Maybe putting a contract out on yourself will be the thing to get you on the “I DID IT!” side of things.

Stick to your goals. Get stickK.