FROM JOE HOYLE:
I drove by an exercise facility yesterday that had this sign upfront: “It is 60 days until New Year’s. Why not get a head start and make your resolutions today?” I always wonder how much better we really want to be if we only make improvement resolutions on one day out of each year. Doesn’t that just allow us to be lazy and under-productive the rest of the time? Why can’t we make “new week resolutions” at the start of each week? Or, even “new day resolutions” when we first awake each morning?
If you really want to make a change to get better, shouldn’t that be a conversation you have with yourself more often than once a year? No wonder so few new year’s resolutions are kept – if you only think about improvement once a year, you can’t be very serious about it.
So, let’s change that. When it comes to preparing for the CPA Exam, what changes do you want to make over the next three days? That’s a pretty good time period. You know what you have been doing in the past as you ready yourself to take that exam. What improvements would you like to see happen in your preparation over the next three days?
--You could study more hours.
--You could study in a different way – more problems, for example.
--You could study at times you are now wasting
You don’t have to wait for New Year’s Day to make a change.
It is so hard to make improvements if you don’t stop to assess what you have been doing and how you would like to see things be different.
One specific change that I would like to see you consider is your attitude. Usually, when people start studying, they have an “I really want this” feeling. They have an “I can do it” attitude. Those types of attitudes can give you fuel to push your study forward at the beginning. However, it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day work and let your attitude lag. Don’t do that!!! Getting up in the morning and saying to yourself “I AM going to pass that exam!!” provides an ongoing push. If you find that you are beginning to slow down, if you are beginning to wear out, if you are getting tired of this, perhaps it is your attitude that you need to consider. Let that be your November 2 resolution: I’ll push myself more; I’m remind myself of why I want to pass; I’ll envision the excitement of getting that passing score.
I watched a bit of the World Series this past week. San Francisco just barely got into the playoffs and then they were not expected to go too far. However, the players seemed to have this great “we can do this” attitude that pushed them on to become the world champions. When the last out was made last night, I enjoyed watching how thrilled those young men were. They ran and jumped and piled up together.
There is something wonderfully exciting about taking on a true challenge and then making victory happen. That is exactly what I want you to experience. That same thrill will be yours when you get those passing scores.
So, what is your resolution for today?
