Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Hi everyone!

After an especially difficult week at work and also with studying, I was feeling very overwhelmed and unmotivated to study.  This past weekend I went to a local coffee shop to study.  Instead of studying, I was watching people come in, order their coffee and go about their Saturday.  I was so jealous of these people.  I knew I had 6 hours ahead of me to learn about tax and business law and I was not happy.  I knew if I had a bad attitude it would not be a productive study session.  To counter my mood, I decided to take 10 minutes and write down why passing the CPA exam is important to me.  I jotted down the following thoughts: 

  • To feel the sense of accomplishment of completing one of the most (if not challenging professional exams) 
  • To have not given up during this very grueling and frustration process 
  • To see my name followed by a comma and the 3 golden letters we are all striving for…CPA
  • To call every one of my family members, friends, and colleagues, and say “I PASSED THEM ALL!
  • To be able to never have to say again: “Sorry but I have to study” when turning down all of the events I’ve skipped over the past year. 
  • To be able to answer “I’m a CPA” versus “I’m an accountant” when asked the ever popular “What do you do?”
  • To open doors to positions otherwise not available to non-CPAs (i.e. Chief Accounting Officers, CFOs, etc). 
  • To buy myself my “I Passed Present!”– I have been wanting diamond earrings for a few years now. I decided when I pass that will be the gift to myself and every time I wear them I will remember how hard I worked for them and that I’m only lucky enough to wear then because I am a CPA! 

After I read through my list, my attitude changed significantly and I got quite a bit of studying down.  Although REG has been my least favorite section to study for because I have no experience in tax, but I continue tackle each section by breaking it down into bite sized chunks. 

I hope you all are studying hard and good luck to those of you taking your exam in the next few weeks!  

Take care,
Angela 

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