We have the potential to be what GOD has destined us to be and prosper beyond our imagination. The GOD's plan concerning our life is a plan of prosperity not failure. HE never wanted us to be fruitless but rather to be fruitful. HE has also given us the go ahead to create our own world. Unfortunately some people are ignorant of this. We have been given the power to change our bad situation to better and effect positive changes, be it in your profession, finances, education - whatever it is, we can change it. It is our responsibility to change our situation to better. We can create and design our world and live happily as we desire. We have all that we need to achieve our goals in life. Put in your effort today, avoid procrastination, be strong, do not give up yet, do not stop trying, and do not stop working hard because your reward is success. Believe in yourself and be confident because you have the potential to succeed and become a CPA.
Success is a journey. Success is a mental attitude. Success is a way of living joyfully. Success is as individual as you are. Success is taking one small step forward at a time and doing it continuously. Success is making today as good a day as you can. Success is making one thing in your life just a little bit better than it was yesterday. Success is following your heart. Success is a choice. And in every moment that you choose to listen to your deep inner knowing, and to keep moving forward persistently and joyfully, success is yours.
Things to Remember for a Successful CPA Review (Credits to ReSA)
1. Do it for the right reason(s). Who does not hope to win has already lost. So believe in yourself, work hard and you will emerge as a winner.
2. Assess your situation. You must know where you are before you determine how to get where you want to be. " Never underestimate your own intelligence and never overestimate the intelligence of others."
3. Make a commitment. Passing the Board Exam should be one promise that you keep to yourself. If you want it bad enough, you'll find a way to get it done. Remove your fear. Remember everything we want is on the other side of fear! so to be successful, you have to overcome the fear of failure.
4. Prepare! There are (3) types of preparation: preparation for: competence, speed and endurance.
5. Live in the Present. Focus. Be where you are. The past is gone - all you can do is learn from it. (what works, what doesn't). The future is uncertain. All you have is the present. Make the most of it, and you will have no regrets. Nothing beats going to sleep, greatly exhausted, but victorious - knowing you gave your best.
"I never quite understood why people neglect to see what is right in front of them. Life is moving while they just stand and watch. Minutes, days, and hours pass and by the time they realize it, that opportunity ceases to exist."
6. Be a professional. Being a professional requires that you go ahead with the review, no matter how you feel, and no matter what the circumstances are. True winners do not stop when the going gets tough.
7. Be a problem solver. Treat every difficulty as an opportunity, a chance to become a better person. Problems should make you stronger, not weaker. Do not wither under problems or try to avoid them - instead, be brave and actively seek problems and immediately work on the solution
8. God is in control. No matter how hard the review becomes, no matter how hard the Board question seem, remember there is Someone who is always in control. If things seem to be getting out of hand, do not panic. God is in control - if you let Him be.
Also Remember: In life we may not always be victorious... however, with your strong desire to always compete, never give-up mentality and a positive attitude, you will never truly know defeat!
Study Tips and Strategies (credits to Howard Richman)
1. Study in short, frequent sessions. This was previously known as "interval training." Short bursts of concentration (such as ten minutes of intense study) followed by breaks is more effective than one long session. On/off training is highly efficient because it honors the way the brain likes to work. The brain needs recovery and recharging time for "synthesis". The rest periods are when your brain assimilates your effort.
2. Take guilt-free period of rest. This follows the same principle as above, but on longer, daily time cycle. The reason for resting is to refresh oneself. However, if you feel guilty ("I really should be studying") then your precious rest period has been used to create more stress. The brain will not absorb new data if it is stressed. During your time off from studying. really enjoy yourself and do not feel bad about not studying.
3. Be aware of your emotional state. When the brain is relaxed, it is like a sponge and it naturally absorbs data without effort. If you are emotionally stressed, your brain literally repels data. Forcing yourself to sit and study when your mind is in other things is a complete waste of time!
4. Review the same day. When you learn something new, try to go over the points in the same day. If you wait a few days and then make efforts to review the material, it will seem much less familiar. However a quick review later in the day will tend to cement the information into your brain so that the next "official" study session, you will recognize it and it will seem easy.
5. Observe the natural learning sequence. Think of the activities you did when you were very young. Using your whole arm, you probably performed the song that goes: "Put your right hand in, Put your right hand out." Then, in kindergarten, using your hand, you might have been asked to draw lines or circles with crayons. Later, in first grade, now holding the pencil with your fingers, you drew smaller lines and circles to create letters. Believe it or not, this natural learning sequence, moving from large to small, coarse to fine, still remains effective even though we are now older. When you study, if you try first to grasp the big picture and then fill in the details, you often have a more likely chance of success.
6. Prepare your study environment. For example, do you need special lighting, silence, music, privacy, available snacks, etc.? Pay attention to what works for you and repeat it each time you study for best success. But do not make preparing your study environment your major priority. You might end up using so much time preparing, that you do not have time left for studying!
7. Respect Brain Fade. It is normal for the brain to have an attrition rate and to forget things. This does not mean that your are stupid! Instead of getting mad about this fact, you should expect it and deal with it accordingly. See your brain as depositing layers of knowledge. As you place more information on top, the lower levels become older and less available to your immediate recall. The trick here is simply to review. Since we can anticipate the eventual fading of our memory, creating a review aspect to our study session will solve the problem. Once every two or three study sessions, simply review older material that you will be still needing to remember. Often, a quick overview is sufficient. Sometimes, a complete detailed study session of the older material is required. "Brain fade" is completely normal.
8. Create a study routine. Generally, if you schedule certain times of the day to study, you will get into a routine and accomplish more. If you just "fit it in" during your day, chances are that there will never be any time. An effective way to do this is to literally mark it down in your calendar as if you have an appointment, like going to the doctor. For example: Tuesday 3-4:30 P.M - Study
9. Set reasonable goals. One of the main reasons people do not reach their goals is because they set them too high. If you set goals that are manageable, even if they seem too simple, you get in the habit of accomplishing them and gradually you can set higher goals. Set your vision on the long-term dream, but your day-to-day activity should be focused exclusively on the short-term, enabling steps.
10. Avoid the frustration enemy. Ironically, the quicker the person's nervous system, the faster they learn. Yet, this fast nervous system also works overtime in being self-critical. So they are the ones who always think they aren't going fast enough! In contrast, the less intense person who learns slower yet is more self-accepting, ends up ultimately learning the material in a shorter period of time. This is because he/she doesn't waste energy blocking, getting upset, and thinking that they're not good enough -they simply keep moving forward at a slower (but un-blocked) pace.
"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world"
"I believe no matter what, God's always been my soft place to land when life's roads get bumpy and I stumble and fall. He not only cushions my fall but revives my spirit with an abundance of mercy and love. Where can I go that Your love does not reach? Your presence is everywhere and Your love blankets me, protecting me from life's storms. You are truly a safe harbor for my soul. This knowledge is what keeps me at your feet, O Lord. My prayer as always being... Father I love You. All I have is Yours. Yours I am, Yours I want to be, do with me what You will."
Does this story sound very familiar?
I am sure you will agree with me that we all encounter postponements that keep us from doing what is critical for our success. We cannot always control what happens to us but we can always exercise control over how it will impact us. We do not have to let delays defeat us. We don't have to give into these energy suckers and become a victim of procrastination.
Why should we leave ourselves at the mercy of 'The Guilt of the Incomplete'? But first the question arises, why do we do that?
WHY DO WE Procrastinate?
Before we discover a treatment for this universal disease, 'procrastination', let us look at some of the reasons behind it.
- Waiting for the right mood
You don't feel like doing it. Your mood is o_ and you are emotionally down. - Waiting for the right time
You don't think that it is the right time to take action, when actually it is. - Lack of clear goals
How can you feel inclined to do it when the goal is not clear? - Underestimating the difficulty of the task
You thought doing it was no big deal, but when you started you realized that you would have to put in much more effort than you first thought. So why not postpone it for now? - Unclear standards for the task outcomes
You started but did not have an idea about exactly what was expected. You did not know the performance criteria. - Feeling the task is imposed on you
When you think you have to do it, your motivation is reduced. Your heart and mind are not fully involved. - The task is too ambiguous
You finally got around to doing it but the task was too vague, unclear and blurred. Then you did not find good reason to continue. - Fear
'I don't think I can do it; if I go ahead I will not succeed.' - Perfectionism
'I don't have the right skills or resources to do this perfectly, so I won't do it at all.'
FROM INACTION TO ACTION
After acquiring all the tools, techniques and strategies, why do people not put into use what they know? Why do people choose inaction instead of taking action? We have identified some psychological fears. These fears suppress your inventiveness; your talents and resources remain hidden, undeveloped and untapped. These fears include:
- Fear of failure
If I were unsuccessful, how would I handle the embarrassment? It's better not to show up for this presentation. Let's procrastinate. - Fear of success
If I do it this time, people will expect me to do it again. Will I be able to handle the pressure that comes with success? - Fear of the status quo
If the status quo is disturbed, who knows how the new situation will turn out? Let's maintain things as they are. Why take a risk? - Fear of perfection
If I started it now, I would not complete it until I achieved a level of perfection. Do I have time for perfection? - Fear of loss
If I did it now, I might end up losing out on a few things.
RECOGNIZE THAT YOU'RE PROCRASTINATING
How would you recognize in yourself the symptoms of procrastination?
- Filling your day with low priority tasks from your To Do list
- Reading an e-mail more than once, without starting work on it
- Starting work on a high-priority task, and almost immediately going off to make yourself a cup of coffee or check your e-mails
- Leaving an item on your To Do list undone for a long time, even though you know it's important
- Regularly saying 'Yes' and filling up your time with unimportant tasks
- You find the task unpleasant; or
- You find the task overwhelming
ANTI-Procrastination FORMULA
The 'taal-matool' attitude or syndrome has the potential to negatively impact your results, success and even your entire life. I have created a strategy to defeat procrastination and build results faster.
I call it the IMAN TECHNIQUE.
I
M ust
A ct
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So, are you ready to act now?
--- Copyright © 2011 Qaiser Abbas
Qaiser Abbas is a best-selling author, motivational speaker, high-energy trainer and successful entrepreneur. He is the founder and Chief Inspiring Officer of Possibilities, a leading Management Training & Consulting Company, operating internationally with the head office in Pakistan. Some of his key clients include P&G, Motorola, Gillette, ORIX, OMV, Reckitt Benckiser, Mobilink, Coca Cola, FMC, Nokia-Siemens, ICI, Ufone and Unilever.
Qaiser is a regular columnist in various nationwide magazines and newspapers and ranked among the best motivational writers of Pakistan.
