Accountant's Musings: CPA Exam & Life Beyond

I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago, and it was titled, 3 things. The questions were not the toughest in the world, but they were not easy either. They required some soul-searching and a discovery of the value you attach to certain things (including people).

I believe that taking time to answer tough questions benefits a person in so many ways. For example, previously unanswered questions now get answers; some people get a sense of direction; others change their ways for the better; other people may come up with mission statements; fear may be dispersed; courage may be developed; etc.

It is hard to answer tough questions when you have not mastered the basics.

What would be your response to the following question?

What are the three things you cannot do without?

My response, which is not necessarily the best one or correct one, would be something like this: Air/Oxygen, water, and good health.

What would your response be?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

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I know that I prayed quite a bit while I was preparing for the CPA exams, and I believe that at least before one of the exams, I said a quick prayer. [Of course, you don't want to say such a long prayer that you time out!] I prayed before I started studying for the exams, when I studied, before the exams, during the exams [at least once], and obviously, after the exam. Well, and after the results came out, even though I am not so sure I prayed after finding out that REG didn’t go my way the first time I took it. Today, I was reflecting on the many things I have prayed for… and wondering if my effort counted for anything, (and there have been times when I have wondered if my prayers counted for anything.) If you believe in what the Bible says, as I do, then it is fair to assume/believe that prayer counts for something. Then the question becomes, when does prayer become efficacious? What makes the Lord decide to answer your prayer and not another’s? What makes the Lord answer some of your prayers and not others? We do not know the workings of the Lord. We can only “assume” from what we read, from what we experience, from what we think… keeping in mind that He is good. However, one of the things that we “know” from reading quite a few stories in the Bible, and which I truly believe, is that the Lord cares about your worship, and/or the sacrifice that you bring to Him. So, I was wondering what kind of sacrifice you could bring to the Lord as you work towards your CPA, and which you would ask Him to bless. One of the possible answers is your work/preparation/qualification. I think it is respectful/honorable, to bring only that which we think is worthy of the Lord’s blessings. Of course, we have read and been taught that we are not worthy to come before the Lord, thus we could extrapolate to say even our works are not worthy of the Lord. At the same time, we have been taught that the Lord is merciful, and he welcomes the humble and the meek,… and thereby, if we humbly and faithfully do our work, and meekly and confidently bring it before Him to bless, He shall do so.

I am not a good student, but I can be a good student. I try to be one. It is a struggle sometimes. Luckily, the struggle is not intellectual. It is discipline. I am not a good Christian. I sin all the time. I make efforts, once in a while to be a good person. I am saying this just to share the fact that I am not good or perfect, but along the way, I have picked up on what works. Effort works. Not giving up helps. Hope helps. Goals help. God answers prayer. God is just. God is merciful. God sees your heart.

So, as you prepare for the exam, and as you know that some day, as you wait for the results to come out you will say a prayer, you can keep in mind that you should put forth effort that when you ask the Lord to help you pass the exam, you have no doubts that may be you didn’t do a good enough job preparing.

What shall you give to the Lord to bless?

Good luck! Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

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During my preparation for the CPA exams, there were times when I didn’t want to study, think, work, or study. I just needed a break, something that would cheer/freshen me up quickly, or just sooth my mind, heart and soul. There were times when all I wanted was to go to bed with a smile, and there was not much that could do that [to me]… During those days, I would just rush to 1000 awesome things and read a few posts, and by the end of it all, I would be happy that I was alive, and I looked forward to tomorrow. It made me realize, again and again, that there was more to life… that I could choose what to focus on… that in the world of galaxies, the micro and the nano matter. So, here is a shout out to Neil! His book has been out a couple of weeks now… so if you have a moment, go take a look at his site, and if you share my feeling, grab the book of awesome!

Here is one of the posts that I remember reading way back when and I laughed my heart out.

Here is one of the posts that made me … swallow hard.

Here is one of my many favorites.

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Rules to be followed:

- You may not skip question 1.

- You may answer any other 2 questions.

- You can answer a minimum of 3 questions.

- If you ask other people to participate, you may not influence their answers or make them justify their answers, or “judge” them.

1. If you were to choose only 3 people to remain in the world, who would those be?

2. If you were to save only 3 files on your computer, which 3 files would you save?

3. If only 3 books would remain in the world, which books would you want those to be?

4. If you were to choose 3 of your favorite experiences, what would those be?

5. Which websites (including blogs) would you choose to remain, if only 3 could remain?

6. If you could eat the same 3 “foods” everyday for the rest of your life, which foods would you pick?

7. What 3 things are memorable about this day?

8. If you were to carry only 3 things with your backpack on a year long trip, what would those things be?

9. If you only had only 3 minutes a day to read a book, surf the web, call somebody, .. what would you read? What sites would you go to? Who would you call?

Thanks for reading? I hope you found that helpful.

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Today, I did not go to church. No reason. I didn’t go the past couple of weeks either. No reason. This is not normal or correct for me. With some practice, it has become normal, and I don’t like it. Going to church and praying frequently was the normal thing for me to do. Somehow along the way, I have let that slide. Now, how is that related to the CPA exam? Well, there are several important ways.

1. Usually, I read my positive thinking note, and I also pray for motivation, discipline, and grace to study hard and smart, to remember what I study, and to do well in the exam. It is a core part of my preparation. If I don’t go to church, and I don’t pray [which is almost always the case for me], I am missing a major part of my study or preparation.

2. Even though we are not saved by our works, there are pointers in the Bible that show that God does not ignore our works or our commitment to Him. This makes me think that my ignoring Him could have a negative impact, not just on the CPA exam, but in life in general.

3. Related to 2. above, when I live well, I usually have confidence when I want to ask for something. It is similar to the confidence level of a bad kid or good kid when it has to approach a parent for help. Another example would be if I want to ask for a raise at work, it is a lot easier when I know I have been doing a great job, as opposed to when I suck. Thus, when I suck spiritually, even if God is all-loving, it is a little difficult to muster the confidence to approach Him for grace or help.

4. I am a whole human being. Mind, body, heart, and spirit. I function best when all those are in sync. That is, when I study, do well at work, go to church, pray daily, blog, check email, talk to my family and friends, meditate, laugh, etc. and those are things that are important to me, when one of them is out whack, the misalignment gets passed on to other aspects of my life.

As you can see, sometimes we think that things are not working out because God is upset with us because we have not been good. Actually, it appears that life just does it, of its own accord, if an important aspect of one aspect of life is not in sync with everything else. I am not saying God has no role.  He does, but we can’t blame Him. Sometimes the blame lies with the individual.

So, this spiritual part will have to be fixed. If not for the spirit, at least for the CPA exam!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found that helpful. Your comments are welcome.

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How to Pray - Method & Technique of Effective Prayer

I pray for a lot of things. The CPA exam is not an exception. How do I pray? I fall short on how I should pray. It is easy to think that there is no method or technique to prayer. Why should there be a method or technique to prayer? Well, I think it is because prayer is a very important undertaking. Most, if not all, important undertakings have method or technique that needs to be followed for successful completion. Let’s take the CPA exam, for example. There are between 25 and 40 pages on the method or technique to successfully prepare for the exam in any of my Wiley CPA books; Gleim has a whole book called a System for Success. This covers the content on the CPA exam, the approximate percentages of coverage on the exam, suggested time table for studying, approximate hours per study unit or topic, how much sleep you need, where to sleep the day before the exam, how to guess during the exam, how to eliminate distractions, whether to appeal a score or not, what to eat on the day of the exam, what to wear, how to call for help if your computer acts up,… and so on and so forth. This is only guidance on how you should prepare when you come before the AICPA to take their exam!

How much more do you need to prepare as you come before God! How much more should you know on how best to present yourself to Him! How much more should you know the content specification outline for addressing God! How much more should we know what areas to focus! Dr. Gary Reimers of Bob Jones University addresses the question of how one should pray. What should be your demeanor when you pray? What should you focus on? What are the things that should be in your prayer? How elaborate should you be? Here has some interesting illustrative stories. I enjoy listening to the sermons even though I don’t belong to that church. I learn a lot, and I get inspired. You may learn something. You may be inspired.

Here is the sermon for those who are interested. (This is only 30 minutes long.)

Here is a listing of (all) his sermons to those who would like some more.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

Image credit: http://media.photobucket.com/image/prayer/TariLuinweME/Christianity/prayer.jpg

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I have not been doing great with studying at all. I have read a little bit, I have listened to the CDs, and I started doing some multiple choice questions some time back. I could come up with explanations and excuses, but I won’t. When things like this happen, the best thing to do is to realize what’s going on and take corrective action. Reading or writing about how to get things done will not get things done if no action is taken. Positive thinking will not get things done if no action is taken. Faith and hope has to be supported by action in the direction of the goal. So, tonight, I will take my first step towards serious study as well as overall focus on getting things done in my life. I will post the CPA-related updates here.

If you are also struggling with studying and getting things done, may be you can also make a similar decision to choose action over inaction. Let’s study hard and get this done!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you found that helpful.

(Thanks to the Cooking Accountant for checking on me and my studying earlier today! I really appreciate the support!)

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