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.
This post is to offer a shoulder to lean on to those who have failed the CPA exam. [The exams have started coming out. I saw a twit from Jeff[another71] that the AICPA had released BEC. [Shout out to Jeff: Good work, man! Keep up the good work!]]
First of all, to those who have passed any section, I would like to say Congratulations! It is a big achievement to pass any section of the CPA exam. I wish you lots of success and happiness!
To those who have failed. Sorry for not passing. Here is how I would go about handling or thinking about the situation. Actually, I have already thought about how I am going to handle it if I fail REG which will come out in the next day or so. It was in yesterday’s post: CPA exam results: How to Handle the Waiting. Okay, here we go:
1 – You are not alone. What do you understand from that sentence? I would suggest that you read it over, and even say it out loud a couple of times. “I am not alone.” “I am not alone.” “I am not alone.” “I am not alone.” “I am not alone.” “I am not alone.” Now that you have said it at least 5 times, I ask you again, What do you understand from that sentence? It is important to answer that question. My personal answer is long, but I can give a brief version here. First, from a spiritual point of view, I believe I am not alone. The Bible tells me so. This poem tells me so:
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.
Footprints in the sand - You are not alone!
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”
Mary Stevenson, 1936
Another way to look at it (it = that you are not alone), is that about half of the people who take the exam do not pass it. Please see below.
About 50% of CPA candidates pass (or fail) the CPA exam
So, spiritually, and “CPA-ally” , you are not alone! Knowing that I am not alone when I suffer gives me comfort. I will not explain how or why. May be in another post I will. I hope this knowledge gives comfort to those who have failed.
2 – Look on the positive side of life. Count your blessings. Even during the times that one thinks he or she has hit rock bottom, there is a silver lining. Let us count some of the ways. You are still alive. If you think your life is not worth it, those who love you or who depend on you for their happiness think your life is worth living. They could give anything to make sure you are still alive. Be thankful for life. You are healthy. You can read. You have access to this information. You may have a wonderful son, daughter, father, mother, wife, husband, friend, teacher, etc. You have food. You have transportation. You have money. You have a brain that is functioning properly. You are safe. You are in the top 30% of the most educated people in the USA (I am assuming that may be the level has gone up 4 points since 2003; I am assuming that you already have your Bachelors – i.e. condition for being allowed to take the exam – if not conditional-):
If this was 2003!! You would be in the top 26% of the most educated people in the USA
3 - Focus on things that cheer you up. A baby’s smile, a funny movie, loved ones, times when you achieved something, the compliments you have received in your life time. I would suggest that if you are alone and you do not have people who can cheer up, you write down all the compliments you have received in your life. If you don’t have pen and paper, you may type it up in the computer you are using! If you cannot do that, please find pen and paper! If not, think about it for 5-10 minutes. I think about the times I won Chess tournaments. I think about the many times I have been told I am cute I think about my girlfriend and her laughter! I think about the times I said something that was really funny and everybody cracked up – even though I cannot remember the specifics. Now I can think about all the good people out there, that I have not met, but are either linking to this blog, reading this blog, commenting on this blog, or just laughing at me for what I am writing! There are a lot of things I can do to feel better, only if I give myself a chance.
4 – Forget myself and focus on other people or other things. Self-absorption is one of the major causes of anxiety, unhappiness, low self-esteem,… (disclaimer: I am not a qualified psychologist, [I am serious!] think, I am also taking the CPA exams Anyway, on a serious note, I have found that when I am so busy or so involved in something, I have no time to think about myself. The other side of it is, when I think about myself so much, I have no time to think about other people or other things, and life passes me by.
5 – Move on. The past cannot be changed. Now, why should I lose my present (and my future which is quickly turning into my present with every passing moment) by focusing on things I cannot change. In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey talked about Circle of Influence and Circle of Concern. The more you focus on your circle of Influence (i.e. the things you have control over), the larger it gets, and small the Circle of Concern gets. You can read more about that at the link below.
Focusing on things you can control grows your Circle of Influence
I think about my girlfriend and her laughter! I think about the times I said something that was really funny and everybody cracked up – even though I cannot remember the specifics. Now I can think about all the good people out there, that I have not met, but are either linking to this blog, reading this blog, commenting on this blog, or just laughing at me for what I am writing! There are a lot of things I can do to feel better, only if I give myself a chance.