Document or Review any Personal Goals Lately?

I found it interesting that the average American spends less than 1 hour a year documenting their personal goals and reviewing them. That is because most people do not even document their goals!! (Source: Day-Planners)

So, the average American spends more time biting their fingernails in any year than reviewing their goals.

If you do not have any long-term goals documented ..... I will promise you one thing -- you will have a much better chance of NOT meeting them!

The CPA Exam - More Than Just a Test

Click title above that links to the article we wrote about how passing the CPA exam can be a major learning experience ... much more than just a "test".

Do Accountants Lie? 1 Sign .....

The answer is a resounding YES!

Per Paul Ekman, author of Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage, the average person lies 3 times for every 10 minutes of conversation. That statistic is pretty daunting. So if I talk to the "average person" for 10 minutes, there will be 3 lies .... no actually 6, if I am also like the "average person"?!!

Now maybe the "average accountant" is better at not lying than the "average person." I'd like to think so. We have strong ethical codes and guidelines we have to follow, and hopefully most accountants are qualified for their integrity upon entering any organization.

But have you ever caught a colleague lying, a client lying, or even yourself lying? Chances are the answers are yes to all three questions.

Below is one typical sign sign of a liar. In future posts we'll discuss:

(1) Other signs

(2) How you can become better at "not lying" all the time, including eliminating the "little white lies". The first tip will be one you can probably guess right now -- you have to WANT to become better at this.

Liars typically provides MORE details - When you are lying you are lying to yourself and the other person. You have to convince BOTH and liars struggle with silence because they must talk them-self through the lie at the same time they are talking you through the lie. Thus, if they are silent they are only listening to their own lie and they also feel like you may be listening (even though you can't) and in an effort to "prove" their lie, they will overindulge in the details of that lie so you both will be over-convinced.

Isn't learning about lying FUN?!

What "Labors" You?

Since it is the Labor Day holiday, maybe it is appropriate to focus on your work. I know, I know. Many specifically do not want to focus on work this weekend!

But maybe there is some value in asking yourself two questions:

1.) What is the most laborious thing you do at your job? (What is the one thing you do that you like the least?)

2.) What is the one thing you do at your job that you LOVE?

I know most accountants feel like their job descriptions are set in stone, but that simply is not the case. You have no doubt noticed some at your organization who have excelled even when there may be only one or two things that they do REALLY well. But they do them really well, probably because they also really enjoy doing them. What is the one thing you do well and love ... and how do you do it more? Oh yea, and that one thing you like the least, how do you do that less? Sounds too simple, doesn't it? It's not if you decide to be intentional about doing what you are good at and love.