#97 May 18th, 2023
Blake Carroll, CPA
PwC People Team - Manager | Helping Aspiring CPAs Navigate the CPA Exam with Confidence
Burnout is a term and a feeling that seems to be everywhere these days. It’s been a stressful last couple years, to say the least. So much of what we used to take for granted in the world of work has changed, and things are still changing all the time. Once we appreciate that we’re in this new work world for the long haul we need to develop habits that enable us to sustain our wellbeing for the long term. Now that mode work is remote it seems like there is more pressure for people to put in extra time outside of normal hours in order to try to prove that they are still worthwhile members of the team. It’s pretty unhealthy to let work bleed into all of our time off at home. It is still important to have bright-lines and boundaries between our personal time at home and our work time from home. So many teams also never talk about these things, even if so much of the team is feeling it and hiding it. It’s easy for any person to think they’re the only one struggling with burnout, but I think it’s a much more shared and common experience than we realize. By acknowledging it and working through it together it becomes so much easier to solve. I think it’s important for leaders and bosses to be the ones to initiate those conversations, as it can be incredibly intimidating for other employees to bring it up to their boss first.?
For most of human history our lives were incredibly uncomfortable. Now in our modern world many people will never receive discomfort unless they choose it. All of our basic needs can be delivered to you without you even having to leave your home.??We are evolutionarily programmed to only seek comfort, but if we do that all the time now it leads to a boring and unsatisfactory life. Living the same safe patterns day after day, year after year will eventually lead to unease. It’s so much better to always be pushing ourselves toward growth and that does not come without challenges. A little stress and difficulty can be good for you because it makes you up your game to become better. Obstacles are opportunities to become a stronger person than we have been. They also help make you less afraid to fail because you recognize the value in trying, even if you don’t fully accomplish what you wanted to. But it is important to recognize that a lot of negative emotions are probably going to pop up as we leave our comfort zone, even if we intellectually understand how it will benefit us. You will still experience fear and doubt and anxiety at times. But if we know they’re just a part of the process of growth then we can separate ourselves from them and stop them from holding us back.?
What are some of the side effects of having low confidence? When we do not have confidence or belief in ourselves we are far more likely to follow the crowd and try to win the approval of others. We want to fit in to try to get others to approve of us or believe in us since we may not totally believe in ourselves. But making decisions based on what other people will think will never lead to a lasting feeling of fulfillment. An antidote to that is having the confidence to follow our own path no matter what. Self confidence allows you to pursue what really matters to you rather than whatever society says will gain you approval. We each have unique dreams and goals that really resonate with us, and that’s what we should be following and trying to achieve. We may fail as we work to achieve those goals, but that actually should increase our self-confidence because it allows us to learn and it shows us we have the courage to try and fail but keep going forward. We all have weaknesses and areas where we need help. It’s much more helpful to accept and embrace that truth rather than fight it. When we have the confidence to pursue what matters to us it is also likely that you will be helping and giving value to other people as well, and that positive effect motivates us even more to keep going.?
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This article talks about keeping yourself from losing it with your kids, but I think it has great advice on how to stop us from losing control in general, in all situations. When we were growing up all of us were taught communication patterns by our parents, and we naturally come to assume that however they communicated is normal. But that does not mean it is healthy. The problem is it’s so easy to continue the same communication patterns because it is all that we know. We get upset and mad at the same things our parents did even if we don’t want to. We talk negatively to ourselves when we mess up, which just puts negative feelings on top of negative feelings. We get tired or hungry and lash out in ways that we never would normally. It’s important to think through and be aware of the situations where you are susceptible to losing control and lashing out. Specific people or circumstances that are simply triggering and hard to deal with. Let the people around you know if you’re in a state where you could be easily triggered or if you are tired and depleted. It can be helpful if they know they need to give you a little bit more time and space. Lastly, except that there will be times where you will mess up and lose it. We all make mistakes and yell sometimes and get upset. Don’t hold yourself to an unrealistic standard of perfection of never doing that. Except that it is normal, and don’t be afraid to apologize when it does happen. People will probably be more forgiving and understanding than we expect. We’re all doing the best we can.
CPA tip of the week:?When it comes to the CPA exam, you can’t control what topics or simulations you’ll get on test day and how difficult they will be.
But you can control how much you study and prepare.
You can control whether you get rid of distractions when you study.
You can control how much rest you’re getting, and how much time you spend taking care of you mental and physical health.
You can control surrounding yourself with a supportive team that believes in you and helps you toward your goal.
You can control how you approach doubt or struggles, whether you have a growth mindset or fixed mindset toward them.
You can control whether you focus on progress or create an unrealistic standard of perfection.
By letting go of things outside of your control and focusing on your own efforts and progress and what you can control, you can increase your chances of passing.