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The Secret Ingredient to Passing the CPA Exam As a future CPA, you’ll need a little grit From thiswaytocpa.com
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o you have grit?
Angela Lee Duckworth, a famed psychologist and researcher, defined “grit” in her 2013 TED Talk as the “passion and perseverance for achieving very long-term goals.” In essence, grit represents your ability to stick with your goals day in and day out, working very hard to make your dreams a reality. Being gritty means living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint. As a future CPA, you’ll need a little grit to tackle the CPA Exam. Curious to know if you possess grittiness? Keep reading to see some of the most common traits. • You’re a big-picture thinker. When you think about the future, you’re not worried about mapping out next week’s to-do list. You’re more interested in developing your 5- to 10-year plan and figuring out how to get there. You believe that some of the most rewarding milestones in life are those that take longer. • You embrace the grind. You recognize that studying for the exam won’t always be thrilling. If you know studying will help achieve your goals, though, you’ll push through, knowing that the hard work will pay dividends in the future. • Failure is not forever. You’re resilient, especially if something doesn’t go your way the first time. You recognize that not every CPA passed all four parts of the exam on their first try. Even though you’re confident in your abilities, you recognize that a failing test score is not a death sentence.
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CPA2b Fall 2020 | wicpa.org
• You like to get outside your comfort zone. When faced with new opportunities and experiences that’ll help you with your goal, you embrace stretching yourself. Not every accountant pursues a CPA, but you’re the type of person who knows that it’ll help you go far in your career. • You embrace growth. For you, every day is a new opportunity to develop your skills. You view the world with a glass-half-full mentality, and you will not let your shortcomings dictate your success. When recognizing that you lack the knowledge needed to pass a section, you embrace an “I can do it” attitude.
Grow Your Grittiness Did you see yourself in the above examples? If not, don’t fret. Grit is not something you are born with; it’s a learned skill. Developing a grit mentality is a great soft skill to help you stay motivated and grounded during potential obstacles. Here are a few ways you can grow and implement grit in your CPA Exam journey.
