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I was looking at a website this morning (for an artist, no less) and he had the following quote.
“Your dream isn’t big enough if it doesn’t scare you.”
I read a lot and see a lot of quotes. Most are nice but don’t really touch me. That was a quote that really meant something to me. I pass it along to you for that reason.
(1) – I was in Paris last week for a vacation. I do not speak French. I worried that I would not be able to get around because I could not speak the language. And, sure enough, the first day was rough. I was afraid that I might starve to death. But, gradually, subtly, without me even noticing, I started to pick up a few new words in French each day and I started recognizing what people were trying to say to me. By the end of the trip, I could even get through the subway system and order a meal without too much difficulty.
Learning is like that. It is subtle. It happens without your noticing. People don’t learn in big chunks. People learn in tiny grains. However, through persistence, it is amazing how quickly those tiny grains add up and come together and start creating actual knowledge and understanding.
People who study for the CPA Exam are often looking for that “AHA” moment where they go from not knowing to knowing. Their dream is: “One minute I did not understand leases and then suddenly I understood it all with such wonderful clarity. I am so happy.” Yeah, that would be nice but learning almost never happens that way. You start off understanding 40 percent of what you read. You answer a few questions and you read the answers and, without really noticing, you actually understand 45 percent and then 50 percent and so on. Eventually, you can become an expert that way.
It is easy to get discouraged because we all want “instant knowledge.” The human brain just does not work that efficiently. Your brain learns gradually and constantly. Kind of like the sun rising-it happens so steadily that you don’t even notice the change. But, it is dark one minute and then it begins to get lighter and lighter and, suddenly, the sun is up. And, you never really saw any movement.
–How do you pass the CPA Exam? Put in 60-100 hours of good quality study for each part. The brain will take care of the rest.
–Why does that work? As you read and answer questions, your mind gradually comes to understand the various topics. Not all at once but little by little.
–Why do you keep missing questions? The learning is slow and steady-no one jumps directly into brilliance. For example, if you are going to study 100 hours for FAR, it is perfectly logical that you will make 1 percent of the needed improvement for every full hour that you study. Yeah, that seems slow but if you make 1 percent improvement every hour, before you know it you will understand more than enough to pass.
I did not starve to death in Paris. I learning some of the language and had a great time.
Make that 1 percent improvement every hour and you’ll pass the CPA Exam.
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