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How self-reflection can help you achieve your goals
Written on Jul 13, 2023
By Jessica Salerno-Shumaker, OSCPA senior content manager
Falling into unfulfilling patterns can lead to unhappiness, and one CPA says to break the cycle you need to take the time to look inward and examine your behavior.
“For us to change our habits, we have to intentionally go through the process of identifying what things create those thoughts, actions or behavior.” said Amy Vetter, CPA and founder of the B3 Method Institute. “Then we need to consider the things that we can do to change our environment so that we can learn a new behavior or thought.”
Vetter’s new book, Disconnect to Connect: Tap Into the Power Within You to Create the Life You Desire, focuses on personal stories from her life and the tools she said you can use to break the cycle of negative generational patterns that create unwanted outcomes in your life.
“Often we haven't noticed these patterns and we haven't taken the time to assess them,” Vetter said. “And we don't realize how much they pop up in our life and get in our way. And it takes work to shift those belief systems and become aware of them.”
While Vetter said the book can apply to anyone, working in the accounting profession for decades means she’s picked up on many of the traits CPAs have in common.
“One of the biggest things from working with accountants doing consulting work is there are a lot of hard belief systems,” Vetter said. “And when I say ‘hard,’ I mean deeply ingrained belief systems that get in the way of change.”
An example Vetter offered is when she goes into firms and businesses and talks about how to make a company a place where people want to stay and grow their careers and are invested in the long-term success of the business, as opposed to gaining a few years of experience and then leaving. She said many partners or owners will brush off her suggestions of how to change, simply accepting that “this is the profession.”
Change is integral to growth, and it’s something the accounting profession and CPAs need to embrace to stay competitive in the future. Doing the work to recognize these habits can help spur that change, Vetter said, and lead to happier and more innovative professionals.
“A big point of this book is awareness,” she said. “Because even when we think that we've got everything handled, something else is going to happen. There are always curveballs that happen. And with awareness, we can better understand when our energy shifts, why and what we need to do to offset it ourselves.”