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Christmas Gift Suggestions
Written by: Colin Blalock, Chair GSCPA (The Pessimistic Optimist)
‘Tis the season for being thankful and for many giving and receiving gifts… I recall when I was very young I had a huge list of “things” to be purchased; just in case someone needed a suggestion or two. I was under what I called the spell of the “sisters.” You know the two sisters: IWanta and INeeda? I want a fancy watch or was it I need a new IPhone. Several years ago I found a quote entitled “Christmas Gift Suggestions” by Oren Arnold (Novelist, journalist, and humorist). Every year I read it and come up with some additions of my own.
“Christmas Gift Suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness;
To an opponent, tolerance;
To a friend, your heart;
To a customer, service;
To all, charity;
To every child, a good example;
To yourself, respect.”
I have some 2011 additions to the list to consider:
- To your family and loved ones, especially young children, your time, attention and love;
- To people facing serious health issues especially young people and family, your prayers, concern, and understanding;
- To someone that hurt or disappointed you, forgiveness and compassion;
- To your business partners, your trust, respect and support;
- To people that work with and for you, respect, guidance and encouragement;
- To the less fortunate, your help and assistance;
- To your parents, compassion and gratitude;
- To friends, your time and understanding;
- To veterans, respect and gratitude for their service;
- To charitable organizations, your financial support and if possible your involvement;
- To teachers, appreciation for their dedication and passion for teaching;
- To yourself, exercise, personal time, and acceptance of who your are;
- To your profession, your time, effort, and support.
“There’s more, much more, to Christmas than candlelight and cheer;
It’s the spirit of sweet friendship that brightens all year;
Its thoughtfulness and kindness;
Its hope reborn again,
For peace, for understanding,
And for goodwill to men!” ~ John Greenleaf
We should all pause and think about how blessed we are, focusing on being thankful for our lives and understanding what wonderful gifts we have. It will make cold days warmer, dark days sunnier, and sad days merrier. ~Colin
This is my Christmas gift to you. Please share additions you make to your list.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ~ Colin
There Are Rules for That
Written by: Colin Blalock, Chair (The Pessimistic Optimist)
There is NO app for that, there are rules! Are you playing by the rules?
Contrary to popular theories, most people like rules. CPAs are “rule followers” and understand the importance of clearly defined parameters and rules of conduct. A good friend of mine shared this with me this morning. I stopped, took a breath and appreciated the wisdom.
The Rules of Being Human
1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time, informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error and experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately “works.”
4. A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it you can go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.
6. “There” is no better than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here,” you will simply obtain another “there” that will, again, look better than “here.”
7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need; what you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. The answers lie inside you. The answers to Life’s questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen and trust.
10. You will forget all of this!
Life is worth it. I’m thankful for friends like the one that shared this. She made my day.
~~ Colin
Bad Day at Black Rock — Is There Always a Bright Side?
Written by: Colin Blalock, Chair (The Pessimistic Optimist)
Maybe I have been working in the accounting field too long. In one month I had not one, but two, of my clients pass away. I know no one will live forever, but when you start working with a new client you don’t look down the road and see yourself or your client dying.
Years ago, I had an experience that I think about every time a client/friend dies. I had been working with my current firm about four or five months and felt like the new kid on the block. I met with a very nice widow who had been referred to me by one of my clients. We had a very pleasant, cordial meeting and she made the decision to work with me. As the meeting ended and she was about to leave she looked at me and said, “Now Mr. Blalock, I have out lived 4 previous accountants and really don’t want to outlive you!” I was temporarily speechless (people who know me understand this condition rarely happens). I gained my composure and replied, “Mrs. Smith (name changed), I am going to do everything in my power not to let that happen again; I hope you live another 50 years.” She smiled, appreciated my approach and accepted my response. In every meeting over the next several years she would smile and say “now take good care of yourself, I don’t want to lose you.” Read the rest of this entry »
Thanks for the Memories!
Written by: Royce Duncan
I am now back in town after a few days of vacation following our recent convention at Amelia Island and wanted to take this opportunity to thank many GSCPA members for their support throughout my year as Chairman.
In my remarks at the Chairman’s Dinner, I mentioned my “Fab Five” – memories that will stay with me through the coming years.
1) We kicked off the year with the convention at Hilton Head Island. I can still remember everyone enjoying the shag style dancing, notably Bobby and Pat Whitmire, among many others. It was equally matched by the great time we had Sunday night at Amelia Island starting this year’s convention with the sounds of the Second Chance Band.
2) I also enjoyed the reaction I got from the Young CPA’s section and our Board after I had a chance to show them a video from my skydiving experience. It did add an exclamation point to my contention that sometimes you have to take some calculated risks in your career, and place significant trust and confidence in others at times. I did hear observations from several Board members who questioned my mental condition for what they considered was a fool-hardy stunt!
3) I will always remember the hospitable welcomes I received from members during my twelve Chapter visits to various points across Georgia. From the heat of Valdosta in August to the sleet encountered on my way to Columbus in December, it was always a pleasure to tell the Georgia Society story throughout the year.
4) At various times during the year, I had opportunities to interact with a number of accounting students, as well as some recent graduates. Seeing their collective excitement at the prospects of a future career in accounting gave me a tremendous sense of optimism about the future of our beloved profession. My own parents had limited educational opportunities, so I remain committed to insuring that we do all we can for our students as part of my personal legacy. Read the rest of this entry »
Whatever happened to…..?
Written by: Colin Blalock, Chair GSCPA (the Pessimistic Optimist)
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