You are responsible for your happiness—only you. I know it sounds harsh, but the sooner you realize this, the sooner you can shape your world based on your own needs. You’ll no longer need validation at every turn. You won’t blame others for your problems or unhappiness.

Maybe you’re constantly thinking and worrying about work. Or perhaps childcare and other personal commitments are making you stressed. How do you manage the day-to-day while carving out time for yourself, your health, and your needs when you’re “always-on”? Some people feel guilty and that their own needs don’t matter as much as everyone else’s. I’ve definitely been there. But that can’t be further from the truth…

Mentoring is a two-way street. We need to seek mentors for ourselves to achieve our goals, but we also need to look for people to mentor. Becoming a mentor requires both people in the relationship to buy in to the process to ensure it will meet the goals of the mentee.

As we celebrated #nationalbossday this past Saturday, I’ve been thinking more about this. It was always a dream of mine since I was a little girl to be the “boss” - own my own business, be an entrepreneur, watch my dreams come to life.

What no one ever warns you about is how lonely it is to be the boss. How hard it is to please the people that work for you, with you, and your clients and customers. Every day we have little or big decisions to make, and only the leader can make it at the end of the day. Some days I know my brain is full and I don’t have the capacity to make a decision. You can ask opinions, but as an entrepreneur you are the only one at risk of making a bad decision that can affect you financially and in turn all the people around you that depend on your business.

In many client advisory services firms, an engagement letter is signed, the client is assigned to an accountant, and then it’s time to bring in the next client. We often don’t think about every touchpoint that clients will, or should, encounter in the firm so that they get the full brand experience that reaches beyond one accounting professional.

I’m not just talking about the yoga poses. I’m talking about how yoga taught me how to try something new and enjoy the learning process in both business and life. In particular, it taught me how to let go of trying to be perfect, reminded my how to enjoy learning something new again, and be able to create boundaries in my life to pause and enjoy moments with my friends and family.

As technology continues to automate many tasks in the accounting profession, what will always differentiate you from technology, are your people skills and in particular the relationship you create with your clients. This is especially true for Client Advisory Services. To truly excel at offering Client Advisory Services, it takes being highly valued, honored, and respected by your clients.

Do you need to understand and embrace how incoming innovations will change the way we do our jobs? Absolutely, but that’s not enough. You also must identify key skills only humans provide, cultivate them, and make them a key focus of your practice. Establishing yourself as a valuable advisor to clients is just as important to futureproofing as understanding how blockchain could change audits or AI will make data entry a thing of the past.

Understanding a client intimately isn’t just a matter of knowing their financials. Every business wants to make money and be successful, but that's far from their only motivation. People start particular companies for particular reasons, ranging from a desire to serve their community to environmental concerns and beyond. In addition to these core components of who companies are, owners each possess a collection of values and principles that they hold near and dear to their hearts. As an accountant, especially one that seeks to become a trusted advisor, it’s on you to learn about these values.

In an accounting world obsessed with advisory services, it’s strange that we often overlook the foundational aspect of relationships: communication.

You don’t need to be a research expert to find countless articles online detailing the vital importance of advisory services for accounting firms preparing for the future.

Not so long ago, we won our clients through referrals, and most of our client base lived within a 5 to 10 mile radius from our office. We went to local networking events in the evening and possibly advertised in the local paper, yellow pages or maybe even sent direct mail.

As technology continues to transform the accounting industry, it’s important to remember that what will always differentiate us as accounting professionals from technology is our ability to humanize the numbers and create long-lasting relationships. In particular, this means the connection we build with people and our ecosystem -- our clients, teams, colleagues and business partners.

Many of you have been communicating almost entirely via digital platforms for more than a year, so I don’t need to tell you Zoom fatigue is real. When hours of everyday are spent communicating via videoconference, chat, text, email, and more—all without so much as one in-person conversation—it’s only natural for burnout to set in. And when it does set in, stress and anxiety are sure to follow.

In the past year, our workspaces have changed a lot. Many of you have gone from having a dedicated office to working entirely remotely to switching back and forth in a hybrid model. No matter where you do your work, though, a lot of the stresses are the same.

I don’t need to tell you that it’s been quite a year. The memes about 2020 are everywhere so there’s no need to repeat them here, but suffice it to say we’ve all been through a lot these past 12 months. As stressful and chaotic as this time has been, there are plenty of lessons to take from it—far more than in a “normal” year, even. From a personal growth perspective, those lessons can be powerful and long-lasting.

If you want to advance your career, taking risks is a necessary evil. If you want to rise above the competition, risks push you out of your comfort zone.

As boxing great Muhammad Ali once said, "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."

I have always enjoyed philosophical books. They offer great insight and inspiration on how to improve my life and how to better approach my work. Along the way, I have discovered that some of the greatest wisdom comes from the simplest lessons.

The holiday party. It is a staple of workplace culture, almost to the point of cliche. Every sitcom that centers around a workplace includes at least one episode that occurs during a company holiday party. No surprise, then, that in a year when everything about business is a little different, holiday parties will be too.

As we approach the coldest part of the year, it’s clear that our current work-from-home (WFH) forecast shows no signs of slowing down. With the lower temperatures likely to produce a spike in Covid-19 cases, it’s possible restrictions will be tighter during the winter than during the previous few months.

If you want to advance your career, taking risks is a necessary evil. If you want to rise above the competition, risks push you out of your comfort zone.