The Serenity Prayer and Accounting
Does the Serenity Prayer apply to accounting? What we can’t change is already in the financial statements. Courage to change is how we respond in the present. And the wisdom to know the difference comes from our practice of reflection.
Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Hi, I'm Burton. I'm the founder and CEO of Sutro Li. We provide accounting for great causes. Does the serenity prayer apply to accounting?
Accepting what you can't change:
When we're reading our financial statements, what we can't change is right there on the paper because the financial statements tell you a story about the past and you can't change the past.
Courage to change the things that I can:
This is about the present. Given what we know, what do we want to do with this information? So what can we change? We can change our mindset, we can change our habits. The things that we say, the things that we follow through on this is all within our control. How does this apply to accounting? It applies to the habits that we have in staying current with our accounting. It also has to do with our strategy where we're investing our resources, where we're investing our time and where we're investing our money. Our practice with accounting actually can tell us a lot about what we can change.
Wisdom, to know the difference:
The wisdom to know the difference between what we can and can't change is a lot about reflection. And this is where we do some of our best work. We look at financials with our clients and we ask questions and we reflect on what they're telling us and how we want to respond to the information. Are we at a decision point? If we try something different, what are the opportunities and what are the potential risks? These are the conversations we have with our clients every week.
So we do find value in the serenity, prayer and accounting. Acknowledging the things that we can't change, having the courage to change the things that we can and seeking the wisdom to know the difference.