Month: September 2019

Posted in JackAssery, My Accountant Voice

Just STOP IT

Posted on by Pageflipme

First of all, if this title does not make you think of a MadTV sketch with Bob Newhart:

  • Hold it right there, and go watch it HERE
  • Laugh yourself into hysterics
  • Think about all of the times you wanted to be THAT GUY
  • Then come back to me

You’re welcome.

Now, I have to pull out #MyAccountantVoice to rant about something that is guaranteed to make me eye roll, occasionally bang my head against my desk, and even think about causing bodily injury to people (when I’m hangry OR after the 5th repeat of this same kind of conversation in the same day):

When I am hired for my professional expertise, by someone who admits they have no idea what they’re doing and have already made a hideous mess…..and then proceeds to challenge/debate/straight up argue every single answer I have.

I do NOT understand this thought process at all.

Do you?

I think I really, REALLY need this shirt, too.

Let’s review:

  • They found me, certified and highly rated, while searching for an industry expert, so it should be obvious I know what I’m talking about.
  • They have hired me for this, it’s not like I am giving unsolicited advice.
  • Everything they already tried is not working AT ALL (and usually made things even worse).
  • Sometimes, the first few sentences in our exchange include “Now, I’m not an Accountant”…..and THIS is the one that causes questions…..

Then WHY are you pretending to be one? Why did you even apply for, much less accept that job?  Why are you trying to convince me that you don’t need to change anything when you literally just told me you need help and contacted ME for the same answers you’re debating now?

Would you appreciate me pretending to be your surgeon because I can take out a splinter, or your hairstylist because I can use scissors?

Would you appreciate me coming to YOUR office or salon or shop and telling YOU how to do YOUR job?

If you do any of that, stop it right now. Just STOP IT.

Your friend’s mom’s coworker’s niece who thinks “they know QuickBooks®” (because they figured out how to record a deposit or write a check) is not an Accountant. We have 4-year degrees for that, plus countless hours of continuing education and refresher training on GAAP and both state and federal tax laws (that change constantly) AND years of practical professional experience…………

So please STOP IT with THAT, too.

  • But please DO NOT do it yourself

Basically, I am saying THIS to whoever needs to hear it today:

Please consider your Accountant, Financial Strategist, ProAdvisor, or Tax Analyst the same way you would your surgeon, stylist, or mechanic (to name a few). Hire a knowledgeable, experienced professional you can trust for tasks that really need one, and THEN FOLLOW THEIR ADVICE. I promise you, it usually costs more to fix or clean up the mess made by a pretender than it does for the right person to do it right in the first place, whatever it is.

And then don’t be that person anymore.

Rant officially over.

Question for other professional service providers – how do you handle it gracefully when this happens to you?

Posted in BadAssery, Random Bumble

ALL The Names

Posted on by Pageflipme

Originally posted on The FLIP Side

re-published with permission

Because I have been accused of being just a little bit extra.

Ok, extra extra.

What does that even mean?

Is there is one template, one size, one standard unit of measure, one level amount of something for humans and we are all supposed to be that?

Thank you – but no, thank you.

Not only do some of us do #allthethings, but this also applies in other areas of our lives, too.

My name is Paige Hudson Garcia.

Yes, I use #allthenames.

I also have hashtags and acronyms and pseudonyms (I have been writing for a long time) and nicknames.

No, I am not bothered by anyone else’s opinion on it.

It is my name, my life, my writer’s cramp when I sign things.

You see, I have given this a lot of thought…..

I was God’s first. Then I belonged to my parents. I became my own person and belonged to ME before I belonged to my husband. Then there are more areas of me that go to everyone else in my life (but they are only allowed a short term lease with no option to buy.)

None of these things made me any less, but made me MORE. So why take away a name, and not add to it, instead? (Yay, an extra one!) I live MY version of me, and no one else’s, just like I want everyone else to do for themselves.

Although I do have to admit that it CAN be a pain.

Much of my daily work involves efficient data entry, and clean databases, and accurate reporting, so this allthenames business does not always fit into a pre-formatted data field and can be challenging. I am introduced to people daily, and I can see them struggling with HOW to do it properly.

I get it…..but I still think I’m right about this.

So I’m extra. So what? 

I’m #notevensorry about it.

Posted in BadAssery, The REAL

My WHY (A Blog About The Blog)

Posted on by Pageflipme

Because I have NEVER liked being told what to do

(or think, or say, or pretty much anything else)

and never will.

I am sure there are people who will wonder “why blog”?

We already have immediate and constant connection by phone/text/email and countless social media networks……do we really need another ‘thing’ to keep up with?

That answer is an easy one. NO, we really do NOT.

So…..the answer(s) of WHY I decided to blog anyway are for 2 reasons:

  1. Friends get busy and tired and have their own stuff going on (most of my friends are bad@sses and are always involved in something) and don’t really need to hear my every thought right when I have them (that’s exhausting even for me), so calling/texting them is kind of forcing a way into their moments and causes pressure to respond when not everything requires a response
  2. Social media platforms have gotten entirely too nosey and waaaaaaaayyyy too controlling

But mainly the second one.

Now, I realize that we have to give something to get something.  That is actually one of the life lessons I believe in learning as early as possible.  Nothing is REALLY free.  Someone had to pay for it, even when we don’t see it with our eyes in that exact moment.  So the fact that all social media platforms are all free to use should tell us they are going to expect something out of it later.

If you really want to get in the know, or at least more informed, watch “The Creepy Line” or “The Great Hack” (both documentaries, both on Netflix as of the date of this writing).

We are all bothered by the security breaches and constant algorithm changes and how we are spied on to manipulate our spending habits.  What bothers me even more than the intrusion is the control they want to have over pretty much everything.

You probably know exactly which one I am talking about, too.

We choose our network of connections, we like certain topics of interest, we have the ability to report fakes and offensive content – but then the moderators decide to do whatever they want to do with this information, ignoring our feedback almost entirely.

Since when does AI get to decide which people’s conversations I think are most relevant – isn’t that what I did when I chose my network of people to begin with? Since when is it right that some nameless, faceless bots get to decide scammers and animal cruelty pics are allowed but a set of back office keyboard warriors will block a too-liberal or too-conservative poster after one of their harmless little memes, just because it differs from their own personal opinions? Since when does it make sense for a robo system to decide which of my content should be seen by which friends and in which order?

The answer to all of the above is the same and it is simple and it just sucks.

Since we agreed to use something that really belongs to someone else, and that someone else has a pretty selfish (and not-so-hidden anymore) agenda.

Because I believe in walking the talk, I am slowly transitioning to other ways to communicate online.  Things I might have posted on a social site before may just be moved to blogs and websites I control (within reason of course, the search engines can still do as they wish with us) and we can talk here in the comments or HERE and I can be found in a few other places too…..

So if you WANT to stay updated, follow the blog.

If you WANT to share here, be a guest blogger.

You know I live to serve and just want you to be happy.

Again – all because I have NEVER liked or even tolerated being told what to think, do, or say – and I don’t intend to start now. Not for as long as I can still do something about it!

Posted in Random Bumble, The REAL

1st Blog Post – Are You In?

Posted on by Pageflipme

Welcome to the jungle journey!

Have you ever heard the term “ride or die”?

I like to think I am that kind of person (and have been on more than one occasion), but then I have to get really honest with myself and admit that 9 times out of 10, I will need the answers to a few questions, first:

  • Why are we going somewhere?
  • Where are we going?
  • When are we leaving?
  • How long are we staying?
  • Do they have good food there? (I probably should have put this one first.  I’m not even kidding, we have planned entire weekend road trips around interesting places to eat.)

How about if I asked you to take a road trip with me? Would you have the same answer if I told you there was no set destination, no timeframe, no GPS?

We would OF COURSE have snacks.  I’m not completely unhinged.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said “life is a journey, not a destination”, and that is kind of what this blog is like – for you AND for me.  I usually write with intent, post with a purpose. Not this time.  I plan to just trust the process and not worry about the result.

Thanks for coming along with me!

I hope you enjoy the journey too – even if none of us know the destination.