Session at Inaugural Session of Wyoming Society of CPAs Leadership Academy

1. Thought Bridging: Change
Your Thinking, Change
Your Life

2. Intellect & Emotion: How are We Wired?

3. Intellect Can Clarify Intent

4. Emotion Moves Us to Act

5. Thoughts ALWAYS Precede Emotions

6. Change the Thought, Change the Emotion

7. Change the Emotion, Change the Action

8. Change the Action, Change the Result

9. How Long Does it Take for a Strong
Emotion to Pass through our System?
90 Seconds

10. How Can We Intervene to Change the Result?
“Between stimulus and
response there is a space.
In that space lies our
freedom and power to
choose our response. In
those choices lie our
growth and our
happiness.”

11. The Results ALWAYS Seek to Justify the
Precipitating Thought . . .
I told you I
was right!

12. Reptile Brain (Amygdala Highjack) – Failed
Intervention
You see! They really are
out to get me!

13. Our Brain is like Teflon for Positivity and Velcro for
Negativity (hat tip to Gretchen Pisano)

14. Flashlight Analogy

15. Catastrophizing
We’re all going
to die!!!!

16. Now It’s Your Turn: Individual Exercise
• Describe a recent vivid event that elicited a strong emotional
response
o Thought
o Felt
o Acted Like
o Result
• Alternative thought – just as believable as the original

17. Find a Friend: Pair Exercise
• Describe your situation
• Brainstorm some alternative thoughts – push
your partner’s thinking
• Switch – now it’s your partner’s turn

18. Turning Your Brain Back On

19. Contact Info
Dan Griffiths, CPA, CGMA is the Director of Strategic Planning at
Tanner, LLC, a Salt Lake City-based professional services firm with
about 80 team members. Prior to merging his practice with Tanner,
he co-founded Proficio Services Group to provide strategic &
business planning, leadership development, and business coaching
services. Dan is a graduate of the 2010 AICPA Leadership Academy
and in 2011-2012 served as the chair of the Young CPA Network
Committee for the AICPA. Dan has also been very active with the
UACPA and in 2011 was recognized as the Outstanding CPA in
Business and Management. He was recently selected to serve as
Utah’s elected member of the AICPA Governing Council. Dan is an
avid flyfisher, backpacker, and gardener. He and his wife Bibiana
just welcomed their fourth child to the family.
Contact Dan at: dgriffiths@tannerco.com
Or connect with him on LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/in/dangriffithscpa