When I joined Accensis Inc, I really thought I understood pressure.

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By the time I had completed my articles, i had survived busy audit seasons. I even dealt with difficult clients and spent enough time in Excel to know that sometimes, the spreadsheet wins. Then I became an Audit Senior at a new firm, and suddenly, pressure felt different. It felt new. And more discomfort than I could handle.

It was no longer about completing my tasks and going about my day: it became client deadlines to manage, people depending on me, review notes waiting for answers. Sometimes, someone asks you a question, and you need to know exactly what to do.

When you do, you will say, “Let me have a look at that,” and hope the answer reveals itself - maybe somewhere between the working paper and your second cup of coffee. Changing audit firms added another layer of challenge: Different people. More expectations. And new ways of doing things. I went from knowing my surroundings like the back of my hand to having to find my feet again. All while stepping into a role with way more responsibility and accountability. I quickly realised that if I was going to survive the pressure, I needed to learn how to switch off from it too.

For me, that usually involves a pool cue or a set of darts. There is something strangely peaceful about standing at a pool table after spending a day worrying about deadlines, review notes and outstanding client information. For a little while, none of the audit noise matters. There is just a ball, a pocket, and the next shot. The same thing happens when I play darts. For that moment, my entire world became a very small section of a dartboard.

And sometimes I miss it completely. Which, if anything, keeps me humble and motivated.

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I used to think switching off meant avoiding the pressure for a while. I see it differently now.

Sometimes stepping away is exactly what allows you to come back stronger. An hour playing pool does not make the engagement disappear. The review notes will still be there, the client will probably still owe you that document they promised three days ago.

But something in you resets.

You come back to realise that everything doesn't need to be solved at once. You need to take the next shot. That lesson has followed me beyond the pool table. Some days in audit, an engagement feels like it is getting away from you. The outstanding list grows instead of shrinking. Something you thought was finished comes back with review notes. A deadline that seemed manageable suddenly feels very close.

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In those moments, I've learned something that matters far beyond audit: Do not give up just because you cannot see the end yet. You work through one problem. Then the next. You ask someone for help. You learn something you did not know yesterday. Sometimes you make mistakes. Sometimes you have to redo work you were convinced was perfect.

And sometimes, the only thing keeping you moving is hope.

I have started thinking about hope differently too. Hope is what keeps us moving when everything else feels like it is falling apart. It is not pretending that things are easy or convincing yourself that everything will magically work out. Hope isn't waiting for something to save you. Hope is continuing forward when you are the person who has to carry yourself through it.

Some seasons do not come with an immediate solution. Sometimes nobody walks into the room and suddenly makes everything easier. Sometimes you simply have to keep showing up, keep learning, keep adapting and trust yourself enough to take another shot.

That is probably one of the biggest things this role has taught me. And then, eventually, something happens. The engagement ends. The outstanding list disappears. The final review notes are cleared. The file that once felt impossible is suddenly sitting there complete. A strange feeling comes with that moment. Relief, obviously. But also pride.

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You look back at everything that went wrong, everything you had to figure out and all the moments you thought, How are we going to get this done? And somehow, you did. It feels a little like standing over the final ball in a game of pool and watching it drop into the pocket.

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For a few seconds, you allow yourself that quiet thought: We actually did it!

Then, naturally, another engagement appears. Audit has a sense of humour like that. But the difference is that you walk into the next one carrying proof that you have been here before. You survived the deadlines. You worked through the uncertainty. You adapted. You took the shot. Maybe that is what managing pressure has become for me.Not pretending that I am never stressed...

Not having every answer...

And definitely not hitting every dart where I intended. It is knowing when to step away, knowing when to come back, holding onto hope when things get difficult and reminding myself that one bad day, one difficult engagement or one missed shot does not decide the entire game.

And sometimes, when you finally reach the other side, you realise that the version of you who almost gave up is the very one who carried you there! There is always another shot!

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