A joy-filled life (Editor's Note: The following is by Valerie Ard of Arledge & Associates) A: Our firm's phi- lasophy is to pro- mote employee growth not only in the technical as- pects of our work but by supplying all of us with other ‘outlets for expand- ing ourselves through community —_. volunteerism, in-house team building experiences and even meaningful book studies. Ard What types of book studies does the firm conduct? Ac We recently completed a study ‘of the popular best seller “A Joy Filled Life", written by a local Ed- mond businesswoman, Mo Ander- son. Mo has lead quite an interesting and successful life. Spending time learning from her ‘experiences not only enriched our minds with history and enjoyable reading but with many valuable les- sons from her business and personal life. @: Can you give us a few pleces of wisdom that you found in the book? A: The book is enlightening as to Mo's personal and business journey. | believe it can serve as inspiration for many who read it and | found it to be quite valuable and pertinent to me. | particularly appreciate Mo's Arledge Q&A focus on living a life of integrity. Mo stresses that integrity must be a driv- ing force and continuous path in your business and in your life. It's easy to find various quotes, ideas and interpretations, but she says in- tegrity really comes down to doing the right thing. : What was the most impactful thing you leamed from the book? ‘Ac | taped a brief statement from Mo's book on my wall as a constant reminder of the importance of hon- sty and integrity. “When you do the right thing, you can change the course of a life. | cannot overstate the importance of being integrity driven in all your dealings, personal ‘or business.“ Valerie Ard is a Tax Supervisor at Arledge and Associates, PC, an Ed- mond-based accounting firm. Arledge and Associates, PC is a recognized leader in the accounting industry of- fering practical solutions in the areas of tax planning, auditing, consulting, accounting advisory services and client accounting. This article contains infor- mation only and does not constitute tax advice or any other professional services. Before making any decisions or taking any action that might af. fect your income taxes, you should consult a professional tax advisor. This article is not intended for and cannot be used to avoid future penal. ties that may be imposed by the In- ternal Revenue Service.