The Right Attitude To Using QuickBooks
	Often new users of QuickBooks who come to my classes are intimidated by the program
	They feel uncomfortable that they may do something catastrophic with it
R	If you are a new QuickBooks user I encourage you to feel confident that by following some very simple rules, the Three R’s of QuickBooks, you will make good progress in using the program.
	First, let’s clear up the misconception about computers and intelligence.
	The fact is that you are much smarter than your computer.
	Sure, the computer can perform advanced calculations and tasks, but in many ways even your dog is smarter than your computer.
	For example, let’s imagine that you come home from a hard day’s work and your dog approaches you.
	If you speak loud and harshly to your dog, it will know that you are in a bad mood and for a while maybe it should keep a safe distance from you.
	If you come home and speak harshly to your computer, it will not respond.
	It is dumb, and only reacts to the information you feed it from your mouse or keyboard.
	You may feel frustrated that you can’t get your computer to do many functions.
	This is not your fault. You know what you want your computer to do; and for most business owners you know how to run your business; the problem is that your computer is not intelligent enough to understand your instructions.
	Many software programs are not developed enough to be user friendly, however QuickBooks is one of the best out there.
	During your learning phase, you will need to find a way to communicate with QuickBooks
	It takes some patience and trial and error on your part to get your messages through to the software.
	To learn the steps required to interact with QuickBooks, you may need to use:
	the instruction manual
	the help menu
	consultants
	a class
	telephone support
	an internet news group
	Once again, you can be assured that you are smarter than your computer.
	By recognizing that there is a process in developing your relationship with QuickBooks, your learning curve will be more comfortable.
	Like many new endeavors, it is natural to experience some anxiety when changing or beginning a new accounting system.
	I encourage you to feel optimistic  that if QuickBooks is the right software for your business, the long term benefits will greatly outweigh the short-term frustrations.
	It will make your work easier, more efficient, and more productive.
	QuickBooks cannot be learned theoretically. In order to get to know the program you should work with it using real data. So get out your most recent bank statement and start entering transactions. That's the most important step you can take right now.