Preparation /ˌprɛpəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ (definition according to Wordweb):
- The activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose
- The state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action
- The cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening
Here are 9 things about preparation:
- There are no miracles when it comes to success. You’ll never wave a wand and “voila!” you’ve succeeded. Successful people are those who take time to prepare.
- Preparation may not guarantee success but a lack of it will guarantee failure.
- You will seldom deliver more than your level of preparation. You’ll always see whether there will be success based on the effort put into preparation. Performance is only as good as your input. Like the old adage goes, “you’ll only get out what you put in”
- Preparation is generally a good indicator about one’s seriousness when it comes to a task or whatever is at hand. Those who spend time in preparation are those that are serious about what they’re chasing. Don’t waste time on people that aren’t “preparers” they hold you back and stall your progress.
- You can never be too prepared.
- Time spent in preparation is never time wasted but invested.
- A lack of preparation is a great time waster. It will come back to bite you when you have to remedy the mess you’ve created by not preparing.
- What you pay attention to in your preparation will ‘color’ your outcomes. If you’re “unbalanced or biased” in your preparation, it will show in your delivery.
- Preparation is often the actual work that goes into anything. The final outcome is often just the finish line. Communicators can spend hours, even days preparing messages they deliver in 30 minutes.
You can spend months preparing for a stage production that will be delivered in an hour and a half. You spend months, even years, studying for a 3 hour exam. You pass or fail your exam in how you prepare.
Besides these 9 things about preparation, what would you add?