Preparation is a key ingredient in life. Albeit underestimated, this “task” for lack of a better word, causes division among human beings. While some see a waste of time in it, others would bet their existence on it.

In a world where duality reigns, we like to split and separate ourselves from those with different perspectives. We judge and put things into boxes to enable us to navigate this 3D maze. Some apply push strategies to various areas in their lives, whereas others rely on the state of flow, trying to make sense of the pull strategy. Few manage to stick around at the extremes; most bathe in the middle, trying to juggle the two to their best capabilities.

I like to look at the preparation state as a train station. You can dress fancy, bring all your beautiful suitcases, purchase your ticket and still not feel prepared enough to jump on the next train. Then, some sit at the train station watching trains pass by but never dare to embark or haven’t got a clue where to go. Sitting at the train station in a familiar environment keeps them safe, so they think.

Of course, you also have those who come with a light bag and jump on the upcoming train confident that they will figure out how to buy a ticket on the go and face the adventures at their destination head-on.

Balance in a world of duality is a challenge. Some say you can never be over-prepared, whereas others argue that being under-prepared allows the individual to tap more fluidly into their resourcefulness, thus leading them to come up with new ideas created from the depths of the unknown.

Here’s what I’ve observed on my journey so far:

1. Recognizing an opportunity when unprepared is challenging. If you’re not prepared, chances are, you won’t recognize an opportunity waiting for you on the other side.

2. Squeezing the max out of an opportunity requires preparation. If you’re not prepared, however, you recognize there’s an underlying opportunity, you won’t be able to reap the rewards and capitalize on it because you don’t have what it takes to get/ do it.

3. Preparation takes energy aka life force. You can shorten the period to acquire certain skills and hone in on your sacred gifts and talents, but you’ll still need to exchange time, money, or other resources.

4. Obsessing with preparation kills momentum. There comes a time when you’d better jump on the opportunity train. If you keep your focus and single point of attention on over-preparing and obsessing with all the details, you’ll miss several opportunity trains that might get you closer to your destination with a little less preparation.

5. Preparation will help you when the unexpected occurs. There’s one thing in life that comes uninvited: it’s the unexpected. You can’t plan for it, but you can definitely prepare to be able to wither a massive storm.

“Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared.” – Idowu Koyenikan

The word “balance” gets thrown around a lot these days. I like to use the words “zeroing in” and “alchemizing” to express how I deploy preparation to meet opportunities.

First off, preparation doesn’t exclude inspiration, nor does it exclude creativity and intuition. You can still achieve a state of flow while preparing.

Second, preparation has helped me uncover some of my sacred gifts, thus enabling me to knock on the door of opportunity more courageously and confidently.

“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca

I’m a lucky overnight success of several decades of preparation. What about you?

Several trains filled with opportunity wagons come and depart from the station. Some opportunities are massive, others appear smaller but can be foundational elements towards bigger opportunities. The question is whether you’ll put in the necessary work to max out on those opportunities.

Preparation is key. Be exceptional; don’t settle for less.

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Image by Jeshoots.com via Unsplash

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