Quality 12 - Prepared

Guest Blog by Tracey Long
Prepared: Preparation can mean the difference between winning and losing

Favorite Quotes: “The man who is prepared has his battle half-fought.” Miguel De Cervantes

I am an avid sports fan. Usually, it matters not the sport, I just have an appreciation for exemplary performances. The NCAA basketball championships have recently concluded and no I am not going to going to talk about my beloved North Carolina Tar Heels. Instead, I will discuss another esteemed program and its amazing leader. John Wooden is the legendary coach of UCLA. His teams hold the unbelievable record of seven NCAA championships in seven consecutive years. Let me share a few quotes from this legendary coach:

“Success is the peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

“If you have thoroughly prepared and are ready to give it everything you’ve got there is no shame if you fail – nothing to fear in failure.”

“Tiger Woods? Peyton Manning? As important as their physical abilities is the way they work so hard to correct and improve their skills. They are legendary for their hard work. And so is anyone else you might care to mention who has achieved personal success and competitive greatness – Michael Jordan, Jack Nicklaus, Lance Armstrong and the list goes on.”
~ Who would you add to this list?

“When you have made the effort to prepare to the fullest extent of your ability – and do not underestimate the great challenge of proper and complete preparation – you will reap the crowning block of the Pyramid of Success; namely Competitive Greatness.”

Perhaps the previously listed quotes sum up Coach Woodens’ thoughts on preparation.

Now for some of Maxwell’s thoughts on preparation and someone that I chose to demonstrate the skill~

If you want to prepare yourself so that you can help your team as it faces the challenges ahead, then think about the following:

Assessment: Know where you are, where you are going and what it takes to get you there. Do you think Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France champion, assessed his situation daily?

Alignment: “Although you know where you want to go, you’ll never get to your desired destination if you’re not lined up right.” I bet Tiger Woods places great emphasis on his alignment for every shot!

Attitude: “If you believe in yourself and your teammates, then you set yourself up for success.” Just think of any championship team.

Action: “Courage has no greater ally than preparation, and fear has no greater enemy.” Alvin York’s cool headed action saved his squad and helped secure victory during the Battle of the Argonne.

To improve your preparedness…

Become a process thinker: before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.

Do more research: just about every professional utilizes some kind of research to improve themselves.

Learn from your mistakes: the greatest preparation tool can often be person’s own experience.

“You can claim to be surprised once; after that, you’re unprepared.”