Benjamin Franklin knew the value of preparation. “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail”, the influential author, inventor and US Founding Father once said. Planning and preparation will give you a 10-times greater chance to achieve your goals. It will reduce wasted time and effort, while improving and maximising results.
Here are four ways to out-prepare your competition:
1. Study: While others are filling their time with entertainment and escapism, superachievers are studying and improving their craft. Having more knowledge, data, background and intelligence will always give you the upper hand in any situation.
2. Develop: Develop the skills necessary to achieve excellence in your game. Every skill you need to succeed is learnable. There is nothing you cannot learn and master to achieve anything you want in business and in life.
3. Practice: Sporting teams practice for games. Musicians practice for concerts. Busy professionals and entrepreneurs should practice the skills they need for success—public speaking, impactful writing and interpersonal communication. After all, practice makes perfect.
4. Play the Game in Your Head First: Before making a presentation, an important phone call or having an important meeting, play the event out in your head exactly as you want it to happen first. It is amazing how your posture, energy and expectation will change, and your performance will rise to meet it. Try it.
