Some people associate success with talent, luck, or even a form of intelligence. It is true that all these factors are good, at least they can contribute to achievements. However, there is something that separates high performers from others, and that is preparation. You will be surprised to know that a lot of people win or lose opportunities long before the event even happens. Preparation is a major factor that determines whether you will succeed at something or not. You will agree with me that a lasting success is not gotten by accident, but by careful preparation. This is why, in whatever you do, you have to prepare for it well.
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While in school some years back, there was this very smart student in our faculty then, even though not in my department, but he was known by a lot of people because of his academic prowess. There was a time the school organised an inter-department competition. It was on mathematics, English, and general knowledge. So he was picked as the first choice, together with other students. He thought the competition would be a walkover, so he did not even prepare for it. Probably because he overestimated his ability. While the other students sought for past questions, did extensive research about how the competition was run and where questions normally come out from.
On the day of the competition, he arrived together with other students. It was a written competition. So after the exercise, the scripts were submitted and everyone went home. About a week later, the result was released and shockingly, his name was not even in the top-3. Everyone was shocked because people concluded that he would win it. In fact, people thought that it was a mistake, so they appealed for the script to be retrieved and reviewed. In the front of everyone, it was reviewed and it was still the same thing. The funny part was that the mistakes he made were all avoidable. His major undoing was that he did not prepare for it. This was when I understood the power of preparedness and preparation. No matter what you know, no matter your talent and intelligence, you cannot underestimate the power of preparation.
It is worthy to note that preparation helps builds confidence. There is a level of confidence that you will have when you have prepared extensively for something. Fear often comes from uncertainty and lack of readiness. But when you have prepared well, you will build confidence. For example; a student who has studied extensively and has prepared over a period of time will enter the exam hall with greater confidence than the student who only started to read a night before the exam. The confidence that comes from preparation is genuine, because it is built on efforts, not on wishful thinking.
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Preparation also has a way of improving one's performance. I once watched an old freekick compilation of Beckham, who was regarded as one of the best freekick takers in football history. The way he bends the ball around the walls with insane accuracy was adorable to watch. However, during one of his interviews, he revealed something very spectacular. His freekick technique was not just about his talent, but about extensive practice. He revealed that he had tried the freekick in his practice over and again until he gained mastery in that particular method. This made him so confident whenever he stepped up to take a freekick. He scored over 60 direct freekicks in his career. This goes to prove that when you are prepared, your performance will generally increase.
I have also come to realise that when you prepare well, it will be easier to handle challenges that come your way. A lot of people crack understand challenges, not because they are not talented, nor because they do not have the opportunity to succeed at it, but simply because they are not prepared for what they saw. Understand that preparation does not eliminate challenges from your way, but it makes you better at facing and overcoming them. Preparation also makes you to see opportunities even where things look a bit challenging. So in order be more productive and to deliver in maximum capacity, then you should make preparation your habit.
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