Your Preparation Will Show In Your Opportunities 

Preparation is key when it comes to succeeding in anything. I'm sure at some point in your life you have heard this phrase; probably as a kid in school. Over the years, I've discovered there is a lot of truth to this statement. If you have a vision of something that you want to accomplish in life, it would be a mistake to believe that all you have to do is tell people about your vision and it will start to manifest in your life. The truth is, when opportunities come into your life that can help you realize your dream, your preparation or lack thereof will show in those opportunities.

A couple of years ago, I was substitute teaching at a High School's Junior and Senior level math class. The math teacher whom I was subbing for, sent me a text message before classes began and explained to me that she would send the students an email that contained a review for them to fill out and study right before their test. She also informed me that the review itself was the actual test so if students prepared themselves, they shouldn't have issues passing the test.

The bell rang and students started walking into the class. Jabori, a muscular football player with tan skin who was in his Junior year walked up to me and said "What's up Mr. Mosley! I can bench almost 300 lbs now!" "I see you getting strong so how are you doing in your classes?" "I'm doing better in most of my classes but the one that I need to pass is this math class because if I don't I won't be a Senior next year. Plus I believe a lot of colleges will be looking at me so I want to make sure I'm ready to accept an offer to play college ball the following year." "Great because today in this class you will have a test that will allow you to move closer to becoming a Senior. Your teacher sent a review to your email to help you prepare for the test so I hope you take advantage of the opportunity to do so." "I will."

The tardy bell rang so Jabori and the rest of his classmates sat down. I took the attendance then said to the students "Today you will be having a math test and to help you prepare yourselves, your teacher has sent a review to your email. Since this is a 90 minute class, you will have an hour to review for the test and 30 minutes to take the test. You can use your computer and phone to work on the review so I suggest you use your hour wisely."

As I sat at the desk and watched the students, I could tell that some were preparing themselves and others weren't. Jabori was one of the students not preparing; instead he was talking and joking around with others while he played on his cell phone. I could have easily reminded him of our conversation, but I decided to wait till after the test.

The hour ended so I said "Time is up working on the review. Clear your desk, you can't have your cell phone nor your computer." I passed out a paper copy of the test and gave them 30 minutes to complete it. The students who had prepared themselves had smiles on their faces as they took the test, and those who didn't, looked stressed and confused.

The bell rang and students started turning their test into me. Jabori came up with his test and I asked "How did you do?" "I know I failed Mr. Mosley. I didn't do half the problems and what's crazy is the test is the same as the review." "Jabori, while you were sitting over there talking and playing on your cell phone, you may have thought you were fooling me into thinking you were preparing yourself, but you were only fooling yourself. One thing I want you to always remember is that your preparation will always show in your opportunities."

He looked at the floor and said "You're right Mr. Mosley. I will go tutoring and so I can pass the next test."

Like Jabori, you will likely have many opportunities that can help you move closer towards your vision. But if you don't prepare yourself, your dream will stay out of reach. So I want to give you some tips that can help you prepare yourself:

1. Be crystal clear on what you want and "Why" you want it. The best way to get clear on your vision is to write it out in detail. Describe the life you desire, the place you want to live, etc... also write down your "Why" the main reason you want to realize this dream. That "Why" will be the fuel to push you forward when things get tough are not happening as fast as you anticipated in your life.

2. Assign a daily block of time to prepare yourself for your vision. For example, I've told my clients that I've coached into authorship to have at least one 30 minute block of time in which they will work on their book. It may not sound like much but when you multiply 30 minutes x 30 days in a month, you get 900 minutes, which is equivalent to 15 hours devoted to writing one's book.

3. EXECUTE, EXECUTE, EXECUTE! Stick to your plan by executing your plan! This is where you must display self-discipline by working on the tasks that will move you towards your dream despite distractions or how you feel.

Implementing the three things I gave you in this writing will help you prepare yourself to bring your visions to reality. So take action, so your preparation will show in your opportunities because You Are WORTHY TO GE GREAT!!

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