Sourav Ganguly in his autobiography says how before India’s tour of Down Under in 2003 he personally went to Australia 3 months before the tour. He went to each and every venue and studied pitches, weather etc. He also had a few net sessions. And what next, he scored a magnificent 144 in the series opener and set the tone. And you know what India went on to draw that series 1-1. Considering how mighty Aussies were at that point in time, it was as good as a win.
Dada was determined, prepared and he led from the front and the Indian bunch responded to it.
Hang on.
In the next series between the same two teams in India in 2004, where the Kangaroos hadn’t won in India for 35 years, something opposite happened.
Glenn Mcgraw(The Pigeon) switched off AC in his hotel room to get used to Indian heat. It again showed dedication and rubbed off to others. They did win that series. What a great leveller the sport is. Your strength doesn’t come from winning. It comes from struggles and hardship. Everything that you go through prepares you for the next level. The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.
So what do I want to say? That dedication has no substitute. That determination pays off. That once a habit, hard work becomes an addiction and it rubs off on those around us. If one has to choose between opportunity and preparation, choose preparation, without it opportunity is useless. When you prepare, regularly work hard, create value, help others get what they want, and persevere, the life of your dreams is inevitable. Preparation allows you to prevent the intensity of the ordeal. Your downfall is a preparation for your up-rise. If you don’t know this secret, you will remain on the floor, blaming your legs instead of your head.
Be prepared to say “no” to some things. That is the key. When you say “yes” to every invitation, event and call, you will come back to meet your plans on paper in the same state you left them. Every great building once begun as a building plan. That means, sitting in that building plan on the table is a mighty structure not yet seen. It is the same with dreams. How strongly do you believe in what you want to do? How prepared are you to live and die for it? You are not likely to succeed when you always doubt your capacity to reach higher heights in your pursuits. He who fails to understand that one should prepare for every single blessing will reap the problems connected with lack of preparation before the blessing.
No matter how potent your talents are, they remain out of use until you take time to develop them to their optimum level. This calls for preparation. Through preparation, consistent exposure and productive connections, you set up a condition for your dreams to flourish and bear fruits. We are like a fine blade that must be hammered into shape before it can be ready to make its finest cuts. Plan the number of hours each day you’ll spend on your dreams, the kind of people you’ll love to connect with, the amount of capital you’ll want to invest and the sources of help you are required to get. Make a plan. The good news is that God gave us imaginations because he wanted us to take a tour into our future, see what’s there for us and then we prepare to relocate into it. Our destiny resides in our imaginations.
Also Read: Motivation: The Drive Within
This idea comes to you, you can see it, but to accomplish it you need what is called a “setup.” For example, you may need a working shop or a working painting studio. You may need a working music studio. Or a computer room where you can write something. It’s crucial to have a setup, so that, at any given moment, when you get an idea, you have the place and the tools to make it happen. If you don’t have a setup, there are many times when you get the inspiration, the idea, but you have no tools, no place to put it together. And the idea just sits there and festers. Over time, it will go away. You didn’t fulfil it and that’s just heartbreak.
Also Read: Authenticity: The Honest Trait
In the fields of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind. It is not very often that an opportunity comes knocking. But when it does, you better be ready to answer its call. Preparation doesn’t assure victory, it assures confidence. Remember, action today can prevent a crisis tomorrow. People who are fully prepared always save time. Albert Einstein was right to teach that if he is given six hours to chop down a tree, he would spend the first four sharpening the axes. When you are done with your action plans, work will be easier. The state of convenience lies in the hands of proper planning. When you know this, you will become a good planner; and when you become a good planner, you save your life from stress. First organizing it on paper isn’t just academic, it’s an applied prerequisite for manifestation. Between a plan and its achievement is a leader in the middle. With his one arm he makes the plan. With the other one, he carries them through. It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.
What if you spent some alone time every morning? Call it prayer. Call it planning. It is a powerful way to begin the day.