- When you have a big presentation to give, do you prepare for it?
- How long in advance do you begin working on it?
- How much effort do you put into your projects?
- How do you feel about yourself and your project afterwards?
These are simple questions that will be very telling of your performance. If you feel very uncertain, scared and ashamed – you know you came unprepared.
Just by putting in the time to prepare for a mission, you are increasing your chances for success. The more time you put in, the more likely you will succeed. You will be able to build more experience, enhance your skills, develop your product, test it, and revise it. Think about it, how would you feel about sponsoring an athlete to compete in the Olympics how only trained for one day?
Preparation is the hallmark of a successful person. I have met many athletes who say they want to be champions. Then these same people will fail to show up to practice and put in the time to properly prepare. They will have, ironically, prepared excuses for why they couldn’t train or why they haven’t made it to the top yet. It is easy to identify a successful person. They are the ones who always come to work on time. They have their projects finished in advance.
When you have an assignment to complete, plan your route to success. Think about what resources you will need, how much time it will take, what sacrifices you will have to make, and what tasks are you going to have to do. Every minute of planning will save you ten minutes of action, so be thorough. Once you are done planning, begin taking action. Do NOT procrastinate!
