Prepare for Success
As Zig Ziglar said, “success occurs when opportunity meets preparation”. So, what is preparation?

In my humble opinion, preparation is the series of actions taken, driven by purpose, toward a desirable end result. In an ideal world everything would fall into place. Papers would arrange themselves neatly in files and beds would make themselves. We would never be pressed for time and calendars would magically remember all the verbal commitments we made. Our communications would always be understood as intended and never be misinterpreted. Confident and sure, we would boldly pursue our dreams without fear of failure and we would remain objective and learn from our mistakes without the burden of self doubt.
This, however, is the real world. Organization, time management, communication, and confidence are all skills that require discipline, practice and patience to master.
Organization could be defined as the useful arrangement of important items. Papers clutter our desks, emails flood our inboxes, clothes fill our hampers and dishes pile up. It can be quite overwhelming. Here is a great article by Leo Babauta called 27 Great Tips to Keep Your Life Organized. It is not a fancy web page but it is a great resource that will inspire a higher level of organization and possibly help alleviate the stress that comes with clutter.
Calendars have never been easier to use. However, with new technology comes new problems. So, here is a guide to managing calendars. In his article, 15 Essential Calendar Management and Scheduling Skills You Need to Master, John Rampton offers an insightful guide to managing our day to day lives.With a little practice, we can become expert schedulers.
Communication is an integral skill to master, in life, but especially in the workplace. The ability to deliver positive, clear and concise messages that connect to the audience is a highly sought after skill in today’s ultra-competitive job market. WikiJob has broken down the Top 10 Communication Skills for the work place in this article.
Confidence, or the feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities, is a state of mind that can be improved with practice. It can be difficult to stay confident when facing challenging circumstances. In her article, 7 Mental Hacks to Be More Confident in Yourself, LaRae Quy, former FBI counterintelligence and undercover agent, and founder of the Mental Toughness Center, teaches the techniques that FBI agents use to boost their confidence. If it is good enough for the FBI, it is good enough for me.
In conclusion, organization, time management, communication and confidence are essential skills to improve upon in our pursuit of success. As Arthur Ashe once said “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” So, with that in mind, enjoy the journey my friends. I truly believe that with dedication, perseverance and patience, we will find ourselves at a crossroad where preparation meets success.
