Summary:
The role and necessity of preparedness in life, importance of preparation
“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my axe” ~ Abraham Lincoln
We all know of some famous athletes, sports teams, musicians, and professional speakers. Despite having reached success, there is one thing they never stop doing, being prepared. Every successful person always tries to be prepared no matter how much experience he has got in a particular field.
One would never find a sports team simply arriving for a match with no prior practice or preparation. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”.
Students that are well-prepared have an advantage over any obstacles they may encounter. Yes, we cannot be prepared for everything in life which comes with its own probability of eccentricity. But we can most definitely be prepared for that which is reasonably expected. In other words, students can’t just show up at an interview or test without preparing.
Being prepared is planning for success. It may not be fun but it sure comes in handy. Even though you may have to put in a lot of preparation time, you could feel like you are not making any progress at times as a student. However, all the time and effort you spend preparing will eventually lead you to success.
Preparation and belief in oneself go hand in hand. Students develop self-belief as they begin to prepare for an endeavor. You are persuaded that you can accomplish your goal or the work at hand by preparation. Once you start believing in yourself, you will go ahead and also believe that you can reach excellence.
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” ~ Napoleon Hill
Being prepared may be defined as making ready beforehand for a specific purpose. It can be an event or occasion. It is a tool to polish our abilities to react appropriately in an expected situation or challenge. Being prepared eliminates confusion and provides clarity. It also quickens our response time. That is why every single military force in the world has to carry out training every day. This preparation keeps them ready and never gets caught off guard. Be it a veteran or a recruit, everyone has to be prepared, every single day.
For students, being prepared is helpful in both their personal and professional lives. Well, the latter is a tad bit more important. One has to be prepared to face clients and answer all their queries. Besides, with preparation, you will also know how to handle irate customers which otherwise will be a guaranteed disaster. Practically, no job works without preparation. If nothing, you’ll at least have to prepare to get up in time to report for duty.
There are two categories of things to prepare for, the expected and the unexpected. Comparatively speaking, it is easier to prepare for stuff that is reasonably expected. This includes preparing for a meeting, presentation, or speech. However, one needs to be prepared for the unexpected which obviously can’t be expected. This can be as simple as a surprise question during a presentation. Yes, you can prepare for such an eventuality by anticipating the unexpected and reading all materials to cover. But in a last-ditch effort, one can always agree that they do not know the answer but will surely find out about it.
Preparation comes naturally for some, while the unprepared have to deal with problems and challenges as they come by. However, preparation is a skill that can be learned. Additionally, it becomes better as you get more discipline and experience as a student. By being prepared you can become reactive rather than proactive. Here are some ways that can help you with preparation which in turn will keep you away from anxiety and stress.
1. Understand
Understanding what you are preparing for as a student and why you are doing it is essential. You should also know all the objectives and what you are trying to achieve. Understanding what you’re doing can help you get a clearer picture. If you know where you want to go, then you will know what to focus on.
2. Pace Yourself
Preparation is not all about how fast you can complete a task. It is also about how accurately you can do it. Prepare for success by pacing yourself. In other words, as a student, you might need to review a certain topic more than once to fully comprehend it. It might seem tiresome but that is the whole point of prep time. You practice over and over to master it by smoothing out the rough edges.
3. Focus
It is important to focus while preparing. Students should concentrate on the tasks that will help them succeed. Initially, you might not be good in certain areas, but constant practice and complete focus will make you competent in the earlier deficient area. The work that you put in on bettering yourself will also help you mentally and physically.
