How’s your prepping?

This week’s post is inspired by a dream I had early this morning. I dreamt I was due to give a talk at a small event. Prior to being introduced, I was a bit flustered looking for my notes and the passage I wanted to read out.

Eventually I found a passage that I felt I could give a talk on and I bookmarked it in the last few moments before I was called on to the stage. The microphone stand was faulty and while I was trying to adjust it, I lost my bookmark.

I said good morning twice while I tried to look for the passage but eventually it was obvious to me that I was completely unprepared and going down the slippery slope to deep shame and embarrassment. Fortunately, I woke up before this happened. Phew!!

It got me thinking about ‘Preparation’ and the fact that we all have to prepare for something at some point. Some things we prepare for have minimal risks and others have life changing consequences attached to them.

So the question is, ‘How well do you prepare?’. You need to take a closer look at how prepared you’ve been in the past, how prepared you are now and how you can be better prepared in and for the future.

A Nigerian proverb says, ‘A nine month pregnancy does not catch one unawares’. Simply put, certain lacks of preparation are inexcusable. Do you find yourself making excuses in your work, life or relationships? If so, it might be time to take a look at your approach to preparing for them.

Here are a few thoughts on preparation:

Do you prepare in the right way?

Sometimes we prepare for things in a haphazard way or as a side attraction.

This could be fine for things that aren’t so important but when push comes to shove, do you know how to set quality time aside to prepare?

Do you gather what you need when you prepare and do you engage the right people to help you?

Do you prepare for the right things?

I see many people prepare hard for the wrong things. People prepare hard for the perfect wedding day but not for the marriage. If they are not careful, the ‘Grand’ day leads to ‘Lean’ days in the marriage. Money is spent on the wrong things at the expense of future investments.

Do you prepare better for a social event than you do for work?

Do you prepare better for events with a temporary consequence than you do for those with longer term ones?

I’ve seen people refuse to prepare for death and others refuse to prepare for life. We need to prepare for both.

Do you prepare at the right time?

We can prepare well but if it’s done at the wrong time, it still leads to failure. Preparing well two days before an exam is different from preparing well two weeks before.

Burning the late night candles to prepare isn’t preparing. Are you preparing in your youth for your old age? If not, you might want to start now.

Preparing too far in advance can also be tricky if what you’re preparing for is subject to changing factors.

In this case, prepare in advance but also prepare to review your prior preparation closer to the event.

Do you prepare with the right mindset?

There’s a difference between ‘Preparing’ and ‘Being prepared’. Some important things require us to be in a constant state of being prepared.

Firemen and those in the Forces never wait for fire or war to start preparing, instead they stay prepared.  

Do you stay prepared for the things that really matter?

There will be demands on us where we need to be the answer or have the right answer in that moment. Leaving the situation to go and prepare won’t be an option.

Do you have the right words in and out of season? You can only give what you have, so what do you need to feed on today that will make you ready to be an instant blessing to someone in need of life affirming words? Ponder on this.

Thank you for reading my post. Please make a difference in someone’s life today by sharing it with them. See you next week.