WHY I WAS MAD WITH MYSELF

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my axe"--Abraham Lincoln

I have come to realize that all and sundry have the opportunity to at one time 'chop down their tree'. I have had those opportunities come my way very many times. I also know for sure that as the sun will come out tomorrow, so will those opportunities keep coming. 

I am an ardent lover of Country Music. Yeah...and I know this is where biases come in. Some have logged off immediately and swiftly moved on to something else entirely...but that is OK and it is allowed. So anyway, before I digress...let me remember where this country music business is coming from...and most importantly, where I am going with it. Oh here we go. Few years back, having not made a collection of my own, the only way I could listen to country music was to wait for a Sunday evening show on a radio station.

So one day, the Show host announces that he will be doing a live competition. The listeners would be required to memorize some passage and recite it online...er...I mean on air. Naturally, I got interested. (I really, really wanted to hear my voice on radio...and that was motivation enough). Unbeknown to me, the show host was actually giving away gifts to excellent performers (reciters), the grand of which was a night for two...at an exclusive guest house in Nairobi. What made me MAD was the way I took to this.In fact the very day of recital I realized how 'assumptive' I had taken on this task. I had one whole week to memorize the data...yet when the very day came...I could only do two thirds of the passage. I had come that close...and I had all that time...but I missed it entirely! 

Yes, my voice was heard on Radio...but It was the voice of someone who forgot his lines! What a pity! Guess what? I PREPARED for something less than the real deal. I counted myself out of the real deal...and that inevitably reflected in my preparations for the competition. And of course this is the meat of this post. I know we have already discussed about 'running to win and not running to finish' in an earlier post. Today, we are focusing on...Before You Can Run.

It is clear that if you want to win a championship, you will have to TRAIN LIKE A CHAMPION. Here is the thing. When I approach several 'trainings' with the average 'in here just to finish' mentality, I cannot expect better results to be reflected in the competition. It has already been said in the previous post that we are all either consciously or unconsciously preparing ourselves for the next level. That next level is always approaching every minute. For some, the next level is well known. For others, the next level is a surprise. Either way, my performance in the next level will most certainly depend on my Preparation NOW.

Let me say this. Very many times we operate in the presumptive and assuming mode. For the most part, our sights are ahead. The tragedy is that sometimes, subtly, our thoughts are in the 'after'. After I get married...after I close that deal...after she agrees to go with me...and so on. This effectively transfers the power of the now into a future...and like we have seen, this transference is always and always will be a mirage. You never really get to that future.

Listen, Championships are not a daily thing. Championships are Seasonal events of whom participants have spent grinding hours in obscurity preparing. When it comes to life, Championships are not for selected few. They are for all and sundry. Therefore, the most important part is the preparation phase. This phase is in the here and now, day by day, moment by moment. Unfortunately, most people want to train/prepare for their championships when they see the crowds gathering. That is pretty late.

Success in life is basically a cycle of training, taking action, getting results, adjusting focus and getting better results. Someone has already written a book called "Ready, Fire, Aim". You might think it should be, ready, aim, fire...but that is wrong. The concept is to go for it, get feedback then go for it again with better information than you started. Wow! There is no better place to Ready Fire and Aim like in the Training Ground.

The biggest question here to ask is this. Given that I am always preparing either consciously or unconsciously, HOW am I preparing myself daily? Am I preparing for my voice to be heard on radio...or to win the competition? The results I will obtain at the competition will most certainly reflect at the finish line. Think of it this way...you were born some years back..therefore, at the place you are standing right now...you have some feedback. What are your results? Are you happy? Are you in the correct career? What feedback do you have now? What is your CV reading? How about your back account? Savings account? Assets? How many connections do you have? What are you proud of accomplishing? All these things will most certainly be a stark reflection of how well I have been preparing.

You wanna be a champion? Go ahead and prepare like one.

Have a prepared week, wont you?

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Did You Know?

That It takes more than two years of preparation to be an Olympian?