Elaboration Processes Performance
It is beyond mortal discretion to understand how much can be accomplished by executing a task after proper prior preparation. It is surprising how ordinary people do not appreciate the importance of preparation in life. They allow themselves to perform important tasks without proper preparation. Executing a task without extensive preparation is a recipe for failure. A lawyer who goes before the jury unprepared can cost a client millions of dollars in a lawsuit. A student who sits an exam without proper preparation or planning can only blame her own ineptitude for second-rate results. A business executive who meets with shareholders without preparing for it only serves to invoke shareholder scorn. In all fields of activity; Socially, politically, economically, and spiritually, preparation is the shining golden thread that is woven through all successful behavior.
In a business negotiation, the prospect can tell if the negotiator isn’t ready. In an interview, the interviewer does not need exceptional insight to conclude whether the interviewee is prepared or not. Lack of preparation can cause irreparable damage to her reputation and professionalism. It is unequivocally advisable not to perform a task for which you are not prepared.
When tackling any type of job, if you spend enough time preparing it will require a relatively small amount of effort and time to get it done. Conversely, if preparation is not well thought out, applying more effort and mediocre results can become inevitable. It’s amazing how most people go ahead and run without proper preparation beforehand. Try to remember how frustrating it was the last time you tried to do a job or give a sales presentation that you weren’t prepared for. Remember those quizzical looks and abrupt repartee, not to mention the stutter. You can save yourself such ridiculousness if you take the time to prepare. The preparation brings with it extraordinarily impressive results. Proper preparation propels you to greater heights.
When you prepare for any encounter, be it a job interview, a marketing presentation or an exam, the feeling of massive confidence and psychological edge you gain allows you to perform at your best. When you take the time to study your customer, understanding what they want and why they want it that way, your numbers will quadruple and you will certainly leave your competitors in the dust. Analyze trends in your industry. Find out why some commodities are falling in price while others are rising. Look at the figures, analyze your competition. Understand the needs of your client. Refine the words you will use in front of the prospect and avoid the temptation to say the wrong words at inappropriate times. Break the barrier that causes setup time to be labeled “downtime.”
Preparation separates the winners from the failures. When Toyota wanted to venture into manufacturing luxury vehicles for the US market, its research team was sent to live luxuriously and learn about the tastes and preferences of its potential customers. They lived in Laguna Beach, California for several months just to get an idea of what their customers wanted. A billion dollars were invested in the project and from there a powerful LS400 was born. Needless to say, the venture was a considerable success. If you develop the habit of preparing for any task, you are guaranteed to swim against the tide all your life.
It is as certain as night follows day that if you continue to live on the planet you will have the next ten years. The question is, what plans have you put in place for those ten years? What have you planned for your life in the next twenty, thirty and fifty years? The prudent divide them into smaller periods and assess their progress gradually. This helps determine if you are making progress towards your goals or if you are falling off track, allowing you to make any necessary adjustments. If you don’t plan your life, you will continue to live, but the question is how? What kind of lifestyle will you lead? This is the period when many people are finalizing or have already finalized their New Year’s plans or resolutions. Rather than focus solely on 2010, I urge you to broaden your horizons and look further into the next five, ten, and twenty years. When time moves on, as it surely will, you’ll find yourself ready for what life has to offer.
Some say that luck is nothing more than preparation for chance encounters. No matter who you are or where you come from, if you spend enough time preparing for what you have to do excellently, you will develop a self-propelled upward spiral. Do not rush to implement before you are sure enough time and resources have been devoted to preparation. Take time to prepare for what you want to be in the future. You don’t have to wait for the future to start preparing. Start preparing now and the future will find you prepared.