Peace In and Around Preparation

Every week, I block time to reconcile my calendar and plan for the upcoming week. Part of this ritual includes adding a few key grounding points to keep me focused. In one area, I chose to rotate through Sun Tzu's "Art of War" motivations this year.

"He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared."

This lesson reminded me of childhood public service announcements at the end of old G.I. Joe cartoons proclaiming, "Now you know. And knowing is half the battle…"

That percentage statement is important to me. You see, by nature, I am a people-pleaser. I care about what people think about me and my work. Therefore, I plan. And sometimes, to a fault, it has led me to some points where I push myself into worry or anxiousness. I've fooled myself into thinking that knowing is the whole battle.

It's only through intentional pursuit that I discovered how to more naturally put my "letting go" muscle into play to promote a healthy (realistic) threshold of care and commitment. Don't get me wrong, like in baseball, I still want to knock it out of the park every time I'm in the game. But I also know much respect is garnered around career batting averages—contributing however we can to the team's win when asked to step up to the plate. For this reason, I like to focus on growing sustainable, holistic consistency with my preparation rather than gaining the power to succeed in only one aspect of the business.

Reflecting with Reason

Many of us will fall into the trap of simply forwarding (or copying over) "To Do" items that we didn't complete, giving no thought to unpacking the "why" behind incompletion or priority. If we do this, what has or will change to make this item get done this time?

In 30 Worthy Guides for Mapping Your Best Life, I note that cultivating "self-discipline is about your ability to motivate yourself to move with purpose." I find I get planning energy if I ROAR (Review, Organize, Anticipate, & Realign). Dermot Crowley's method helps me uncover and assess items for a better approach. (Also, if I'm feeling sluggish about getting started, I may even throw on a little Katy Perry to jumpstart the process—"Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar").

If I have done my due diligence and run an issue through a series of questions to identify the next actions needed to progress, I can reach a state of peace. I know there will be more work to do, but the pieces are now known.

Playing Your Part

What if someone else is the smartest person in the room? Then, you are on the right team, in the right environment, or part of the right organization! You have a role. Plus, you have room to grow.

Good people bring their best to the show. They prepare to be active members in meetings, presentations, and events. But they also have their limits. That's why we must find peace with the idea that "given the data available, here is my piece of the business strategy." Follow-on questions from those who may have emergent knowledge (an executive), deeper policy understanding (a lawyer), or environment comprehension (QA Representative) should be welcome for what they are—help around the topic. They do not reflect our preparation if it's a healthy collaboration and we've done our part in researching the issue.

"To help in future decisions, our assessments must start with an honest acceptance of our current state" (30 Worthy Guides). We can find peace if we take this to heart in our preparation. We may not have all the answers, but we can have a certain calmness and confidence that our work sets us up for future growth and success.? ??

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