It is easy to think or imagine that we will get to a place where we are complete and ready, however preparation is never suddenly accomplished. The process of preparation must be steadily maintained throughout life, and notwithstanding, business.
Completeness is a dangerous slope of thinking. Completeness assumes that noting more ever needs to be done. Looking for completeness is what destroys most endeavors unless in the beginning there is a known completion (take finishing a High School diploma – once you have it you never have to go back and do it again). Let’s juxtapose that into a relationship, say a marriage. If you believe that on the wedding day it is complete, you will most likely find yourself in divorce court within a few years.
Business is no different. If we think whatever endeavor we are embarking on in business has a completion point, it will only sustain us for a season. You create a website and never touch it again for 10 years, you will find that it will not serve you. Sure, you may get a little motion or traction on it, but for a sustainable piece of content, it will not be that for you.
The GO of Preparation
The best people who prepare are the ones who understand that preparation is a continual process. It is preparation and preparation. The “GO” of preparation is found in the daily grind. “Grind On” is the mantra for it is within the daily grinding that we hone our skills of preparation.
Preparing for a speaking engagement on a keynote subject where you are the expert may be a onetime creation, however every time you speak on that subject the great speakers will ensure they are ready by checking their notes, researching their audience, wearing the right clothes, knowing the venue where they will speak at… all preparation. Each time it is different.
As we unpack this subject of preparation, we must also look at three essential beliefs. The first is understanding why we embark on a business endeavor. The second is awareness of the journey, and the third is realizing what is involved in growing.
I Want To Be A Hero
We typically state that our reason for starting a business is because it is our “passion” or our “purpose” in life. This is only half true. At the beginning we each have this heroic stature about us. Our ideas, our plans, our programs, our services are going to ‘change the world’ in ways that only we may see and feel.
We are heroic to save something or somebody. We are heroic to teach lessons or help other learn. Whatever it is, initially if we are honest it is out of the hero nature. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with this. The challenge is in the second essential belief.
The Journey
Our purpose in life, our passions that swell up inside of us require a journey. This is not a journey of a month, a quarter, or even a year. This journey may be decades long before we settle into a comfort of sustainability. This demands the question be answered of:
Are we willing to give heed to the journey
We all want the results of the journey, the successes that come with the journey, however many people are not willing to take the journey. The journey is what molds us, shapes us, and gives roots to our visions, our missions, and those passions and purposes we all have which leads us to uncover the third essential belief.
Growth Takes Time
This is where we are uniquely qualified in our endeavors. The time that it takes each od us to get to where we want to be and be convicted enough to grow where we are is the most important. Certainly, there are hacks and shortcuts that can help us along the way and most entrepreneurs will teach you their hacks that have helped them elevate their business and escalate their growth. However, this comes only after they walk through the journey… or at least part of it.
When we get comfortable with growth is when we see those passions, purposes, and convictions exponentially increase. Some stories are the true overnight successes we hear about (although 99% are not ‘overnight’) while others talk about decades long commitments that have moved their needle.
Just like planting seeds in springtime will deliver a fall harvest, there are plants we can plant in fall and will produce their harvest the same season.
Fall is the perfect time as the season is changing to look at what are preparation has allowed us to harvest and where we need to plant those seeds of preparation again. Look at your garden and ask is it harvesting what you need it to harvest.