‘Failing to prepare is preparing to fail’ is a very well-known quote by Benjamin Franklin. If you don’t set goals beforehand or plan in life, you can’t succeed in life.
He wanted to state that if you haven’t made adequate preparation for your project, your journey, your action, a task, in such case, it won’t be right to expect success.
Reasons behind failing to prepare can be –
* You haven’t identified your goal.
* It means you haven’t asked your inner voice –
For what is your struggle?
What is your ultimate goal?
What do you expect to happen?
What is important to you?
Success only comes to those who set concrete goals in life with determination.
When the things mentioned above are evident before your vision, there can only be a specific focus on your target. Then you will strive for achieving the same.
What is failure?
Failure is a state or condition of not meeting or reaching a desirable or intended objective or height.
It may be viewed or defined as the opposite of success.
What is success?
I won’t define success as a favourable, expected or desired outcome.
It is the perfect expected or desired result of an attempt.
But Albert Einstein, a German-born greatest, widely acknowledged theoretical physicist says, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.”
How can you achieve success?
One’s efforts should be sincere, and working should be adequate. ‘Plan your work and work out your plan’ can help you. As thorough preparation only will help one to accomplish the goal. Planning, perseverance and practice, this formula of three ‘p’s will make everything possible.
Imagine, will it be possible for an architect to begin the work without a blueprint?
Can any Civil Engineer begin the construction of any building without a strong foundation?
Any activity, complicated operation, stage performance formula of three ‘p’s is a must. To leave it to fate or destiny won’t be desirable. So it is essential to specify your goal, purpose; you have to keep the end in your mind.
Here are beautiful words by Thomas Edison.
“We should remember that good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation.”
Steps for achieving success-
It is the concept that success happens from the inside out.
I think it suggests that for it, introspection is essential. Which means
One must know who you are.
He must know what is most important to him and for him.
He must know what makes him unique.
He must know what he can do best. (Should know his ability)
When the above things are clear, in such circumstances,
Fo those things which you can do best, using your God-given gift and talent. I would like to mention here,
“To achieve success listen to that still small voice, inner voice within you is saying.”
Many times initially, it seems that I can’t do this task.
In such cases, ‘The toddler method of success’ is helpful.
It is taking baby steps over a concentrated period.
It can result in a mission accomplished.
Follow the method -‘ Small consistent steps for significant results with a positive attitude, trusting yourself, trusting your intuition.
Some inspiring examples.
Few lines by a great poet ‘Janet Rand.’
‘Success is a process and feeling, it is a warm, glowing feeling inside about who I am, what I do and how I am living.’
‘The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing and becomes nothing.’
So always listen to your inner voice with a positive mindset, confidence.
Vince Lombardi has stated, ‘Everyone has a will to win, but very few have the choice to prepare to win. From preparation, only confidence comes, which is nothing but planning and practising.
A great historical example tells the same.
In the 17th century Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire, pioneered Shiva Sutra or Ganimi Kava (Guerrilla Tactics) to defeat the many times more extensive and more powerful armies of the Mughal Empire.
Suppose we do the retrospection of the Indian Independence Movement of India’s Freedom Struggle. In that case, we realize that the Indian Independence Movement was a series of historical events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India.
Everyone’s journey towards progress begins with his birth. One who gets the opportunity to learn good manners, moral values, in the beginning, becomes confident. A good foundation by parents, grandparents helps in his personality development.
But if they fail in this preparation, the child has to face obstacles, difficulties.
Farmers also can’t reap a harvest without hard work, toiling. With their planning, preparation, perseverance and perspiration, they enjoy harvesting.
APJ Abdul Kalam, the Leader, Visionary, Scientist, Missile Man, used to say, “A hardworking person will achieve his dream one day. Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
“If you dream it, you can do it.” are the words of great personality Narayan Murphy.
Similar is the example of M.S. Dhoni, a young boy with a dream more prominent than his reach who worked as a railway ticket collector before becoming a country’s pride and India’s World Cup Winning Captain.
Today is 16th December, Vijay Divas. Important day for India. It was the most significant military surrender after World War II.
Pakistan forces had to surrender to India publicly. It became possible only because of well planning, preparation, perseverance, great determination with perfect, accurate guidance, and the visionary Gen.Manje Shah.
It is correct that to fail to prepare is to prepare to fail.
Similarly, with good preparation, one can touch the culmination of victory with good practice.