What Are You Prepared For?

A shortcut for me to determine how well a company, a department or a solopreneur business is managed I like to quickly ask, “What are you prepared for?” Before finishing these short paragraphs ask yourself that question. After you audit your business, ask the same question about your life.

While a “Preparedness Audit” can unveil the adaptability and flexibility in process, product and service being prepared is usually personal and/or cultural perspective. Simply put it’s one of three: tomorrow’s workload, next big project, or, “anything.”

In that last answer we get insight into the life question. Preparedness is essentially an expression of optimism, clarity and an anticipation and belief in finding positive outcomes. Preparing well takes away stress (provided the preparation doesn’t exceed the gain!) and allows for a calmness heading into every day uncertainty. The prepared haven’t bought into the notion that they are better when they are forced to react. They know the best comes when great reactions are backed by great wisdom which includes great preparation, so most reactions are already loaded and considered.

Ironically, there are those that are not prepared for things at a fundamental level and therefore can sabotage their own endeavors. If you are not prepared to be happy, to be successful, to be admired, to be followed, it’s a pretty sure bet you will prevent it from happening or self destruct in time.

Those without hope don’t plan…there’s no rational reason to.

You can avoid mighty falls by starting out feeling any efforts you do preparing for success, for happiness, for peace, or whatever your goal, is grounded in an acceptance–or better–a desire to enjoy those conditions of success and happiness. Of course, each time being prepared yields a positive result it should reinforce the idea that being prepared isn’t a stopping point. New challenges, new opportunities, new emotions constantly confront us.

After starting with the “you” and your psychological preparedness to align desires and results it’s a good idea in pursuit of preparation to determine what and how much, based on the potential impact to others. Use the insurance metaphor, when deciding how much of what we want it is the image of what our loved ones will need and feel that motivates our decisions. We imagine what is possible, maybe not even likely, for piece of mind.

The best may seem to spend time on every scenario but at a certain point preparedness is about knowing what to do when and why. It needn’t be instant but those unprepared linger in wasted time eventually, do you have that time to spare? Think what a staff would consider bad to tragic outcomes for them and their processes. Problems in a business are always felt first at the lowest level. That is always the best place to start looking for ways to be better prepared. That…and your mirror!

©2018 MyEureka Solutions LLC. Follow Tom here for more Business Therapy or at www.myeurekasolutions.com/thoughts, @TomFoxTrainer or here at www.myeurekasolutions.com/thoughts.