Be Prepared For Opportunity

"Before everything else,
getting ready is the secret of success."
-- Henry Ford

You must be prepared to answer when opportunity knocks. Because most opportunities won't wait. And the fewer opportunities you take advantage of, the fewer there will be.

Imagine going to visit a friend. He offers you a drink, and you politely say "No, thank you." After a few minutes, he'll repeat his offer. "Are you sure you don't want a drink?". "No, thank you," you say. And he'll probably ask you a third time. If you refuse his offer three times, chances are, he won't offer you a drink again that day. You've convinced him that you don't want one.

Life is the same way. When good things come your way, and you ignore them repeatedly, soon they just stop coming at all. You've convinced the world that you don't want what it has to offer. Better to be prepared, because each opportunity you're able to seize will lead to countless other possibilities.

Winners train for months and years before the actual competition. The winning is really in the preparation, not in the race itself. Being prepared will make you strong, bold, confident and competent.

Practice preparation. Be sure you're ready to make the best of all that life has to offer.

-Ralph Marston