Tomorrow's Opportunities Require Preparation Today

If I've learned anything on my journey, it's the importance of growing and developing myself every day so I'm prepared when opportunities arise.

To be transparent, I've certainly had opportunities that came my way I WAS NOT prepared for, and I missed out on those.

Maybe the most memorable is the time I had a job interview I was not prepared for. I simply wanted the job because I thought it would pay more and I was totally unprepared to answer actual leadership questions in the job interview itself. Needless to say, I didn't get that job.

But, when I began to focus on developing myself intentionally, frequently, and regularly, I noticed a pattern: I was better prepared for the opportunities that came my way. And, more opportunities were coming my way BECAUSE I was prepared for them.

The principle here is that you must put the work in FIRST.

You don't get the medal before you run the race.

You don't know what opportunities are going to come your way. But, you want to be ready when they do.

And this paid off for me over the summer when I received an email from a producer of Dr. Phil's PRIMETIME show asking if I was interested in coming on the show as an advocate. Not to share my story but in support of someone else sharing theirs.

You can watch the episode here:

The experience itself was incredibly interesting but the main thing I took away from the entire experience was a reminder that growth and preparation today leads to opportunities tomorrow.

The problem is that leadership development and/or personal growth don't just happen to you. Much like exercise, you have to make it happen. You must be intentional. You must be disciplined. You must be focused. You have to do it even on the days you don't feel like it because, trust me, you won't always feel like it. You don't have to do it all day but you need to do it every day. Sort of like brushing your teeth.....You don't have to brush your teeth all day but you need to brush them every day.

You can make something happen or you can make an excuse but you can't make it happen while you are making an excuse.

Think about this: What are the things you want to do in the future? What should you be reading/listening to/watching TODAY that will help you be ready TOMORROW?

I can't answer that for you. I can tell you that tomorrow's opportunities require preparation today.

Keep climbing!