“Once the opportunity presents itself, it’s too late to get ready.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book, Beyond Talent (p. 96). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

So, the key is to be prepared, to be ready.

John says, “There’s an old saying: ‘You can claim to be surprised once; after that, you’re unprepared.’ If you want to take advantage of opportunities to use your talent, then you must be prepared when the opportunities arise. Once the opportunity presents itself, it’s too late to get ready.’

He goes on, “If you study the lives of dynamic men and women, you will find that preparation for opportunity is a common theme. President Abraham Lincoln said, ‘I will prepare and some day my chance will come.’ Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli of England remarked, ‘The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.’ Oprah Winfrey asserted, ‘Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.’ And President John F. Kennedy observed, ‘The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.’ All of these people had talent, prepared themselves, and then made the most of their opportunities when they arose. Many people believe that their greatest barrier to opportunity is having one, but the reality is that their greatest barrier is being ready when one arrives.”

He later says, “Preparation doesn’t begin with what you do. It begins with what you believe. If you believe that your success tomorrow depends on what you do today, then you will treat today differently. What you receive tomorrow depends on what you believe today. If you are preparing today, chances are, you will not be repairing tomorrow.”

Some people believe that nothing good is going to happen to them, so they don’t prepare for it, others don’t believe something bad is going to happen, so they don’t prepare for it.  The question is will you start preparing for what is out ahead?

Yes, yes!