Be Prepared
“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”
- Abraham Lincoln
2010 has marked the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. I think the Boy Scouts is one of the best organizations on the planet for the development of our young men and boys. The principles and values it teaches are fundamental to the strength of our nation. Over the years they have faced countless challenges and opposition, but they have never compromised their honor and duty to God and country.
The Scout Motto: Be Prepared! There is an old saying, “If you do not prepare to succeed you prepare to fail.” That is so true. If you desire to succeed in life, business, relationships or whatever, you must be ready for all that life can throw at you. Not just the difficulties and problems, but also the victories and successes. Many have not been prepared for success so that when it came, it destroyed them. The Boy Scout Handbook defines it this way, “Be prepared for life – to live happily and without regret, knowing that you have done your best.”
It is important to understand that being prepared is not an action. You do not do this and that and say, “Now I am prepared”. It is a lifestyle, a way of thinking and acting. It is constantly building and developing and yet ready for any moment. Everyday you will learn new and better things to apply to life’s events, and everyday those events will occur. To be prepared is to be ready. For those who are ready for anything, life is an exciting adventure.
“Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal. Prepare yourself in every way you can by increasing your knowledge and adding to your experience, so that you can make the most of opportunity when it occurs.”
- Mario Andretti
I want you to look at three area in which we must be prepared. Each has it own set of tools and each plays a role in our life everyday. These three areas are: Mind, Body, and Spirit.
Mind: Everything starts with a thought. Each idea you spawn, each project you undertake, each attitude you have, all begin some place, and that place is in your mind. The mind is a wonderful tool that God has placed in each of us. Look around you, really, stand up, turn around a full 360 degrees, very slowly, everything you see, feel, hear and taste came from the mind of someone. Don’t say, “But the trees and grass and wind and sky did not come from someone’s mind.” They came from the mind of God, who made us in His image and gave us a creative mind too.
The way you become prepared in your mind is by what you put into it. The things you learn, the books you read, the programs you watch, the music you listen to and on and on. We cannot learn everything, and we do not like everything. That is not the point. We are all very different and have different tastes and ways we look at our world. But “our way” of looking at things brings a new and creative way to the table.
Being prepared is not only what you know or how much you know but how you use what you know. It is the process of being able to think through a problem or challenge and come up with an answer. Know what you have to do, how you have to do it and how will this affect others. Keeping the good of others, before yourself, will always help you to do what is best.
“Nothing is lost upon a man who is bent upon growth; nothing wasted on one who is always preparing for life. By keeping eyes, mind and heart open to nature, men, books, experience, and what he gathers, serves him at unexpected moments, in unforeseen ways.”
- Hamilton Wright Mable
Body: Here is a hard cold fact; you will never be able to handle things if your body is out of whack. People who are unhealthy tend to be less focused, more irritable and tire quickly. You need energy to keep you going and a healthy body will give you that. I am not talking about people who have a disability or sickness. Those things do not mean that you cannot be prepared, but that is a different discussion.
Here are some simple things you can do to help keep a healthy body:
p Diet: Eat right. It is that simple, just eat right. I am not giving you a diet plan or promoting a way of eating. There are lots of good programs out there if you need one. My advice is just doing what you know. We all know the difference between a salad and a candy bar. Eat right!
p Exercise: Okay, I am pointing at myself. The truth is most of us do not feel we exercise enough…if at all. But many never get around to exercising for the same reason we do not keep a diet—it is just too much work. A simple walk everyday will do wonders for you. Find a place and do some walking.
p Rest: Here is one most of us are great at, napping. Kidding aside, if you can take a nap, just about 10 minutes, in a comfortable chair, do it. It will make a new person out of you. I do understand that for most people, napping is a good way to becoming unemployed. If that is the case, try to take five or ten minutes every couple of hours and just be still and rest. If you have regular scheduled coffee breaks, use them to rest. Note this: Do not drink coffee on the coffee break. A bit of rest will do more for you than will caffeine.
Spirit: I am not going to take you through a theological discussion of our spiritual selves. I will make this clear and let you know exactly where I am coming from. I am a Christian and believe that we all need a relationship with Jesus Christ. Not some religious hub-bub, but a real relationship. The healthier the relationship the more prepared we are for all life has to throw at us.
Here are some ways to keep your spirit prepared:
p Prayer: How can you have a relationship with someone you never talk to? Prayer is nothing more than talking to God. You do not need a lot of set prayers with words that have not been used since the 16th century. Just talk with God, tell Him how you feel, what you think and where you want to go. Then, always have time to just listen back. Yes God will talk to you. How? You will know. Prayer keeps us ready for all we may face in life. You will be surprised as to how ready you will be when you approach things with a prayerful attitude.
p Read the Bible: The Bible is our instruction book for life. It is all in there. Nothing will give you better directions than the Word of God. Here is a suggestion: read in the New Testament from Romans to Jude. In those books you will find all that God expects of you and how you can live a life of freedom and victory. Christianity is not a bunch of don’ts and rules. There is more freedom that you have ever had before. The difference now is that you have a choice of how you will live.
Being prepared is the foundation to a great life. Do not get into the false thinking that you can do whatever you want and be okay. There are consequences to everything you do. If you wish to live a life that is based on caring for others, doing what is right and good and being a person of honor, you will reap the rewards. Likewise, if you live a life that is self focused, based on getting ahead at all costs, getting away with what you can and forget the other guy, then you will reap those rewards as well. It is all up to you.
“He who is well prepared has half won the battle.”
- Proverb
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