“I work on preparedness. I can’t work on the luck. On the job, there’s no such thing as dumb luck or pure luck. (Walk) into the room prepared to take advantage of the meeting and the opportunity.”
- Ursula Burns (b. 1958), former CEO of Xerox, in an interview in last weekend’s WSJ Magazine
Have you ever noticed that the “lucky” people probably created their luck?
Sports comparison alert! John Wooden’s UCLA basketball teams, Chuck Knoll’s Pittsburgh Steelers, Nick Saban’s Alabama football teams, the Celtics of the 60’s NBA, the Cincinnati Reds of the 70’s in baseball, the New England Patriots for about half our adult lives…
How ’bout some business examples? The family hardware store in Cedarburg, WI, thrives less than four miles from a Home Depot. Fareway Meat and Grocery is another Midwest success story. And just for emphasis, Chick-fil-A. (Fareway and Chick-fil-A are closed on Sundays – coincidence? I think not.)
Muhammad Ali said, “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
The people who lose weight this year won’t be lucky. They’ll be the ones who stick to their eating plans and stay in the gym. The people who prepare better will win more than the ones who want to rely on talent, personality, or whatever else got them to this point.
Dynasties and winning streaks don’t last forever. Preparedness does. When we lose, let’s suppose it’s because we got beat. Because we got out-prepared. And let’s use it as a reason never to get out-prepared again.
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