To thrive and live well, you will need to be prepared.
As a wife, mom of 3, and full-time entrepreneur, I’ve certainly had my share of trials and triumphs. When I reflect on the seasons when I thrived, it was because I was prepared.
When I won Miss Liberia USA, when we paid off our cars, or when we hit a business milestone, it all came down to one main thing: preparation.
You can do the same. You can thrive – in big and small ways – and I will share the four steps to prepare consistently and sustainably.
Preparation helped me realize many life goals, and I sincerely want the same for you.
I hope you’ll lean into the MAGIC of preparation and consistently realize your life’s goals.
REMEMBER: MAGIC = meaningful, aesthetically pleasing, goal-oriented, intentional, and consistent.
Decide
So that you know – the next thing you must do to be prepared is decide.
Preparing is you deciding to get ready for something beforehand.
You’re getting ready for next week’s meals when you meal plan. So it would be best to decide what to eat for those meals.
For autopilot preparation, I like to make MAGIC Rules.
A MAGIC Rule is when you decide how to do something once so you don’t have to think about it.
For instance, on Mondays, I wear jeans.
I use the EATS framework for meals – all meals for my family are an entree, appetizer, treat, and sustenance. So, when deciding on meals, I’m simply filling in the blanks in the framework.
Many times, you do not prepare because you haven’t decided.
When something is meaningful to you, you’ll decide to prepare for it.
Hence, the preparation. You commit to it when you’ve deliberately decided to do something. Commitment typically means you want to do something well, and to do something well, you must prepare.
Deciding also forces you to trust yourself.
You often don’t decide ahead because you don’t trust yourself to make good decisions. But most times, you don’t make good decisions because you didn’t make them in enough time to execute what you decided to do correctly.
Decide fast and then prepare to make your decision a good one.
Devise
Once you decide, you must devise a plan. The plan doesn’t have to be deep, just deliberate.
The more you can make it plain, the better.
A plan gives you a straightforward process to follow and enjoy as you prepare. It can even be aesthetically pleasing.
The best way to prepare for something is by writing down what you need.
You’re often unprepared because you have too many tabs open in your head. This is because you haven’t written things on paper and released what you’re holding in your head.
Give yourself time to think about the steps and items needed to do what you will do. A great way to do this is to schedule a time to think (aka Thinking Time) so you have uninterrupted time to be thoughtful about your plans.
A plan allows you to make what you’re preparing for and working towards goal-oriented.
Whether it’s a meal plan, packing list, itinerary, or content strategy, allow yourself to write down what you need and what to do specifically yet practically.
NOTE: While I’m an analog kind of girl, devising your plan digitally is fine, too. It’s all about creating a plan you’ll likely refer back to because it’s easy to find and follow.
Delegate
After you decide and devise, you must delegate steps in your plan.
You are often too overwhelmed to prepare ahead of time because you’re trying to do it all on your own.
Preparation is not an excuse to let perfectionism rear its ugly head.
A prime example of this is laundry.
As a family of 5, our kids attend school, extracurriculars, and church throughout the week. Laundry must be done regularly so we’re not overwhelmed by the question, “What are we gonna wear?”
Here’s how I prepare for laundry.
DECISION: Laundry must be done every week for my family to thrive.
DEVISE: Laundry will be done every Friday and put up every Saturday so clean clothes are available for the new week.
THE TRUTH: I hate doing laundry (it takes too much of my time). Laundry does not have to be done by me.
DELEGATE: A laundry service company picks up my family’s laundry every Friday morning and returns it clean and folded on Saturday afternoon. Once we get it back, we all put our clothes away Saturday evening to prepare for the new week.
Delegation isn’t limited to hiring help. You can delegate steps of your devised plan to your spouse, children, or even software. Have Google Calendar remind you to do something at a particular time or day to ensure you’re prepared for what you will do.
Be sure to delegate with a deadline—time matters.
Being prepared isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being intentional. Be intentional about asking for help and using your resources.
Do
After you decide, devise, and delegate, ain’t nothing to it but to do it.
There is such a thing as overpreparing, which is your ego telling you to obsess over a thing instead of just doing it.
You’re prepared, move forward, and execute.
The more consistent you are at doing, the more worthwhile all the preparation will be.
The first time you do something, it will likely not be the best.
(If it’s something you’ll perform once or attempt to win, like a race or competition, then practice it by repeatedly working on your form, speech, or presence.)
Because you are not entitled to something being great the first time you do anything. Even if you prepared.
Prepare to do it again, especially if it’s a habit you’re looking to develop. The more you prepare and do, the better you will get.
The next time you want to develop a habit or achieve a life goal, prepare for it and decide, devise, delegate and then do.
You may not have prepared in the past because it takes time to be ready.
Preparation is always time well spent, especially when you make it MAGIC.
