Prior Proper Preparation Prevents......

Have you entered a situation where you weren't prepared? How did you feel? What thoughts crossed your mind? Turn it around and think about how you felt when you were prepared. Did you feel different? Did different thoughts cross your mind? I hope so. To finish the statement from the title, prior proper preparation prevents poor performance.

Life will present different situations. Sometimes we are adequately prepared; sometimes we're not. When I am prepared, I embody confidence and charisma. If I don't prepare, then I can become irritated and frustrated. Lack of preparation can cause frustration an interview, in a traffic jam, or when someone says something sudden. 

What do I do to prepare for an unprepared situation? It's simple: I prepare for situations that I can control. For example, I had a phone interview not too long ago. I was asked a series of questions that are meant to get to know someone and designed to weed out candidates. I was asked questions I hadn't expected during the interview, but I successfully answered each question and landed the job. How did I do this? I accomplished this in two ways. The first way was to practice interviewing. How could I become better at interviewing without practicing?! The second way was to improve my impromptu speaking skills. I could practice interview all day, but the ability to think on my feet with no prior proper preparation is a skill that must also be learned. 

Not every situation can be planned in advance, but if you take the opportunity to practice when it doesn't count, and view it as a situation that will allow you to grow, then you can be prepared in an unprepared situation.