Preparation doesn’t sound thrilling. No one posts on social media about colour-coding a calendar or rehearsing a meeting. But here’s the truth: success rarely happens because someone winged it. It happens because they showed up prepared—mentally, emotionally, and practically.
If you’ve ever wondered why some people seem to glide through life while others constantly scramble, look closer. The difference usually isn’t luck or intelligence—it’s preparation. The people who “win the game” of life aren’t playing harder; they’re setting their sails before the wind picks up.
Let’s break down how preparation—real, smart, intentional preparation—turns average effort into consistent achievement.
1. Preparation Starts Before the Starting Line
Have you ever noticed how the calmest people in the room are usually the ones who’ve already done their homework? They don’t need to scramble for answers because they’ve already anticipated the questions.
In sport, business, or daily life, most of the work happens before the event begins. The England rugby team didn’t win the 2003 World Cup because of what they did on match day. They won because of what they’d done in the months and years before—hours of drills, conditioning, and mental preparation. When the whistle blew, they weren’t hoping it would go well; they knew they were ready.
Preparation is what turns uncertainty into confidence. It’s what lets you respond instead of react. And that calm confidence is contagious—especially if you lead others.
2. The Discipline of Doing the Boring Stuff
The hard part about preparation isn’t complexity; it’s consistency. Anyone can plan once. The trick is sticking to the habits that make you ready every time.
Think of a musician tuning before every performance. It doesn’t matter if they’ve played a thousand gigs—they still check the strings. Why? Because readiness isn’t permanent. It’s maintained.
In life, preparation looks a lot like doing the boring stuff before the exciting stuff. Checking the details. Reviewing the plan. Making sure you’ve thought about what could go wrong before it actually does.
Preparation is where your future self says, “Thank you.” It’s where stress drops because you already handled it last week.
3. Visualising the Play Before It Happens
Top athletes, military leaders, and high-performing executives all use one simple mental trick: they play it through in their heads first.
Visualisation isn’t daydreaming—it’s rehearsal. You imagine the meeting, the presentation, the conversation, or the challenge, step by step. You picture the questions, the emotions, and even the potential failures. Then you mentally walk yourself through how you’ll respond.
This isn’t just a confidence booster. Studies show the brain fires the same neural patterns when you imagine an action as when you perform it. So when you finally step into the real moment, your mind’s already been there. You’re faster, calmer, and clearer.
You don’t need to be an Olympic athlete to use this. Try it before your next interview, presentation, or tricky conversation. Close your eyes, breathe, and walk through it. Preparation isn’t only physical—it’s mental.
4. Preparing for the Unexpected
Good preparation isn’t about controlling everything—it’s about being ready when things don’t go to plan. The best leaders aren’t shocked by surprises; they expect them. They know the power of asking, “What if?”
“What if the client doesn’t say yes?”
“What if the plan takes longer than expected?”
“What if the market shifts?”
Asking “what if” doesn’t make you pessimistic—it makes you adaptable. When things go sideways, you’re not paralysed. You’ve already thought through the backup routes.
In Winning The Game, I talk about how life often rewards those who build flexibility into their plans. Preparation doesn’t lock you into one route—it helps you navigate better when the wind changes direction.
5. Preparation Is About Energy, Not Just Plans
You can have the best plan in the world, but if you’re exhausted, distracted, or burned out, it’s useless. Preparation isn’t only about logistics—it’s about state of mind.
That means getting enough rest before the big day, clearing your workspace, and managing your energy so you can focus. It means knowing when to step away so you can come back sharper.
Think about your next big goal. Have you prepared your energy as well as your schedule? Because if you’re running on fumes, even the best strategy will sputter out.
The best performers don’t just plan their time—they plan their rest, too. They treat recovery as part of the process, not a reward at the end.
6. The “Pre-Mortem” Technique
Here’s a fun one: before starting a big project, imagine it failed. Then ask, “Why?”
This exercise, called a pre-mortem, helps you see blind spots you might have missed. Maybe you realise your timeline’s too tight. Or you’re relying on one person too much. Or your definition of success isn’t clear enough.
Doing a pre-mortem before you start helps you spot weaknesses while there’s still time to fix them. It’s one of the most practical ways to prepare for reality instead of fantasy.
Try it before your next project or decision—it’s simple, and it might save you weeks of pain later.
7. Preparation Builds Confidence—and Trust
When you’re prepared, people notice. They trust you more because you make them feel safe. Whether you’re leading a team or pitching an idea, that quiet sense of readiness builds credibility.
Think of the last time someone turned up to a meeting unprepared. You could tell, couldn’t you? They rambled, hesitated, or relied on charm to fill the gaps. Now think of someone who arrived with notes, questions, and a clear plan. That’s who you wanted to follow.
Preparation is leadership in disguise. It says, “You can rely on me.” And that reliability—more than charisma or title—is what earns influence.
8. Preparing the Right Things
There’s a danger in preparation: mistaking activity for progress. You can polish slides, reformat spreadsheets, and colour-code your goals endlessly—but that’s not the same as preparing for what matters.
Before diving into prep mode, ask yourself:
“What am I actually preparing for?”
“What will make the biggest difference when the moment comes?”
Preparation should sharpen focus, not scatter it. Spend your time on the parts that move the needle. Everything else is frustration in disguise.
9. The Joy of Being Ready
There’s something deeply satisfying about walking into a challenge knowing you’ve done the work. No panic. No scrambling. Just quiet readiness.
That feeling—that sense of control and calm—isn’t luck. It’s earned through the small, invisible choices you make before the spotlight hits. When you prepare well, you create space to enjoy the experience instead of surviving it.
Whether it’s a job interview, a presentation, or your next big life move, remember: being ready turns stress into flow. And that’s where confidence lives.
10. Bringing It All Together
Preparation doesn’t make life easy, but it makes it manageable. It turns chaos into order and anxiety into confidence. It’s what lets you meet challenges on your terms, not by chance.
If you want to set yourself up to win—at work, at home, or in life—start with this: prepare before you perform. Think ahead, plan smart, and build habits that make readiness your default setting.
That’s how you stop reacting to life and start steering it.
Because when the wind picks up, it’s not luck that keeps your boat on course—it’s how well you set your sails.
Ready to steer your own ship?
Get your copy of Winning The Game and start building the mindset and systems that turn preparation into success.