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Motivation Mondays: PREPARED

29/08/2016
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“For all your days be prepared, and meet them ever alike. When you are the anvil, bear – when you are the hammer, strike.” Edwin Markham

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED - Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED – Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?


MISS SHARON JONES! Official Trailer (2016)

Great cooking favors the prepared hands. Jacques Pepin
Better remain silent, better not even think, if you are not prepared to act. Annie Besant
You don’t climb mountains without a team, you don’t climb mountains without being fit, you don’t climb mountains without being prepared and you don’t climb mountains without balancing the risks and rewards. And you never climb a mountain on accident – it has to be intentional. Mark Udall

Are YOU PREPARED? Good heavens, for what? … you might ask. For whatever curve-balls your life throws you? For the realization of those dreams you’ve held dear? For the rewards that come after a seemingly long lifetime of perfecting your craft? For overcoming the ups and downs of life? For the art of living and achieving your version of success? For stepping into your light with confidence? Whatever your vision of PREPARED might be, it takes effort, practice, repetition, commitment, and a determination to face failure and success on the road to reaching our goals. It might be something else for you but, what remains constant is that we must exert effort to accomplish anything we set our minds too.

Today, I was in my kitchen prepping the ingredients I needed for our family dinner. I washed my chard and kale and chopped them; I deseeded and chopped my Kabocha squash into rectangles, and seasoned my trout with a combination of exquisite spices. Once everything was prepped, I went to my desk and started my online brand and blog work. Later on, all I’d need to do is saute the veggies and put the rest in the oven to cook. Without doing the prep work in advance, no chef can create a masterpiece in his/her kitchen. We need to gather all we need, prepare them, and when we are ready, we then put all the years of practice, learning, teaching and cooking into motion to make even the simplest of dishes. My daughters often ask me how come I don’t always cook with a recipe at hand? What is your answer? It is obvious, right? We do it over, and over, and over again until our body, mind and spirit memorize the act which then becomes second nature. The same applies to any field we are engaged in; music, dance, writing, sports… you name it.

The Rio Olympics ended last week, and with it came stories of successes and failures, goals met and lost and, for some, a renewed hope for the next one in Tokyo. But to get there, we need to have started working towards it, visualizing it, and doing the heavy lifting that will get us there. It is ironic that whenever someone accomplishes great success, there are those who stand on the sidelines ranting about what an overnight success the person must be. The truth is that there are rarely overnight successes at anything. For those who have reached the pinnacle of success at what they do, enormous effort, commitment, and daily repetition got them there. Preparation + Practice = Perfect ( at least our version of perfection).

 

 

“I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it.” Denzel Washington

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED - Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED – Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED - Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED – Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?

The Show Never Stops For Sharon Jones | HuffPost

Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I believe that people make their own luck by great preparation and good strategy. Jack Canfield
Be Prepared… the meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise. Robert Baden-Powell

How do you PREPARE for adversity? It was Louis Pasteur who said that “Fortune favors the prepared mind,” and for good reason. Fortune is an equal opportunity gift giver; she gives to the happy and to the sad. What we need to remember is that it manifests in many ways, not just as shekels in the bank. It can come as peace of mind in adversity, hope when things take a bad turn, joy in achievement, and comfort in times of sorrow… Fortune’s blessings is its own reward that is measured out to each of as we are willing to accept her grace. It is never measured out the same… BUT, we must BE PREPARED to accept it.

Are you prepared? When we are always focused on doing our best work and perfecting our craft, even in adversity, there is a glimmer of light that lifts us up and spurs our spirit on to keep at it. Whether we are a chef in a five star kitchen, a beloved entertainer, a teacher or a parent, we come to our tasks with a certain resolve — to do the best we can with what we have. Sharon Jones was always drawn to music as a little girl and finally decided to pursue that dream. She soon became a well regarded, energetic entertainer; her shows with her funk and soul band, The Dap-Kings, were packed and she gave it her all. In recent years, she has faced cancer and has not allowed it to deter her from a lifetime of preparation and performance as a singer. Even as she continues to battle that insidious disease, she remains positive and prepared to give her best at all times.

MUST SEE: Please make time to see the moving, Barbara Koppel directed, Sharon Jones documentary when it comes to your town, she is truly an inspiration on the subject of living life prepared and positive. Tickets here!

The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for July and August 2016 are:

JULY
07/04 –  1 Canada Day,  4 Independence Day – July 4th, 4 New Moon
07/11 –  11 World Population Day, 14 Bastille Day
07/18 –  18 Nelson Mandela Day
07/25 –  25  Thread the Needle Day,  30 International Friendship Day & Anti-Trafficking Day

AUGUST
08/01 –  2 New Moon, 5 Summer Olympics begin in Rio, 07 Friendship Day & Sisters Day, 07 International Forgiveness Day,
08/08 – 08 Peace Festival, 09 Book Lover’s Day, 09 World’s Indigenous Peoples, 12 International-Youth-Day, 13 International Lefthander’s Day, 14 Tisha B’av,
08/15 –  15 Assumption of Mary, 15 National Relaxation Day, 18 Full Moon, 18 Bad Poetry Day, 19 Nat’l Aviation Day &
World Humanitarian Day
08/22 –  22 Be An Angel Day, 22 National Tooth Fairy Day, 26 National Dog Day, 26 Women’s Equality Day, 27 Global Forgiveness Day
08/29 –  29 National Heroes’ Day, 29 More Herbs, Less Salt Day, 30 Toasted Marshmallow Day

 

Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2016?

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– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.

 

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More Below!

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” Alexander Graham Bell

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED - Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED – Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED - Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?

Motivation Mondays: PREPARED – Are you prepared for all that life puts on your path?

Being ready isn’t enough; you have to be prepared for a promotion or any other significant change. Pat Riley
It is well to be prepared for life as it is, but it is better to be prepared to make life better than it is. Sargent Shriver
People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you’ve figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence. Don’t be shy or feel intimidated by the experience. You may face some unexpected criticism, but be prepared for it with confidence. Jack Canfield

How are you PREPARED to make your life/others lives better? Preparation gives us resilience and a stick-to-it spirit. When we spend hours, days, months, and years honing our skills at something we are passionate about, all of our being is invested in our work; soon a greater spirit takes over and gives us that extra push we need when things are not going too well. To be prepared is not just for success but also for struggle because one is the twin of the other. When we face ourselves; bet it our lives or our impending death, we must make peace with all we have done in our lives and reach a place of peace about how preparedness factored into how we lived on earth. The great souls know they have given life their all and, thus, they are not swayed by feelings of pity and distress. Being prepared means we have spent our lives giving everything we do our best shot; that includes our failures and successes. When we reach that place inside where we know we gave our best effort, we can accept life’s outcome like a warrior battling the swirling seas of life.

Back in the days when I lived in an Ashram, our Teacher would say that we should put everything we have into our practice of what we were skilled at. Practice, practice, practice until you are so prepared that you could do that work in your sleep. Then, let it all go… surrender the expectations and the need for control and watch as your effort blossoms into a far richer expression of your skill than you expected. It was true. Once, I had to give a talk/speech at an event and I spent a lot of time rehearsing my script. My coach met with me and others in our group daily for practice and rehearsal and we were encouraged to do more on our own at home. The advice was: Stand in front of a mirror, and share your speech, over and over again, until you can feel those words in every cell in your body. We practiced until we could say our speech in our sleep and then she had us let it all go. Surrender the prompts and the symbols that help you stay on point and just be present at the event.

On the day of the speech, I stood in front of the mic, took a deep breath, released any anxiety, let go of the script, opened my mouth, and it came forth, richer, clearer and with more conviction than earlier in all those rehearsal sessions. That is what preparation gives us; the blessing of a deeper experience and a richer creativity than we would have been able to produce without sufficient practice…. Try It! Always Be Prepared. Then, Let it Go and Surrender to the power that comes forth.

Again, make time to see the moving, Barbara Koppel directed, Sharon Jones documentary when it comes to your town, she is truly an inspiration on the subject of living life prepared and positive. Tickets here!

Related: Women’s Lives Matter

Have a productive, prepared week ahead!

 

Any Zen Antics stories via Goodweb.cn

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Positive Motivation Tip: Even when things don’t go your way,  Be Present, Be Prepared, Stay Grateful!

Motivation Mondays is open to anyone who wishes to share a motivational quote, photo, personal challenge or a post that encourages others to start the week on an upbeat note.
Basic Instructions: Each week, I will have a motivation word to help us create a response. (See listed words for the months above/below)
Email address: You may email or share your post as a comment and I will add it to the round-up of related posts. email it to: contact(@)mirthandmotivation(.)com
Category tag: – Share your post using Motivation Mondays
Twitter hashtag: – Use this on Twitter #MotvnM
Dedicated Page: There is a dedicated page for Motivation Mondays. It has the same instructions and will include other helpful tools and a link to the round-up
Facebook Page: MotivationOnMondays Join our page and add your post and/or any motivational piece you think will be helpful to others.
Facebook Community: We have a Facebook community forum to compliment the page. It serves as another way to share uplifting posts and thoughts. Please join in and add your voice.

Badge: – I created a fun badge using PicMonkey’s free photo editing tools. You can create your own, use WordPress’ integrated tool on your blog or you are welcome to use mine. (see dedicated page)
Tag: – Motivation Mondays
Hashtag: – #MotvnM
Related Posts

PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS:All Photos – via Wikipedia, and/or Prepared/Preparation, Training, via Pixabay

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet

from → Global Events, Motivation Mondays, Positive Advice, Posts & Photos 2016
75 Comments leave one →
  1. Cindy Ingalls permalink
    29/08/2016 4:18 pm

    Sometimes I think you can prepare and prepare, but never really know when the unexpected will strike. It’s when adversity strikes that you really see how much you are capable of handling.

    Reply
  2. Chelley @ A is For Adelaide permalink
    29/08/2016 4:40 pm

    I try to be as prepared as I can be for everything. As well as keep the understanding that you can’t plan for it all!

    Reply
  3. nancymamamaven permalink
    29/08/2016 4:53 pm

    Good advice, I like the meal prep analogy. Sometimes I don’t feel very prepared for what life throws at me. I’ll check out Sharon Jones’ Documentary.

    Reply
  4. Abby permalink
    29/08/2016 5:02 pm

    Love the insightful post and how to it compels us to reflect on our own life! I look forward to reading more of this series!

    Abby

    Reply
  5. Close To Home (@StayCloseToHome) permalink
    29/08/2016 5:10 pm

    I am not sure you can ever be totally prepared for life brings. However, having a good attitude will help

    Reply
  6. Tiffany VanSickle permalink
    29/08/2016 5:10 pm

    “I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it.” Denzel Washington….. This quote is awesome! So often do opportunities come along and we either miss them (because we didn’t recognize them in time), or aren’t prepared for them!

    Reply
  7. Carol Cassara (@ccassara) permalink
    29/08/2016 6:18 pm

    Preparation is key to life. The Girl Scout motto “Be Prepared” is great on so many levels. Your post pointed out a few. The Olympics–we marvel at the achievements but you’re right, prep was key.

    Reply
    • Eliz@MirthandMotivation permalink*
      29/08/2016 11:56 pm

      True. The awards come after much effort and we don’t get to see the heavy lifting that went on behind the scenes = Preparation.

      Reply
  8. Claudette Esterine permalink
    29/08/2016 6:28 pm

    I was a Girl Guide back in the day and we were prepared to always be ready. 🙂

    Reply
  9. Naomi M. (@HmSchoolDisney) permalink
    29/08/2016 6:55 pm

    I wish I were a lot more prepared for today than I was. When your boss tries to throw as many roadblocks in your way as possible, it is hard to be prepared for that. Sigh…

    Reply
  10. Jolina permalink
    29/08/2016 7:44 pm

    A motivational speaker once told us – you must be ready…prepared…to accept the blessings that are coming your way. So true! If you think you’re not ready…or worthy…then the universe might just skip you.

    Reply
  11. Liz Mays permalink
    29/08/2016 7:50 pm

    I definitely benefit from lots of preparation. It’s nice to let myself experience things and adapt on-the-fly sometimes too. Preparing for every little thing just takes so much energy.

    Reply
  12. momknowsbest15 permalink
    29/08/2016 9:11 pm

    I am prepared in some areas but others no. I don’t think we can prepare for everything

    Reply
    • Eliz@MirthandMotivation permalink*
      29/08/2016 11:49 pm

      On the human plane we can’t but, we can be prepared in so many others ways including the internal messages we feed ourselves.

      Reply
  13. mominaarif111 permalink
    29/08/2016 11:18 pm

    Great post. Love me some monday motivation

    Reply
  14. Vyjay Rao permalink
    29/08/2016 11:28 pm

    Every minute is a new challenge, a new experience and one needs to be prepared. Prepared to face it, learn by new experiences.

    Reply
  15. lex permalink
    30/08/2016 12:56 am

    No one is totally prepared in life, we can only try to be a bit prepared as much as we can and allow God do the rest. But we should always plan to be as prepared as ever.

    Reply
  16. Karlyn Cruz permalink
    30/08/2016 1:20 am

    I love taking new challenges. I always make sure that I am prepared for everything.

    Reply
  17. Tania Potter - Soul Sense Coaching permalink
    30/08/2016 1:59 am

    I am definitely a planner and like to be as prepared as possible. However, as I have gotten older and more confident, I find I am more comfortable with a combination of preparation and letting go and being in the moment, as much as I am able to, at least.

    Reply
  18. Stacey Loring permalink
    30/08/2016 2:37 am

    I always prepare but there are times things always get all jumbled and things don’t go as planned.

    Reply
  19. Melanie Smith permalink
    30/08/2016 2:40 am

    We always have to be prepared for everything in this life. Every day is a new challenge.

    Reply
    • Eliz@MirthandMotivation permalink*
      30/08/2016 7:14 am

      Indeed… that is the game of life. We don’t have to be perfect but have an internal gauge to help us through the good and not so good. 🙂

      Reply
  20. Ana De Jesus permalink
    30/08/2016 3:39 am

    I agree and contrary to what people think prep can also be mental and spiritual too.

    Reply
  21. Fatima A. (@Blogsbyfa) permalink
    01/09/2016 7:50 am

    Of course, I love creativity. I just ordered my personalised magnets 2 days back and they have just arrived. I used my creative skills to create them and they look lovely.

    Reply
  22. Tiffany Yong permalink
    03/09/2016 3:20 am

    I remember a saying…how we spend more than 10 years studying things and preparing for things that we don’t use for the rest of our life. Do you find it true?

    Reply
  23. lizellecruz permalink
    03/09/2016 6:09 pm

    Preparation is the best thing you could do to face anything. Great post!!

    Reply
  24. franckxethee permalink
    04/09/2016 4:04 am

    It’s really important to be prepared for those curve balls. It is also equally important to be able to adopt to situations.

    Reply
  25. Zwitsy permalink
    04/09/2016 6:03 pm

    Motivation is mostly the thing that I am a lack of. 🙁 With what had happened to our family, I have learnt that we should always be prepared.

    Reply
  26. Anosa permalink
    08/02/2017 5:13 am

    i love your insights about life. It helps people to think positively and motivating. I guess most of the time motivation lacks to one people but whenever there is someone who pushes a person will go on.

    Reply

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