By Jean Baptiste Ndabananiye
“Preparation is a stepping stone to success. As the old saying goes, failing to prepare means preparing to fail. Success can be defined as being totally prepared,” says Inc. Africa, a Pan-African platform on a mission to tell the stories of Africa’s entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, founders, innovators and business builders – and to provide a platform for them to tell their own stories. I perfectly concur with Inc. Africa upon this statement. But what does this total preparation mean? This is a question that this article is designed to meticulously answer.
To illustrate the essence of total preparation, consider the curious case of astronauts preparing for space missions. Did you know that before heading into the cosmos, astronauts spend hours practicing underwater? While it seems absurd at first – after all, space is a vacuum and not a pool – this underwater training simulates the feeling of weightlessness, pushing their minds and bodies to adapt to environments alien to human experience.
“They spend approximately 10 hours under water for every hour they spend walking in space,” says the National Aeronautics and Space Administration—NASA. This example underscores that preparation often requires unusual and unexpected exercises that may not seem immediately related to the end goal.
You will qualify as a person totally prepared for something at least if you are both utterly mentally and physically prepared for that thing. Here, you have to optimally esteem mental preparation since it carries the lion’s share in the process. In fact, among others, total preparation encompasses mental and physical preparation. The latter one includes plans and strategies to achieve a given purpose, hard work to accomplish the purpose, and the character needed to surpass any challenges on the path. Character refers to the quality of being resolved to deal with any situation, no matter how extremely difficult it stands. The article is organized around these parts:
- Mental preparation
- Physical preparation
- Other types of preparation also necessary for success
- Why spiritual preparation matters
- Final thoughts
Mental preparation
Our different articles, such as this, have demonstrated that our mental faculties represent supremely great powers that we possess as humans. Our thoughts, emotions, and feelings are the most endowments we have. Good news is that we all own these marvelously useful gifts. The only issue lies in how we exploit them. There occur two extreme ways in which the humanity capitalizes upon these talents available in every person. They are extreme, since when you have embraced one of them, it switches the other one off.
People generally use these mental abilities in a negative way, while very few people have fathomed the wonderful importance of employing them positively. There exist positive thoughts, emotions, and feelings as well as negative ones. According to some articles by Forbes, the human brain is unfortunately preprogrammed to scan negativity. That constitutes a key reason for which people easily find themselves immobilized in negative thinking. Nevertheless, we are also gifted to transform our thinking patterns, though demanding.
In its May 19, 2020 article “Three Simple Ways To Strengthen Your Brain For Optimal Performance In Any Disruption”, Forbes says “The human brain is powerful. A healthy and happy brain can significantly help boost work performance and increase life satisfaction. However, our brain is also subject to vulnerability caused by daily stress and adversity. If we don’t know how to regularly nourish and train it, especially in hard times, it’d easily be further programmed for negativity that undermines our abilities to work productively and to lead a life of meaning and purpose.”
“Hardwire positivity into your brain structure. The human brain is preprogrammed with negativity bias. This means our brains are trained at scanning the environment for negativity. This also means even when the brain spots positivity, it often fails to install positivity into its structure.”
A flourishing mind represents a magnet for success, drawing opportunities and solutions as a flower draws the sun. Scientific evidence reveals that happiness not only illuminates our path but sharpens our vision—empowering dreamers to seize chances and overcome challenges with creativity, while negativity chains others to stress and stagnation. Forbes says “On the other hand, science proves that happiness leads to success. Happy people tend to recognize opportunities serving their dream actualization, while unhappy people are inclined to miss them due to tunnel vision.
At the same time, when faced with challenges and hardship, those with happy brains will have the mental energy to focus on and come up with creative solutions, while those with strong negativity wirings struggle with rumination and stress that prevent them from finding the best path forward. Therefore, retraining our brains to find and install positivity by sinking into the great experiences is crucial for our success.”
The same source— in its January 2, 2018 article “How To Train Your Brain To Go Positive Instead Of Negative”— says “Our brain is not designed to create happiness, as much as we wish it were so. Our brain saves the happy chemicals (dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin) for opportunities to meet a survival need, and only releases them in short spurts which are quickly metabolized. This motivates us to keep taking steps that stimulate our happy chemicals. You can end up with a lot of unhappy chemicals in your quest to stimulate the happy ones, especially near the end of a stressful workday.”
With its October 9, 2024 article “Reprogramming The Negativity Bias For Joy”, Forbes says “Researchers from multiple disciplines agree that we have a greater propensity to view life’s experiences from a negative perspective. Based on their seminal research study published in Personality and Social Psychology Review, Drs. Paul Rozin and Edward Royzman call this the negativity bias.
In short, they found that in various domains of life, we pay more attention to negative than positive stimuli. This default to pessimism translates to tendencies like ducking praise while soaking up criticism, or ruminating on negative experiences longer than savouring positive ones.”
In light of all this, it will actually be impossible for you to excel and then succeed in any field, unless you are mentally prepared to excel and then succeed. Success is situated in every field such as education, farming, media production, writing, trade, security and defense, music, religious work, technology, engineering, and health, just to name a few.
People are normally born, endowed with talents in certain fields so that they enable them to fit marvelously into those fields. It is even recommended that you should work in a domain which matches your talent(s).
This doesn’t nonetheless mean that you can’t work to your full potential in a field which doesn’t tally with any of your natural abilities. That is where your mental preparation intervenes, to strengthen your capabilities and performance as its immediate result. Mental preparation will always be required, even for those bearing natural gifts, to stand out. Otherwise, talented ones can’t be successful too. It is this mental preparation that will allow you to fiercely and successfully hit any unavoidable adversities which will emerge on your path toward success.
Physical preparation
Physical preparation is an essential exercise for creating a roadmap to actualize your dreams. It lays the foundation for turning your aspirations into tangible outcomes by ensuring that your goals are well-structured and achievable. This preparation stands particularly evident in strong organizations and successful individuals who treat it as an indispensable practice. Interestingly, these successful individuals evolve into institutions themselves, employing others and setting examples of effective planning and execution.
What we wish to emphasize here is that physical preparation is not merely an optional step—it is a necessity for anyone aiming to achieve significant results. It is synonymous with ‘planning,’ a deliberate act of charting out steps required to transform vision into reality. We advocate for written planning over oral planning, as some individuals who dare to plan rely solely on verbal strategies. Such strategies lack permanence and structure.
Research has shown that written planning offers far more advantages. It allows for clarity, accountability, and the ability to revisit and refine plans as circumstances evolve. A written plan transforms vague intentions into a concrete framework, acting as a guide that directs your efforts with precision.
Moreover, physical preparation does not operate in isolation. It inherently relies on the power of mental faculties; which cements the undeniable supremacy of mental preparation in the overall process. It is your mental clarity, focus, and vision that shape the plans you draft. Without mental preparation, even the most well-written plans may fail to achieve their intended purpose.
Another critical aspect of physical preparation is its role in fostering discipline and consistency. The act of planning forces you to reflect upon resources you need, challenges you may face, and strategies to overcome them. This habit of preparation can create a domino effect of productivity, as each completed task brings you closer to your ultimate goal. For organizations, physical preparation involves defining objectives, setting key performance indicators, allocating resources, and creating contingency plans to mitigate risks.
For individuals, it could involve scheduling specific actions, identifying tools or skills needed, and breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks. It entails making deliberate choices that align your actions with your ambitions.
Physical preparation does not just include envisioning success—it involves ensuring that success is attainable through clear, actionable steps. Remember, while dreams inspire, it is preparation that empowers you to turn them into reality.
Hard work
While we won’t delve deeply into this topic here—since we will come back to it—it is impossible to discuss success without acknowledging the irreplaceable role of hard work. Hard work is the engine that drives preparation, transforms plans into action, and ultimately turns dreams into reality. It is the force that bridges the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
Hard work does not merely mean effort. It signifies consistent, focused, and strategic effort. It involves dedicating time, energy, and resources to tasks that matter most, even when the process feels challenging, tedious, or overwhelming. It requires resilience to push through setbacks, a commitment to improvement, and discipline to daily intervene—even when motivation wanes.
Connection between hard work and talent
As already suggested, it’s often said that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. While natural abilities give someone a head start, it is sustained effort that determines long-term success. Talent without hard work remains potential unrealized, while hard work without talent often closes the gap or even surpasses natural ability. This underscores that success is not solely about what you are born with, but how you maximize what you possess through effort and perseverance.
Hard work in practice
Hard work manifests differently depending on your field or objective. For an entrepreneur, it could mean dedicating countless hours to refining a product or service, building networks, and overcoming market challenges. For a student, it means relentless studying, seeking mentorship, and learning from failure. For a farmer, it’s the physical labor of planting, cultivating, and harvesting, often under challenging weather conditions. In every field, success demands not just hard work, but also smart work—prioritizing efforts that yield the greatest results.
The role of mindset in hard work
Hard work requires a mindset that embraces challenges and sees them as opportunities for growth. This mindset, often referred to as a growth mindset, is what keeps individuals striving for excellence even in the face of repeated failure. Those with a growth mindset understand that every effort, no matter how small, contributes to the larger picture of success.
Myths surrounding hard work
One common misconception is that hard work alone guarantees success. While hard work is a critical factor, it must be paired with planning, preparation, and adaptability. Working hard in the wrong direction or without a clear purpose can lead to burnout rather than progress. Thus, hard work should always be guided by a strong sense of purpose and direction.
Why hard work matters
Hard work not only produces tangible results but also builds character. It teaches patience, perseverance, and self-discipline. It instills a sense of accomplishment and confidence that grows with every milestone achieved. Moreover, hard work often inspires others, creating a ripple effect that can uplift teams, communities, and even generations.
In conclusion, while preparation lays the groundwork, hard work constitutes the force that brings it to life. It is the consistent and intentional effort, often unseen and uncelebrated, that transforms ordinary people into extraordinary achievers. Success, in any endeavor, is incomplete without it.
Other types of preparation also necessary for success
Financial, environmental, intellectual, and social preparations are equally crucial for achieving total success. To maximize the chances of complete success, you should be inspired by all categories of health: mental, physical, social, environmental, financial, intellectual, cultural, and spiritual—as we address all of them at Life in Humanity.
While we will touch on some of these areas, our primary focus will be placed on spiritual preparation, as it plays a unique role in ensuring total success.
- Financial Preparation. Success often requires resources—whether for business investments, education, or personal growth. Proper financial planning and financial availability ensure success, sustainability and resilience.
- Environmental Preparation. Our surroundings, both physical and social, greatly influence our ability to succeed. A conducive work or learning environment fosters productivity.
- Intellectual Preparation. Lifelong learning, staying informed, and adapting to new knowledge are vital in today’s evolving world. Knowledge and skills pertaining to your field of intervention remain and shall remain vital.
- Social Preparation. Building meaningful relationships, networking, and surrounding oneself with supportive individuals open doors to opportunities and provide emotional and professional support. This also pertains to implementing work which is socially, legally and culturally acceptable.
- Spiritual Preparation. Just as financial, environmental, intellectual, and social preparations shape external success, spiritual preparation nurtures the internal foundation—providing purpose, resilience, and inner peace. While we acknowledge the significance of all types of preparation, we will delve deeper into spiritual preparation, as it plays a unique role in ensuring total success.
Why spiritual preparation matters
Find your purpose– many successful individuals attribute their achievements to a deep sense of purpose. Whether through faith or inner reflection, spiritual preparation helps to define personal values, ethical principles, and a strong sense of mission.
Strength in adversity-success is often accompanied by setbacks. Spiritual preparation fosters inner strength, enabling individuals to endure difficulties with grace and perseverance. It instills patience, gratitude, and the ability to find meaning in challenges.
Inner peace and stability– while mental preparation shapes thoughts and attitudes, spiritual preparation offers a sense of balance and emotional grounding. It reduces stress, promotes inner peace, and helps individuals navigate life’s uncertainties with confidence.
Success with integrity– true success is not just about achieving goals but doing so with integrity. Spiritual preparation encourages ethical decision-making, ensuring that one’s achievements are not only remarkable but also honorable.
The power of belief–whether through faith or philosophical understanding, belief in a higher purpose or guiding principles can be a powerful force in achieving success. It enhances motivation, fosters optimism, and fuels the determination needed to overcome obstacles.
Real-World Examples
- The late Mahatma Gandhi – his spiritual discipline and unwavering commitment to nonviolence led to historic changes, demonstrating that inner strength and faith can drive monumental achievements.
- Oprah Winfrey – she credits much of her success to her spiritual grounding, which has helped her to overcome personal hardships and build a media empire with purpose-driven leadership.
- The late Steve Jobs – his deep engagement with spirituality influenced not only his personal discipline but also Apple’s minimalist, user-centered design philosophy. His spiritual practice helped him develop the focus and vision that revolutionized the tech industry.
Integrating spiritual preparation into daily life
- Reflection – taking time to reflect daily fosters self-awareness and focus.
- Gratitude– a grateful mindset attracts positivity and resilience.
- Aligning actions with values – ensuring that goals align with ethical and personal values leads to fulfillment.
- Service and compassion – contributing to others’ well-being enhances personal growth and meaningful success.
Final thoughts
True success is multi-dimensional. Total preparation is not merely about mastering skills or formulating plans—it encompasses a holistic approach that integrates mental readiness, physical preparation, and hard work. True preparation also extends beyond personal ambition; it involves cultivating behaviors that uplift and positively influence and are important to those around us. Spiritual preparation, often overlooked, plays a crucial role in this process. It encompasses fostering integrity, kindness, and resilience and other positive qualities that not only elevate one’s own success but also contribute to the well-being of others.
Success, in its fullest sense, is achieved when one is mentally fortified against challenges, physically equipped with strategic plans, and dedicated to relentless effort. It is a state where vision aligns with action, and perseverance turns obstacles into stepping stones. Those who embody total preparation do not merely chase success; they create it.
At Life in Humanity, we explore the different facets of preparation for a fulfilled and impactful life. Join us in uncovering how spiritual preparation, alongside other aspects of personal growth, can lead to complete success.