90-to-40: Being prepared isn't just for boyscouts anymore.

Day 36:

Being prepared is no longer just for boy scouts. I was never a boy scout - nevertheless, life has taught me to do my very best to be prepared for whatever may come my way.

I understand that I may someday wish I knew how to tie a square knot and start a fire with sticks, but I've learned some pretty valuable lessons. People talk about planning ahead... being prepared for what may come... taking steps to plan.  I do all of that. But it seems that - in the big scheme of things - we can never really be prepared for everything. Control is an illusion - the best we can do is to give it our best shot.

But... what if all of our planning and preparation still falls short?  What if we fail?

I think people forget to be prepared to fail. Sure... that's not ideal. But, failing is how we learn. If we haven't failed at something, we haven't learned anything.

I've taken on several new things lately. First - this blog. Granted, success is objective. And it's really about what I learn in the process, but I'm dedicating my time to write every day regardless of what anyone might think. Good or bad, I'm committed to continue - even when I'm tired or just don't want to.

Also, my role at my job has changed. Well... to say the least, it's challenging. But, I wake up each morning and try to move as fast as I can - work longer hours - and keep myself positive about it. The bottom line is that I'll do my best and I may fail at some things.

Then there is my relationship. I've had jeans longer than I've known my partner, but I believe in the intense feelings of "rightness" and deep love that we share. We don't look for reasons to fail, we look for ways to keep our relationship strong. We understand that we will fail at something along the way... but it's all part of the commitment.

Then, there's life. Yeah... life as a whole. I only get one shot at this thing called life and I want to do it right. I want to get as much as I can out of it. I want to live fully and with no regrets. I want to love my friends and family, find happiness, experience the world and be successful.  I want to achieve my dreams and do great things. I will undoubtedly fail at some things... I just want to be able to look back and say that I lived my life well.

But we have to do our best along the way to be prepared. I plan ahead for my job, for my relationship and for my job. I understand failure is an reality from time to time, and I'm prepared to accept it and learn from it. But, it doesn't mean I am a failure as a person. In fact, if I can learn from failure... I'm doing pretty good.

As I sit here tonight, I am reflecting on some of my successes and failures. But... each time I've failed, I've become more prepared for success.  And while I never earned a badge for building a birdhouse, I think my life stands as a badge that no one else will ever earn.

Prepare in order to succeed. Be prepared to learn if you don't.