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How Much Preparation is Enough?
You don’t need to know everything.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr., author of Life’s Little Instruction Book said,
“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”
The first time I gave a speech I spent my life preparing. The topic was me. As a new member of the Dale Carnegie Course in Human Relations, my assignment was to introduce myself to the rest of the class.
Later I joined Toastmasters International and was called to speak with no preparation whatsoever at every meeting.
Whenever you do something new, your preparation falls between these two extremes. But if you feel nervous at all before you begin, it’s because you don’t feel prepared.
Knowing It All is Overrated
It would be great to know everything, wouldn’t it? That way you’ll never be sideswiped by a curve ball that comes out of nowhere.
But you can’t.
Just know you will get hit at some point.
As you gain experience, you’ll come to know what matters and what is peripheral. Consider smartphones. Most have way more features than most of us will ever use. You learn what benefits to share with anyone by asking, “What are…
