This weekend my brother got married, and I think everyone was blown away by the best man's speech.  It was fluent, funny, animated and conversational, and had everyone there laughing and listening intently.  In fact, he didn't even glance at his notes once.  When he sat back down after his speech, everyone congratulated him on a fabulous delivery, and I told him it was the best best man's speech I'd ever heard.  It was! 

James' speech reminded me of a quote I heard recently;

'It is not the lawyer who knows the most law, but the one who best prepares his case, who wins.'  

I don't know how much public speaking James has done, but I imagine being in the software engineering business it isn't  that much.  What made his speech stand out was that it was so well prepared it flowed out as if his day job was stand up comedy.  The key to success was in the groundwork he had put in.

Whether you are trying to change your body shape, become a leader in your field, win an Olympic medal or have a great relationship, you have to lay the foundations.  It sounds simple, but it's astounding how many people try to skip this step.  It's easy to want to rush ahead and not prepare properly, but as the quote above suggests, if you don't take the time to prepare, you're much less likely to succeed, even if you do have a lot of knowledge.  Winging anything rarely works for very long.  Sometimes preparation can mean a day of strategy generation or learning, and sometimes it can mean gaining years of experience. 

This isn't to say you can't fast track your progress.  Standing on the shoulders of giants and learning from those who are in the trenches and have been there and done it is one way to save yourself a load of time and still arrive prepared when opportunity strikes.  I imagine James checked out a few 'how to write a decent best man's speech' websites before delivering his own.  For you, a business mentor, fitness coach, or even a great book can help you avoid mistakes and ensure you have a sound plan of action for the goals you wish to achieve. 

Never underestimate how much further being prepared will get you. 

'It's never crowded along the extra mile.'

Charlotte Ord - Phoenix Pro Fitness - Godalming