Ep 165: Prioritizing Your Preparation
As a clinician, I am always preaching the importance of goal setting and preparation. Have a goal, and have a plan for how to get there.
My son, Wade, and I recently returned home from the World Series of Team Roping Finale in Las Vegas, and this event was the pinnacle of a major personal goal I had set out for myself this year. Wade and I had been hitting the practice arena heavily this fall, and going into the week, I felt pretty confident about our chances.
Notice, I said pretty confident. As I’ve said many times before on this podcast, we’re living in a world where pretty good isn’t good enough any more. And, it showed in my performance in Vegas. We made it through to the third round in good shape, and I missed our third steer. Leaving the arena, I’m not going to lie—I was quite disgusted with myself. Wade roped outstanding, and he gave me a great opportunity to do my job. But I got in a hurry, and I didn’t execute the plan.
When it comes to competitive situations, I have a rule for myself that I can think about my performance for 5 minutes, be frustrated if I need to be, and then it’s over—I move on. On my walk back to the trailer, I used this 5 minutes to reflect on my preparation for this event. Going into it, like I said, I felt pretty confident. But then after I missed that steer, I thought to myself, “you could have prepared better.”
No matter the result, I always consider each moment I spend in the saddle or with my son a blessing; however, I was really anticipating a better outcome when we arrived in Vegas. Rather than dwelling on our missed opportunity, I began to set a plan for how I could improve my preparation for next year.
Going into Vegas, I had gotten to a point in my practice routine where I could catch two feet most of the time. But I hadn’t gotten to the point where I couldn’t miss. And quite frankly, that’s what it takes to win at an event of that scale. Furthermore, I was not in the routine of being in a competitive environment. I hadn’t been going to many ropings; I’d only been practicing at home. That changes things. And, my level of preparation showed once we got into that arena.
For next year, I decided I have to dedicate more time to my preparation. And as most of you probably know, finding that extra time isn’t always easy. Between balancing your career, family, and personal responsibilities, finding time to prioritize preparation toward your personal goals can be a challenge. But here’s the thing we all have to realize:
When you say “yes” to something, you’re saying “no” to something else. You can’t create more time in your day. You only have 24 hours each day, so every “yes” that you give is taking a piece of this time. Once this 24 hours has been given away, you are out of opportunities to say “yes.”
When it comes to prioritizing your preparation, ask yourself if there are any areas of your life that you could say “no” to? Are there any areas of your life where you can give a few “no’s” to have room for a few more “yeses?”
Your opportunity to prepare will always be a direct reflection of how well your prioritize your time. As you prepare for the coming year, I challenge you to do an audit of how you are spending your time each day. Be specific; get it down to the minute. You may be surprised to find a few areas of your life where you could either be more efficient or eliminate those activities altogether. Remember, your time is your most valuable asset. Make sure you are using it as intentionally as possible.
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