Preparation, Performance, Poise
I generally don’t plan very far ahead. For example, I’m going to Chicago for a convention this weekend. I found out about this convention last Thursday, decided to go Friday, bought a ticket yesterday, and finalized where I’ll be staying tonight. Not entirely spontaneous – that would mean not making any decision till the first day of the convention. But not planned our far in advance. If I were my father, this would have been in the books last January.
It’s hard trying to find a balance between chaotic spontaneity and locked-down over-planning. Different events have different balances, too, complicating the matter. Most weddings plans begin forming at least months (and sometimes years) in advance. On the other hand, most of my meals aren’t decided until the day of (if then). It’s easy to see that a marriage ceremony and lunch at Panera Bread are at opposite ends of the spectrum. But how do you decide how much planning is necessary?
One of my track coaches had a phrase he liked to pound into us: Preparation, Performance, Poise. Preparation referred to our workouts, diet, sleep, and everything else leading up to a race. Performance, obviously, was the race itself. Poise referred to the way we carried ourselves before, during, and after the race; in other words, our character. Having this drilled into me over and over on the track trained me to apply this thinking to all of life.
The standard of adequate preparation is rather hazy. I think it is incredibly relative. How much preparation is enough but not too much? If you can answer ‘yes’ to the question, “Am I prepared?” then you’re ready. Note: this does not mean that you are ready to meet some arbitrary standard, or that you will perform with a high degree of success. It simply means that you have prepared enough for your personal goals that you aren’t wasting energy worrying, and you aren’t causing yourself undue stress by over-thinking and excess preparation. Personally, I like to rehearse the event in my head. If I come up with obstacles that I haven’t already planned for or don’t think I can handle on the fly, I have more preparation to do. If everything runs smoothly in my mind, then I’m good to go.
Performance is the culmination of all the preparations. Society has developed many ways of describing it: “On the night,” “D-Day,” “Game Day,” “Go-time,” and more. I believe that if you have properly and adequately prepared, the performance should be a relaxed event. I don’t mean that there is no intensity, no effort, no emotion – any athlete or entertainer will tell you that performing well requires a high level of effort. Rather, the performance should not be filled with stress and worry about “Am I ready?” You should be able to relax and trust in your preparation.
A word should be said about proper goal-setting (a subject for its own post, but worth mentioning here). Setting the right goals can make a large difference in the level of preparation required. When I ran my first marathon earlier this year, my goals were to finish and have fun. Because of this, I had a much lower level of preparation than if I were aiming for a specific time or trying to qualify for a major marathon. And in the end, I met my goals and had a great time in the process.
The final aspect, poise, is often overlooked. My coach always emphasized that good sportsmanship and carrying ourselves with dignity after a race was just as important as the race itself. I think this can be expanded to your character throughout life. In all of the preparations and performances you go through, people are judging your character. Russell Crowe delivers amazing performances, but his temper and grating character off-screen are legendary. The glowing bride may look angelic walking down the aisle, but her maid-of-honor know what a demon she’s been for the past five months. The man in the next cubicle may make everyone laugh, but never deliver his part of a project. On the other hand, I’m sure you know someone who always seems confidently relaxed, carrying their weight and helping those around them. This last person embodies poise.
Preparation, Performance, Poise. Three simple concepts. Together, though, they make for less stressful and more successful life.
Nice. Well thought out