Preparation is Invitation

Whatever you prepare for, you also make more likely. This isn’t just a “manifest the universe” sort of thing – it’s logic and probability.

First, it’s inevitable that if you prepare for something, you also equip yourself to spot opportunities for that thing. If you train for a marathon, you’ll just naturally notice things that point toward marathons – you’ll be more aware of announcements in media, spot an acquaintance’s running shoes under their desk, or get inspired to search for running groups.

Second, if you’re fully prepared, you’re also prepared to say “yes” to the opportunities you do spot. If you hear a radio commercial for an upcoming 5K run, the difference between signing up and idly musing, “ooh, I’d like to do that some day” is how prepared you are at the moment you hear the announcement.

Of course, if the thing you’re preparing for is vanishingly unlikely to begin with, a true black swan event, your preparation might not mean much. But in the realm of the more common events, this is everything. If you want to get more dates, be prepared for a date even with no current prospects on the horizon. That means have a clean outfit, some disposable income, some good ideas for fun locations near you, and a schedule that isn’t too busy to find a spare afternoon or evening in.

I once spoke with a couple who said they wanted to have a baby, but they were having a hard time knowing if they were really ready. My advice to them: Build a nursery. Pick a room in their home and start working on it – get a crib, baby books, all that stuff. Very quickly one of two things will happen: either you will become overwhelmed, stressed, and frustrated, which might tell you that you’re not yet ready – or a baby will appear.

A year later, that nursery was occupied, I’m quite happy to say. They started preparing for a baby, which made them happy, and made them think about babies, and when a married couple happily thinks about babies, they tend to manifest in short order.

So whatever you want to happen – don’t just wish. Prepare for it to happen, even if you don’t yet have a plan for making it so. Part of that plan is the preparation; sometimes, it’s all you need.