The preparation is what allows the success to happen naturally.
– Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs pitcher, after throwing his second no-hitter in less than a year on 4/21/16
As I type this sentence, I’m sitting on a plane following the reverse route of a trip I took six and a half years ago.
It was on the first leg of a two-flight trip out to the Bay Area that I found myself in a conversation I still think about whenever I prepare for something important.
I was flying from Madison to San Jose, with a layover in Minneapolis, on my way to final round interviews with Intuit during my senior year in college. On the tray table in front of me was the book Inside Intuit, an insider’s account of the company’s history to that point. A former Wisconsin alum and current Intuit employee recommended I check it out, and I was doing everything I could to gain an advantage in my interviews.
The woman next to me struck up an innocent conversation that began as typical airplane chit-chat. Where you headed? How long are you in town for? You know, the usual drill.
Eventually, the topic of what I was reading came up. I mentioned I was preparing for final round interviews with a company I respected, for a role I seemed to be the perfect fit for. The book was about the company’s history, and I needed every advantage I could get. The job market had severely constricted during the fall of 2008, so despite having excellent grades and a solid resume, I felt the need to go the extra mile to prove I was worth investing in as a new hire. That’s why I was reading up on the company’s history, its values, and what they seem to look for in employees.
Then she said something that has stuck with me ever since.
“You’re going to get this job. I can just feel it.”
The words came out so casually, as if she was simply stating a fact. She didn’t seem like the type to pander to a stranger, and her thought was shared so genuinely, I knew she believed it to be true.
At the time I was skeptical, but appreciative of her encouragement. ‘Yeah, it’s great this stranger thinks I’ll get the job,’ I thought. ‘But I’ve still got a lot to prove.’
But looking back, there was something obvious about our interaction that told her all she needed to know. She wasn’t guessing, and she didn’t think I was going to get the job because she could see into the future. Unbeknownst to myself at the time, this successful career woman noticed that I was exhibiting a fundamental truth to success she could see unfolding right in front of her.
I was putting in the preparation required for success. In fact, I was acing the interview right on that airplane, before I ever reached Intuit’s Mountain View campus.
What I’ve learned in the six and a half years since that moment is that preparation is where true success occurs. Yes, you still have to perform when the spotlight is on. But great preparation allows you to use the moment that matters simply as a vessel for the work you’ve already done.
Elite athletes and performers know this. They understand that improvement occurs through focus and repetition, in the maniacal desire to perfect a craft.
It may seem trite, but the more examples I come across, the more truthful the sentiment becomes.
Success is a muscle, and it can only be trained through preparation.
You still have to get up on stage and flex when its showtime, of course. But medals aren’t won through flawless performances alone. Winning time happens during preparation.
The better you prepare, the easier it becomes to perform when it matters. No matter what you’re trying to achieve.