…or as a friend said to me while we were on his boat crossing Long Island Sound one weekend, discussing possible impending storms, “Chance favors a prepared mind.”
How do we get prepared? How do we continuously scan the horizon, absorbing the bigger picture, while staying present to the tasks at hand? How do we recognize and take advantage of those life changing moments as they appear, those moments that we may look back on in hindsight and say “My life changed that day”.
It’s impossible to believe we can stay ever vigilant, that we can be prepared always, that we can be on “one hundred percent” of the time. The physiological aspect of being in a state of readiness is not a sustainable state for the body to be in: The body’s response to being in a state of alertness cannot be maintained for long periods of time because stress hormones produced in the adrenal glands help to heighten alertness, and prolonged release of these hormones can lead to illness, injury or even death, according to leading physiology docs.
But we can:
- Stay attuned to change. Prepared for it. Ready to accept it and embrace its nuances and its large bats……
- Stay prepared for new ideas. Look for the unusual in everyday life.
- Stay alert to new relationships. Being willing to share yourself with someone new. No matter what the situation.
These three easy ways to have a ‘prepared mind’ are the least stressful to your psyche and body.
And reap the most rewards.