A Little Preparation Goes A Long Way

By Cheval John

Sam Houston State's first NCAA Division I National Championship in the Athletic Department's office

Sam Houston State’s first NCAA Division I National Championship in the Athletic Department’s office

If someone sees the success of a person, organization and/or sports teams, one of the first things that come out of their mouths is that they were lucky.

What they don’t see is the years of blood, sweat and tears that the person, organization, and/or sport team went through in order to put themselves in position to succeed.

Here are two examples of how a little preparation went a long way for these guys and how you can apply the same mindset to your life:

Sam Houston State Bowling Team

The Sam Houston State (SHSU) Bowling Team won the NCAA Division I National Championship in the Cleveland suburb of Wickliffe, Ohio about two weeks ago after defeating defending champion, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 4-2 in the best of seven baker format.

The championship was the first ever for SHSU since moving up to the Division I level in 1986.

What is more impressive is that the bowling program is in it’s fourth year of existence and the team have made two previous appearances in the NCAA Championships prior to winning it all this year.

The team contributed their success to a second half surge in the 2013-14 season that allowed them to make their third trip to the championships.

However, I honestly believe that it was what head coach Brad Hagen did before the season even began: Held a pre-season exhibition with Texas Southern and Prarie View A&M at the Huntsville Lanes Center in Huntsville, Texas.

Even though, his team didn’t do well in the exhibition, it allowed them to see their weaknesses and correct the mistakes before the season began.

That little preparation by coach Hagen is what made the difference in helping the team secure the school’s first NCAA Division I National Title.

“Jane Doe”

Diane Gottsman, owner of the Protocol School of Texas, right.

Diane Gottsman, owner of the Protocol School of Texas, right.

Diane Gottsman, owner of The Protocol School of Texas, shared a story at the Etiquette Dinner recently held at SHSU about a young college student, who she didn’t identify, so that is why I call her Jane Doe.

Mrs. Gottsman said that Jane Doe came up to her after one of her dinners and wowed her after Ms. Doe explained to her in detail about her background, what she said in her blog, www.dianegottsman.com her appearances on television, you name it.

Mrs. Gottsman added that even though “Ms. Doe” will be graduating from college two years from now, she is willing to wait for her because of the “extra preparation” that she did before the dinner.

In effect, Ms. Doe don’t have to worry about finding a career after graduating because she has already secured her first with a nationally recognized etiquette expert in Mrs. Gottsman.

Conclusion:

So you see the two examples of how a little preparation has led to the success of the SHSU Bowling Team and “Jane Doe.”

You really don’t have an excuse anymore on why you can’t succeed in life.

If you go out, work hard and smart, and even put out the “extra preparation,” then you will achieve the success that you dream of.

About Cheval John

Cheval John is the Founder and CEO of Vallano Media, LLC, a marketing agency which helps small to mid-sized businesses use social media correctly to build a loyal following and in the process become more profitable. Cheval is also the host of "What's The Word?" a podcast about finding out what inspires people to choose their respective careers and how social media impacted their lives and business. He is the author of two books including the Amazon Best-Seller, "8 Lessons Every Podcaster Needs To Learn." He has spoken at Social Media Week Lima in Ohio and at Social Media Day Houston 2017 about topics around live streaming and podcasting. Cheval has been featured in media outlets including Ebony Magazine, Social Media Today and Forbes. He was named a Houston Top 25 Social Media Power Influencer (2016 and 2017) and a Twitter Top 50 Influencer by Onalytica in 2018.

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