Discussing his recovery in a recent interview, Robert Downey, Jr. said, “Life is 70% maintenance. I think of myself as a shopkeeper or a beekeeper. I’m learning the business of building a life.” Reading that, I thought, “Yeah, 70% is probably just about right.” It’s been my experience that a good life requires a good deal of maintenance and I’ve written about that here and here.
His assessment reminded me of a conversation with a friend about the minor irritations of small remodeling projects – painting a bedroom, for example, with all its taping of trim and laying of drop cloths. And she said, “All projects are 80% preparation.” Again, I think that’s probably just about right.
I’m very excited about the workshops I will be offering this summer, but bringing them to you is requiring preparation well beyond creating the curriculum. This morning, for instance, I will be preparing the shopping cart so folks can register – hardly glamorous, but essential to the effort.
And I’m confident that effort will pay off, perhaps in greater ways than I yet imagine. As the quote of the moment says, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
When you undertake a project, do you skip taping the trim or covering the floors? Do you end up with paint where it doesn’t belong and a big mess to clean up and a project to do over? Or do you prepare properly and enjoy the results of a project undertaken with such care that it yields perhaps even more than you put into it?
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