Preparedness is a Step to Success: Essay on Templeton's Views

This essay explores the concept of preparedness as a crucial element for achieving success, drawing insights from John Templeton's book, "The Templeton Laws of Life." The essay emphasizes that being prepared is essential for navigating life's uncertainties and seizing opportunities. It highlights the importance of setting clear visions and goals, and illustrates how preparedness can manifest in various aspects of life, from pursuing educational paths to embracing unexpected job opportunities. The author uses the scout's motto, "Be Prepared," as a key concept, stressing the need for proactive planning. The essay underscores that preparedness involves critical thinking about opportunities, even those that may initially seem unrelated to one's ultimate goals. Moreover, the essay encourages a positive mindset, highlighting that preparedness is an ongoing process that fosters resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges. By referencing the work of Templeton and other sources, the essay provides a comprehensive overview of how preparedness is a cornerstone for success in all aspects of life.

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Preparedness is a Step to Success
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Preparedness is a Step to Success
The Templeton laws of life is a book written by John Templeton and it speaks about
various issues related to life that human beings should live by. The book was inspired by the
lifetime experiences of Templeton and his view is that these laws can make one’s life more
productive. Throughout the book one of the discussed aspects of life is preparedness. This is
displayed in different ways through the topics discussed in the book (Templeton, 1994). The
book speaks about various issues that reflect to us that preparedness is indeed a step to success.
Being prepared is a key factor for success in our lives. It is key that we prepare before
engaging in anything that we do. This can be demonstrated by the scouts’ motto that says, ‘Be
Prepared.’ It goes to show that we should be prepared for the inevitable, as we do not know what
life holds ahead of us (DeSteno, 2014). Circumstances in life come and go hence in our minds
we should always be prepared that anything is bound to happen.
Templeton also alludes to the fact that we should ask ourselves each day whether we are
preparing ourselves for success. To succeed in life means that we need to have set out a certain
vision for ourselves and one should have goals that will enable them to achieve this vision. An
example is if one dreams to work in a certain field in the future then they prepare for this by
taking the relevant courses in school so that they can get training for the same (Kohyama, 2016).
They then proceed to make job applications to companies where they would like to work. They
do this until they get into the profession of their choice.
Opportunity sometimes comes in different forms. It is therefore necessary that one be
prepared to embrace an opportunity that may come their way as much as it may be packaged in a
different manner. Sometimes human beings reject opportunities assuming that it is not what they

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want yet it may be a door opening for even greater things in the future. It is therefore necessary
that people be prepared to think critically about any opportunities before choosing to dismiss
them. An example is one may want to open their own restaurant once they finish college but is
unable to due to financial constraints. An opportunity may then come in form of a job opening
totally unrelated to the restaurant business. The person should consider taking this job because
they can then save up their salary and open the restaurant with this savings (Przepiorka, 2017).
While on this other job, they will also learn how organizations operate and how to manage
people. These are skills which will be essential in operating a restaurant hence such an
opportunity should not be dismissed.
Templeton’s book gives us hope that encourages being prepared at all times. He also
encourages us that one may fail but that should not be the end. It is therefore important to be
prepared in a positive manner so that when negative things happen we do not give up on life.
Being prepared is indeed an essential step if we aim to succeed in all aspects of our lives.

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References
DeSteno, D. (2014). The truth about trust: How it determines success in life, love, learning, and
more. Penguin.
Kohyama, J. (2016). Good daily habits during the early stages of life determine success
throughout life. Sleep Science.
Przepiorka, A. M. (2017). Psychological determinants of entrepreneurial success and life-
satisfaction. Current Psychology, 36(2), 304-315.
Templeton, J. (1994). Discovering Laws Of Life: Tfp. NY,Templeton Foundation Press.