“There is no shortcut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation–veneer isn’t worth anything.”
–George Washington Carver

There’s an old adage that goes like this, “Half the battle is just showing up.” Respectfully, I beg to differ.

Recently, Luke Kuechly was the guest speaker at our church’s men’s event. For those of you who don’t follow the Carolina Panthers or aren’t football junkies, Kuechly was a dominant linebacker in the league and for the Panthers for several years. The experts fully expect him to be elected to the NFL Hall of Fame.

What I and many fans remember is this: When the Panthers were on defense and stopped a play, either Kuechly made the tackle or was somewhere very close to where it was made. He had a nose for the football. Opposing quarterbacks sensed he knew what play was coming as soon as they approached the line of scrimmage.

How was that possible? One word–preparation. Panthers fans knew Luke devoured game tape, but at the event he took us through his preparation ritual, day by day. By watching tape, making notes, and taking care of his rehab from the previous week’s game, on the next game day he was ready to play.

He showed up, of course. It was his job to do so. But he came into every game prepared mentally, emotionally, and physically. No shortcuts. No lax plays. Nothing less than one hundred percent effort.

There’s a lesson there. Aren’t folks who are successful the ones who are intentional about their preparation? And aren’t those who aren’t prepared pretty easy to spot?

Case in point: I don’t know how many people have complained to me that their doctor comes into the exam room and starts going through the electronic chart, as though he or she has no idea who they are or why they are there. Five minutes of chart review ahead of the visit would have avoided such a scenario.

Imagine a teacher without a lesson plan, or a minister without a prepared sermon. I’m certain you could give examples from your profession too.

Okay, back to Kuechly. Even if you aren’t a football fan, I think you’ll appreciate this. Due to medical issues, he retired from the game sooner that he wanted to. Football was his life, as his dedication to the sport had consumed him from high school through his pro career.

How’d he get through it? He leaned on his faith for guidance as his life changed directions (Side note: It’s nice to hear a pro athlete openly talk about faith). Happily, that got him through a transition from a very public life to a more private one. He now coaches middle-school football players and visits college campuses to register young adults as bone marrow donors.

As he said, he learned there was another world out there that he’d missed during his playing days, and while he missed playing the game, he’d found happiness through other pursuits.

Shouldn’t we be prepared to do the same? Changes in our life will come, whether it’s a planned retirement, a forced job change, or an activity-limiting health issue. We have to be prepared to handle such a possibility, and there’s no better way to do so than by leaning on our faith that God’s in control . . . even when it seems that nothing makes sense.

One last point: Kuechly’s talk was informative and inspirational. Why? Because he came prepared!