T-12 Days to August 7th

Not in all my 40 years did I ever imagine an antagonistic cartoon lion would deliver sage life advice while singing a catchy Disney tune about taking out his brother.

It’s possible Scar’s words were a little murder-y. But on the surface, be prepared is incredible life advice.

I hope a common thread throughout this series is that not all life lessons are revelatory. A handful of base hits will always beat swinging for a single home run. They just aren’t as exciting.

Small changes in our lives add up to big growth.

One of the biggest turning points in my life was when I stopped winging it. When I mostly stopped winging it.

So when I quote Scar to say be prepared, it’s not to prepare you for battle. It’s to recommend you double check your course schedule so you don’t show up a week late (did that). Or to plan your trip to the airport accordingly so you don’t miss your flight. Also guilty.

Maybe you’re planning a big move. Changing jobs. Heading out on your first backpacking trip.

Being overprepared is far less tragic than not realizing your new company doesn’t offer health insurance until it’s too late. Or that you only packed two days’ worth of food for a three-day trip.

Nothing feels better than being prepared. Nothing feels worse than not being prepared at all.