Aboodi Shabi

There is plenty of preparation to be done, of course – designing the course and taking care of other logistics, packing, getting money, tickets; and, of course, there’s also plenty for a master worrier like me to worry about: – will I get an aisle seat on the ‘plane? how will I sleep, especially with all that jet-lag? how will the teaching go?, what should I pack? etc, etc.

I’ve been spending a fair bit of time preparing, from conversations about the design of the course, developing exercises, etc, to booking my flight, and sorting out travel arrangements and getting currency, etc., as well as revising some of what we will be teaching.

And, at the same time, as I teach in more programmes, I am also getting to understand the importance of preparing in a different kind of way. There’s the external preparation, the doing stuff, and making sure I know my material, etc., but there’s also the internal preparation, the getting my self ready – ready for the long journey, for the teaching, etc.

For example, I’ve just spent a couple of hours this morning at the Turkish Bath, and reflecting that, even though it still feels like an indulgence, especially to go there in the middle of the working week, it’s actually a critical part of preparing myself for the week ahead. I also have a free day later this week, and will use the time to go off into nature for a long walk and some quiet

When I work with student coaches, one of the things we talk about is how they might prepare for a coaching session. Again, it’s easy to focus on preparing by reading one’s notes, etc, but there’s a deeper level of preparation – preparing the self – that is just as, if not more, important than the “usual” kind of preparation.

And, of course, this applies through-out life. How do you prepare for a job interview? Is it just about making sure you’ve read all the material you need to read, and rehearsed some questions, etc? How do you prepare your self for the interview, so that you can bring out your best under pressure?

How do you prepare for a date? For an important conversation with your boss, or with your partner? How do you prepare your self for a business trip? For a crucial meeting?

I am a great believer in the notion of practising when you don’t need to. If we wait until the day of the interview to practice being relaxed, or until the day of the meeting to practice being centred, or until the important conversation to try out being assertive, then we are likely to fail.

But if we practice when we don’t need to, then we have the capacity to use the new skill, or the stretch required, with some fluency. For example, if I don’t practice my meditation on a regular basis (which helps to calm my worrying nature, and my tendency to over-react), then, I am more likely to lose it when I get stopped by over-zealous airport officals (which happens to me a lot).

Whenever I am teaching a course, one of the things I will stress over and over is the importance of practice. Practice is what helps us prepare our selves for the futures we have to face, or want to build. And, just like learning a language, the more we practice, the more fluent we become.

“Knowledge is only a rumour until it’s in the muscle.” - Richard Strozzi Heckler.