| I remember the exact moment I learned the principle of | | | | One day, we went for a match with our biggest |
| preparing for luck. | | | | perennial rival. John went out on the mat, and about a |
| I was on the wrestling team. Now, if there’s one | | | | minute and 30 seconds into the match he tried to |
| thing I can tell you about any sport, it is that wrestling is | | | | execute a particular move. He rolled over, and his |
| probably the sport that has the least luck. There are | | | | opponent caught him halfway through his roll. He was |
| only two people out on the mat, so you cannot blame | | | | pinned instantly! |
| it on your teammates, your mother, your father, or | | | | The match was over. |
| your coach. And guess what? There is no weather | | | | I remember on the bus on the way home, one of our |
| because we do the whole thing indoors, so you | | | | teammates tried to comfort John by saying, “Oh, |
| can’t say, “It was raining” or “It was | | | | he just got lucky.” And John said, “That’s so |
| snowing.” It makes sense to say wrestling is the | | | | stupid. The opportunity presented itself, and he |
| sport with the least luck. | | | | exploited it.” |
| On our team were two world champions; one of them | | | | We used to have this big sign in our wrestling room |
| had been a world champion five times. We also had | | | | that the coach had put there: “Luck is what |
| five people who were national champions, and most of | | | | happens when opportunity meets preparation.” |
| them had been national champions five years in a row. | | | | John’s opponent was prepared to exploit this |
| It was an amazing team. One of these wrestlers was | | | | opportunity. The odds of beating John were not strong, |
| a guy by the name of John. | | | | and he knew it. |
| John had never been defeated in any high school | | | | But he paid attention for the right opportunity to |
| wrestling competition that I could remember, because | | | | present itself, and he defeated and pinned a five-time |
| he was a national champion. There was nobody locally | | | | national champion. |
| who could touch him. | | | | In other words, the real message is “Be |
| He would go out, pin them, and go home. The next | | | | prepared!” It’s not just finding the opportunity; |
| match he would do it all over again: pin them and go | | | | you have to be prepared to seize it. |
| home. | | | | |