There's a book title I've always loved: "What Got You Here Won't Get You There."

Here's how the story often unfolds. We have some success and feel good about what we've accomplished, and we then listen with a new openness to all the people who tell us to dream big. And so, as a result, we set new big stretch goals. This is a sequence that can be very healthy - as long as we're equipping ourselves properly for what's next. And that's where a lot of people make a mistake. We think that what's worked with past challenges will be exactly the same stuff that will work with the new and bigger challenges. Of course, this assumption is reasonable to make, since so much of the logic of success is indeed universal. But there are obviously different challenges with different goals, and we have to make sure we're doing the best we can to equip ourselves for what's next, not for what's already done.

Hard preparation can make tough goals much easier. And often, when you talk to people who are a little farther down the road that you now plan to travel, you can pick up information about what you'll need for the new journey, insights that may not have otherwise occurred to you.

That's the secret of preparation. Make sure, then, that you get as ready as you can be for whatever lies ahead!