“Neglect, carelessness and not clearing the stunt area are usually what causes accidents. Preparation is absolutely essential to any successful stunt. You have to go through a stunt in your mind — over and over again as if you’ve already done it. The stuntman must keep his mental separation from all that’s going around him. If it’s a nervous set and people are aggravating you, it’s best to not perform the stunt. If you take the attitude of it’s a piece of cake and I’ve done it a hundred times before, you’re going to get hurt. Preparation, good physical condition and a healthy state of mind are the ingredients for successful stunt work.”
Jock Mahoney, from his IMDB profile page

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My Father in Law is living with us.  He reads nine languages, taught classical languages (Greek, Latin), but in his later years, he is not doing much reading.  He enjoys the Encore Westerns channel.  And a few days ago, he was watching a movie with Jock Mahoney in it.  I remember Jock Mahoney from my childhood as Yancy Derringer.  It was only on TV for a couple of years, but for some reason I remember it – and liked it.

So, I pulled out my iPad and started reading about Jock Mahoney, and read the above paragraph.

And then I read this news item:  George Clooney Contemplated Suicide After ‘Syriana’ Set Injury.  Clooney injured his spine while filming Syriana, and it was a really tough injury.  The article began with this paragraph:

Life as a movie star is not always so glamorous. It takes intense preparation, hard work, and a willingness to take significant risks, especially when it comes to action films. One wrong move and the consequences can be grave — even for the world’s biggest movie star.

So, here is the lesson for today.  Preparation really is key.  Whether it is in business, for a presentation, of for a movie stunt, don’t take preparation lightly.  Prepare well, prepare thoroughly — and, even if you have to change your plans, the preparation will pay off.

And, remember Dwight Eisenhower’s counsel:

“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”