Preparation – Lack of planning is an obvious way to fail. However, it is easy to deceive yourself into thinking that you are prepared only to find in reality that the plan was lacking. I like to think of preparation and planning in terms of cooking. Planning is the equivalent of having a recipe. It is the plan that will get you a good dinner. For that plan to work, though, you need preparation. You need to go to the store and buy groceries, pre-heat the stove, have the pans and dishes you need for the recipe and so on. For self-defense, preparation means practicing and training to respond to various attacks. For the workplace, preparation includes creating the right policies and procedures to deal with the various situations that arise.