The Power of Preparation

How I Learned That Calm Starts Long Before Court

Preparation was the first real form of peace I found. In the beginning, I thought calm would arrive when things got easier. It didn’t. Calm arrived when I was ready before anything could go wrong.

My early filings were frantic. I waited until the night before deadlines, then tried to make order out of panic. Every time, I promised I’d start earlier. I never did—until the day the printer jammed an hour before a hearing. I walked into court without copies. That was the last time I mistook adrenaline for readiness.

Now, preparation is my anchor. I don’t start with emotion. I start with systems:

• I keep a one-page outline of every motion in progress.

• I print checklists for exhibits, service, and confirmations.

• I review my calendar every Sunday and block time before deadlines.

Preparation doesn’t remove uncertainty—it outpaces it. It lets you build calm before the crisis hits. Once I began working ahead of pressure, my composure stopped being a reaction. It became a habit.

The secret isn’t perfection; it’s rhythm. You won’t always be on top of every detail, but when your system runs, you’ll still land on your feet. That rhythm is what confidence actually feels like.

Every hearing now starts days earlier. I print everything twice. I rehearse questions aloud. I visualize interruptions. I know what I’ll say when something goes wrong—because something always does.

Preparation doesn’t just make you credible. It makes you kind. When you’re ready, you listen better. You stop panicking over what’s next and start noticing what’s here.

Calm doesn’t begin in the courtroom. It begins on your kitchen table, two nights before, with a checklist and a steady pen.