Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.

The words of Henry Ford — “Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.” — are not the cold utterance of an industrialist, but the timeless cry of one who has looked into the nature of achievement. Ford reminds us that success does not spring fully formed in the moment of triumph. It is prepared in silence, forged in obscurity, built long before the eyes of the world bear witness. To “get ready” is to till the soil before planting, to sharpen the sword before battle, to train the heart before the test. Without readiness, victory is but a mirage.

The ancients knew this well. Before the Spartans marched into Thermopylae, they drilled endlessly in the art of discipline and formation. Their courage in the face of countless foes was not born in a single instant, but in years of preparation. When the day of reckoning came, they did not falter, for they had already made themselves ready. Thus, Ford’s words echo the wisdom of old: that the true secret of success lies not in the moment of action, but in the long patience of preparation.

History offers us another example in the life of Abraham Lincoln. Many saw his presidency as his moment of greatness, but his years of repeated failures — in elections, in business, even in personal life — were in truth the years of getting ready. In those struggles, he learned endurance, humility, and the wisdom to lead a divided nation. Without those hidden years of preparation, the leader of the Civil War might never have had the strength to hold the Union together. His success was not sudden; it was the fruit of readiness.

Ford himself embodied this truth. Long before his name was known, he spent years tinkering with engines, experimenting in barns and workshops, facing skepticism and failure. When at last the Model T appeared, it was hailed as a revolution — yet behind that revolution were countless hours of trial, error, and getting ready. The world saw only the car; Ford knew it was preparation that had made the car possible.

There is a great danger in desiring results without readiness. Many rush into battle without training, into careers without discipline, into love without patience, and they are crushed beneath the weight of what they sought. The wise, however, know that readiness is itself the first victory. To prepare is to respect the greatness of the task before you, to honor the challenge by meeting it with discipline and foresight. Without preparation, even the noblest dream will collapse under its own weight.

The lesson, then, is clear: make yourself ready before the moment comes. Do not wait for opportunity to knock; prepare as if it were already at your door. Getting ready is more than practice — it is the shaping of the soul, the strengthening of the mind, the building of habits that endure. Success is not the lightning strike, but the storm gathered over time. Those who prepare will be ready to seize it when it comes.

Therefore, O seeker, heed Ford’s wisdom: if you wish to succeed, do not look only to the glory of the goal, but to the daily discipline of readiness. Study, train, endure, practice. Lay the foundation in silence, so that when the hour arrives, you will not be found wanting. For in the end, the true secret of success is not luck nor sudden inspiration, but the quiet, patient, relentless art of getting ready.

Thus, let your life be a field prepared for planting, a soldier’s sword sharpened before battle, a craftsman’s hands strengthened by practice. For when preparation meets opportunity, success is not only possible — it is inevitable.