When I was a child my mother always used to say, 'prepare yourself the night before'. This sounded very dull to me at the time and I rebelled. I chose not to listen because I wanted to do things my way. That's not to say that her way wasn't the right way, it just wasn't MY way.

A few decades on and I'm slightly less stubborn than I was then. It's been hard for me to let go of MY way. Yet, after years of suffering from lack of organisation and preparation I was finally forced to admit that my sweet, and lovely, mum had been right.

Sometimes being 'right' doesn't necessarily make you happy. On these occasions, it is a good idea to concede and listen to other people. Afterall, as Einstein so aptly put it, 'the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'.

There comes a point in every woman's life when she must listen to the wise words she refused to accept as a child. For me, preparation is now an integral aspect of my life. When I don't prepare the night before, my days are often chaotic at best.

When I say prepare, I mean doing all the things I need to do in order to fall asleep with the belief that the next day will run smoothly. This could mean anything from choosing and laying out my clothes to meditating or coaching myself. Whatever it is that I am drawn to do, the important thing is that I go to sleep thinking positive thoughts.