What do you do when you’re over-prepared for something?
First, I think it’s important to argue that there’s no such thing as over-prepared. I love the mindset I learned from The Chosen by Chaim Potok.
But second, there are instances when you can feel over-prepared because in a group, your preparation comes in a context of the preparation of those around you. I have certainly seen frustration bubble up from students in classes and rehearsals who feel as if they’ve worked significantly harder ahead of the meeting, such that they feel dragged down by their classmates.
But all is not lost if you’re over-prepared-by-comparison. In fact, there are many approaches you can take in those moments:
- Help the people around you. It’s easier to lead when you’re over-prepared.
- Go deeper. It’s easier to enrich your understanding of the subject when you’re over-prepared.
- Think meta. It’s easier to understand how the teacher approaches the concepts when you’re over-prepared.
- Get impatient. It’s easier to exemplify positive impatience when you’re over-prepared.
- Convince others. It’s easier to show the value of over-preparation when you’re over-prepared.
On the flip-side, do not:
- Get distracted. You’re likely to distract others.
- Get frustrated. You’re likely to lower the mood of the room.
- Get angry. You’re likely to wound someone around you.
The thing is, we don’t know why we’re more prepared than the people around us. Making generous assumptions and then having positive energy are the keys making your over-preparation into a tool that uplifts both yourself and the group you’re in.