Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
-- Abraham Lincoln

If you're not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he'll be ready to take your job.
-- Brooks Robinson

Never confuse preparation with inaction. When a new building is constructed, the builder does not start with walls. Instead the first things done are preparing the location and laying the foundation. The bigger the building, the longer these first tasks will take, and while it may not appear outwardly that much progress is being made while they are being completed, these first tasks will determine how long that building will last and how successful a project it will be. The same is true with any project we undertake and any goal we set. Preparation and practice lay the foundation that you build everything else on, and without a foundation nothing will stand for long. So take care to put the necessary effort into building your foundation.