1) Prepare--It is quite essential to prepare if you plan on going sky diving. I don't think that it makes much sense to board a plane, without a parachute in hand. On the flip side, it is not wise to be holding a parachute in your hand, without it being packed in the pack. Everything has its place. You can't exactly pull the rip cord to open the chute, if it is already opened. Life is like this as well. It is absolutely necessary to be prepared in life. Whether we are talking about Finances, Work, Parenting, or your relationship with your spouse, in one way or another you should be prepared. Flying by the seat of your pants can be painful at times.
2) Take Responsibility--When you are sky diving, it is hard to blame somebody else if your pack doesn't open, if you packed it. As sick as it might sound, if your chute doesn't open, then I doubt you will be around to complain much anyways. Do you take responsibility in your life? I find that so many people are not willing to eat crow with their mistakes. Take responsibility for your actions. If you mess up, admit to it. If you omit information that is crucial, fess up. Whatever the situation might be, take responsibility in life. We see politicians everyday playing the blame game. It is far past time for us to stand up and be the Men and Women that God would have us be.
3) Live with the Consequences--If you do something that has a different outcome than you expected, live with the consequences. Failures in life can make you stronger if you allow them to. The problem is that this society is enabled to believe that it is not their fault. We don't live with the outcome of our decisions. Actually the truth is, we wallow in them more times than not. Divorce is a prime example of this. I hear people tell others all the time "If you are not Happy in your marriage, then get out. Life is too short." What a crock of bull!!! I would rather be working on my marriage and growing in love with my spouse, then out of stupidity think that life is going to be all better if I change spouses. I love my wife dearly and she loves me. Mainly because of the knocks and bruises that we have learned to gain wisdom in over the last 13+ years.
Please remember to pack your own parachute in life. Jesus wants us to Be Ready for His Return. He also wants us to accept responsibility for our actions and BELIEVE in Him. Understand that doing the above two does not mean that life will always be a bed of roses. However, Live your life to the fullest in the decisions that you have made...