Are You Down With O.P.P.?

  Written by Greg Vining on Aug 14, 2009 11:17 am

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Yeah, you know me!  That’s the chorus to a popular hip-hop song made during the 90’s by a group called Naughty by Nature.  That song didn’t have the most wholesome message, but today that is beside the point.  I’m going to show you why, if you want to be successful in business, you must be down with O.P.P.

Let me explain.  The “O”, in this equation, kind of has two meanings.  Optimism and Open-Mindedness.  This is your starting point to success.  The first “P” stands for patience, one of the greatest virtues of life.  And finally, the last “P” stands for persistence.  You just won’t accomplish much in this world without it.

Now, let’s take a more detailed look at this, starting with the “O”.

Optimism and Open-Mindedness.  Both are absolutely necessary.  But I put optimism first because I think it is some what of a pre-requisite to an open mind.  You must always be looking for the good in any situation, no matter what.  This is a skill that will serve you well in every aspect of your life, not just business.  You must be focused on solutions, not problems.  You see, your thoughts create you reality.  So if you’re thinking of problems all of the time, what do you think you’re going to get?  If you said “more problems”, you’re exactly right.  Become optimistic and solution oriented.  That’s where the other half of the “O” comes in.

The great Albert Einstein is credited with saying that “you cannot recognize the solution to a problem while you are in the same state of mind that created it.“, or something pretty close to that.  Sorry if I butchered it Al.  But let’s all think about that for a moment.  There is a problem in your business. (But if you’ve adopted an optimistic mindset already, it’s really not a problem, it’s an opportunity!)  It must stem from something you were thinking or doing in or around your business.  So, to conclude, you MUST become open-minded to be able to recognize the best possible solution to the problem.

Program optimism & open-mindedness into your life, right now, and you have taken the first step toward business success.  Now for the next step…the first “P”, Patience.

Patience is a virtue.  We’ve all heard that one growing up, right?  From our parents, teachers, preachers, and just about everyone else.  But how many of those people had much patience themselves?  I’ll let you answer that one on your own.

Patience in business can be one of the most valuable skills you can acquire.  A business takes time to grow and produce the profits we’re all looking for.  That can be a struggle for a lot of business owners.  Especially the rookies.  They’ve never been in this position before, never weathered the storm that comes for most businesses before they break out & become successful.  Me, and everyone who’s ever been successful in business, have been through the tough times.  And in some cases, are still fighting through them.

You must be optimistic enough to believe you can succeed.  Open-minded enough to be able to develop a great plan of attack that will get you where you want to be.  And patient enough to see that plan through until you do.

That brings us to the last, but definitely not least, part of our equation…Persistence.  Persistence is the key to achieving anything worth while.  It will get you through any obstacle in your way to success.  A new business venture is almost certain to come into some difficulties early on.  We already know we must be patient to get the results we desire from our plan.  But we must also be persistent in the face of difficulty.

Everyone known the percentage of small businesses that fail is overwhelmingly high.  Most of this is credited to a lack of funds.  But if you are an optimistic, open-minded, and patient business person, you would have anticipated some of the difficulties that you’d encounter and be ready for them.  Then your persistence will kick in.  You’ll remember the end game, the real reason why you’re in business for yourself in the first place.  And you will drive on towards your goals with a focused determination that cannot be stopped.

So let me ask one more time, “Are you down with O.P.P.?”  You know what my answer is.  Now take a look at yourself and your business, and see what you come up with.  It’s never too late to adopt better habits in life, or business.  Get down with “O.P.P.” and go up in life!

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