"O.P.M. Wisdom" - This Sets Us Apart

"O.P.M. WISDOM - THIS SETS US APART"

 Since this article is connected to the last one, please take the time to go back and read part 1, if you haven't done so already.  If you don't, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about in this one, o.k.?

In this article I'm going to specifically address those that STILL refuse to accept the FACT that we can learn from "Other Peoples Mistakes" and insist that they HAVE to make the mistake in order to learn. That is about as far from the truth as you can get - and I'll prove it to you.

Do you wear a shock collar?

In case you're not sure what I'm talking about, let me explain. A shock collar is a device - a collar - that is placed on an animal (a dog, in my experience) to help train them. A wire is placed around whatever perimeter that the human decides upon which interacts with the shock collar. If the animal gets within a certain distance of the wire, the collar will begin to beep, which will serve as a warning to the animal as it becomes trained. If the animal continues along it's path even closer to the wire it will receive a shock which should cause the animal to stop and retreat.  The idea is that, after enough times of this shock, the animal will begin to "learn" where the boundaries are as they relate to the perimeter that has been set by the human.

And, you know what? IT WORKS! The dogs that I had in one particular situation did learn the boundaries and they stayed away from the perimeter that had been set. (And, yes, of course my three sons had to hold the collars in their hands to see what it was like for themselves. OUCH!).

So, an animal can be trained. An animal can develop a learned behavior. Some may argue that the animal has been able to "reason" and make a decision. But, an animal can NOT "reason" and make a decision. Let me tell you what I mean.

Yes, an animal can learn what to do or not do based on their own experience - the "SHOCK" that they get (or the treat that they receive) based on their behavior. However, that same animal does NOT have the ability to learn that behavior by setting back and observing other animals go through the process first. See what I mean?

As humans, we have been blessed with the unique ability to OBSERVE and REASON which then can lead to a decision without having to experience the action ourselves.

We have the ability to have "O.P.M. Wisdom"! We have the ability to OBSERVE, TAKE NOTES and MAKE A DECISION based on what other people do. We may observe an adverse result to what a person does and then decide that we do not to experience that same, adverse result. We may also observe a very positive and rewarding result that we desire. We watch, observe, take notes and decide that we want to follow that same path so that we, too, can experience the same positive results.

To insist that you can only learn by making YOUR OWN MISTAKES over and over again is to say that you are not any smarter than animals. There is truth in that statement.

To refuse the idea of "O.P.M. Wisdom" is to reject the unique ability that you have been given by your Creator! Friend, you DO have this ability and you CAN learn from others without having to make the same mistake yourself.

On the positive side, observe someone that you want to be like and do what they do.  Maybe it's someone that has a very good family life...learn how that happens from that person and then do what they do! Maybe they are successful in business - do what they do. WHATEVER IT IS, if they are successful and you wish for the same success, find out what they do and what they have done and do what they do and do what they have done. FOLLOW THEIR PATH!

And, doesn't it then make sense that, if someone exhibits what you DON'T want in your life, that you can STILL watch, observe, take notes so that you know what NOT to do?

Bottom line, it is still up to you. There are people every day that ignore the mistakes of their own past and also ignore the failures of others around them. They are doomed to fail UNLESS and UNTIL they decide to "wise up" and desire something better for their life.

Hey listen, it is one thing to whine and complain about why things always turn out wrong and then keep doing the same stupid things than it is for someone to realize that what they are doing DOES NOT WORK and dedicate themselves to POSITIVE change! It is the difference between a WHINER and a DOER!

What will you do?

Have you ever heard this phrase -  "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." ? This if often attributed to Winston Churchill. Most, however, think that it came from what was written by George Santayana in The Life of Reason (1905): “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

You see, it's IMPOSSIBLE for me to go back and RELIVE history from 100 years ago. However, I can "watch" (study), take notes and make a decision based on the history that OTHERS lived and experienced.

Open your eyes. Pay attention. Watch. Observe. Take notes. Make a decision. And, take advantage of "O.P.M. Wisdom".

Until next time... Whatever you do, always be sure to... 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed

What Is "O.P.M. Wisdom"?

What IS "O.P.M. Wisdom"?

Depending on who you are and what your background or life experience is, will likely influence your guess on this one. Now, don't feel bad if you don't come up with ANYTHING on this one, o.k.? 

Perhaps the first thing that came to your mind when you saw the letters "O.P.M." was "Office of Personnel Management". I even saw a listing for "Office of Pest Management". So, in the area of "office" there could be any number of listings that go along with that.

Now, if you are one that has researched work-from-home opportunities or any type of entrepreneurial endeavors, then the idea of "Other People's Money" may be what came to mind.  And, yes, that might display some sort of wisdom - having the ability to grow your business using other people's money BUT...that is not what I'm going to be talking about today.

I'll get to that in a moment  but, first, I want to give a little background as to what it was that made me come up with that phrase and to also feel the need to share this information in this blog as well as on the podcast (see podcast links at bottom of article) that goes along with this same topic.

Let me start off by asking you this question: "How do you learn?" or "How do you think most people learn - beginning as a baby?"

For sure, much learning comes from trial and error, right? How does a baby learn to crawl and then walk? Trial and error. Some babies don't crawl, they "scoot". I've seen babies scoot like an inchworm and I've seen babies learn how to sit up and scoot along on their bottom...almost hopping!

But, basically, there's only one way to walk and that definitely takes place with trial and error. 

Did you ever learn how to ride a bicycle? If you did, do you remember that process? I do and I can say real quick that IT IS NOT FUN! Crashing was not (and still is not) fun! And, once you've crashed and felt the pain that came with it, it's HARD to get back on that bike and go at it again. But, apparently the MOTIVATION of being able to ride that bike like your brothers, sisters and/or friends was greater than the fear and, after a period of trial and error, you learned how to ride that bike.

But, is that the ONLY way that we learn? Of course not!

I have three adult sons and I remember the difference in the "learning curve" between the first one, the second one and the third one. The second one learned most things a lot quicker than the first one because he had someone to learn from (besides his parents) - his brother! And, the third one learned even quicker because he had TWO brothers to learn from.

Follow me so far? Good.

I have two brothers and three sisters while my wife has only one brother. Overall, I'd say I learned mostly positive things from my brothers and sisters and don't remember much of anything that I thought I needed to avoid in their actions. Now, my wife tells me that she would watch her older brother and figure out what NOT to do! He wasn't (and isn't) a bad person but he just got in a lot more trouble than she did. (Now, I do have to say that little sisters are quite sneaky!).  

So, here we go with the main point - ARE YOU READY?

Some people feel that the only way to LEARN anything - or to gain wisdom - is by trial and error. More or less, what they believe is that they may have to "crash and burn" over and over again before they finally "get it". Then, they learn and are wiser.

And, yes, that is ONE way to learn. A very painful way to learn, at times, but it is a way to learn.

However, I want to present another way to learn and gain wisdom - "O.P.M. WISDOM"  and the "O.P.M." stands for "Other People's MISTAKES". 

I told my Dad once that I guess I was one of those that had to learn lessons the hard way and he very gently told me that this was not true. He was the first to point out to me the value in learning from OTHER people's mistakes. 

Just in general, HISTORY is a prime example of how we can - and SHOULD - learn from the mistakes of the past. The problem is that too may people have no clue about history and, thus, many people (and societies) continue to repeat the same mistakes. 

What about YOU?

I can pretty much guarantee that YOU have learned more than you realize by observing "other peoples mistakes" and deciding to do something different than they did. 

That, my friend, is a WISE way to learn as much as possible. WATCH others. TAKE NOTE in their actions and the RESULTS (or lack thereof). By the way, they may be GOOD results or they may be BAD results, otherwise known as CONSEQUENCES. And then, finally, after watching and taking notice, you then make a DECISION.

That's "O.P.M. WISDOM".

Think about that and ask yourself if, perhaps, you need to pay more attention to this type of wisdom. Hey, listen, sometimes that means that you will actually have to do some RESEARCH as part of the process. In case you don't know, it's also called  DUE DILIGENCE (look it up if you don't know what that is). 

Now that I've given you this simple - but often neglected - "formula" for gaining wisdom, in my next article I will discuss what is actually said by those that reject this idea or that insist that the only way to learn or gain wisdom is through trial and error.

Send me some feedback to my Facebook Fan Page - I'd love to get your thoughts there and you can shoot me an e-mail at anytime. 

Pay attention and keep your eyes open, friend. Watch others as others watch you! (Oh yeah, there are others that are watching YOU as well.)

Until next time, always be sure to... 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

Future You University   FYU on Facebook!   Podcast on iTunes   Podcast RSS feed