mind your business: The Five P’s of 
Professionals

The difference between successful and unsuccessful business people isn't talent. The difference is having the guts to move forward, to take intelligent risks and to work harder than anyone else.

Every industry has its share of immensely successful people, its share of abject failures and a whole lot of people in between. The individual success of the people in most industries can be plotted on a classic bell curve, where the great percentages fall directly in the middle. Exactly how, then, do you move from the middle of the pack to the top of the charts?

Professional athletes will tell you the difference between first place and second place is incredibly small. To gain a little perspective, look at it like this: At the Daytona 500, the premier NASCAR stock car race, between 1995 and 2004, the average margin of victory was only 0.241 seconds. The difference between first place money and second place money—a whopping $452,116. That means the additional prize money for finishing first was an astounding 68 percent.

Small improvements can make a huge difference in your job. You simply need to focus on the five fundamental P's.

1. Purpose. Seeking, and recognizing, opportunities to serve others is your starting point. First, figure out who you work for. Is it your company? No. Is it your manager? No. Is it your boss? No. It's your spouse, your family, your customers or your co-workers. Humans are social animals and have a fundamental need to contribute to something greater than themselves. Your job—whatever it may be—is about providing a product or service to other people for their benefit. Your joy and success will come when you know that you have helped someone else. Sit down and write out your goals. Are they self-serving or the results of serving others?