I was bitten by the Black Mamba 🐍

Welcome to the OPPO FLOW Storybook.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2023 was a big year, but not without a ton of preparation, growth, action, challenging myself on purpose, and learning A LOT. 

Every year, I kick it off with a theme.

A word or phrase that sets the tone for my mentality of that year.

I don’t just come up with anything… naming it just to name it.

I think about what this will be a lot.

What do I want to accomplish?

What is the mindset I need to have to remain consistent in order to accomplish it?

I don’t want to waver from what I will say to myself multiple times throughout the year to remain in alignment.

When I do waver, however, I remember the mindset I picked.

Naming your year gives you something to fall back on and kicks yourself into gear when things don’t go your way.

When you feel unmotivated.

A reminder for your PURPOSE.

Giving your year a mindset, gives it LIFE.

This gives you a foundational principle to be proactive with your actions and reactive when someone or you ask yourself the question why!

For me… 2023 was the…

Year of Opportunity!

Meaning I wanted to CREATE more opportunity by trying new things and being more intentional.

Roman Philosopher, Seneca, said “Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity”, so 2023 was focused on just that…

Preparing for Opportunity. 👊

So… luck doesn’t really come from being “lucky”.

Below are a few of the major highlights where preparation created some “luck”.

…there was, and continues to be, an abundance of opportunity to jump on.

The underlying theme from above was consistency.

Of course that meant being open-minded to figure out exactly what I wanted the rest of my life to look like, then PUTTING IN THE WORK to prepare for it.

To be CONSISTENT with my efforts in becoming a better version of myself and provide more value to those around me.

Opportunity is Everywhere, but that doesn’t mean action on all of them.

Recognizing GOOD OPPORTUNITY requires effort, patience, and becoming more aware.

As you can see from the bullets above, I certainly went out of my comfort zone quite a bit to challenge myself on purpose and find out what was possible.

The DRIVE I have now is purely a direct result of that CONSISTENCY.

This year?! I’m DOUBLING DOWN and 2024 is all about the…

MAMBA MENTALITY. 🐍

It was January 26th, 2020.

A Sunday.

The news broke while I was out for a run.

It was a little after 11am.

When I came home, my wife told me what had happened.

I couldn’t believe what she was telling me, but I didn’t have to go far to find the heart breaking news all over the television and internet…

Kobe Bryant had tragically passed away in a helicopter crash with his daughter and 7 other people on board. 😢

This is someone I had never met in person, although I’ve seen him play live a few times.

I’m not a Lakers fan by any means… Far from it.

But Kobe? He was my guy.

He was drafted to the NBA straight out of high school in 1996.

He was 17 years old.

I was 10.

Kobe was the first LEGEND I watched from day one until the end of their career.

I respected his game.

His consistency.

His work ethic.

His mentality.

His legacy.

His drive to be the greatest.

Michael Jordan once said, “No one can beat me one on one, except for Kobe… because he stole all my moves.”

The most successful people take 80% of what’s already been working and put their own 20% spin on it towards greatness.

One of the best stories I ever heard to describe Kobe’s work ethic was from one of his 2008 “Redeem Team” Olympic teammates, Chris Bosh.

It’s really better to hear the story from Bosh himself. 👇

Kobe nicknamed himself the Black Mamba, inspired by the 2003 movie Kill Bill, which the mamba snake was code for a deadly assassin.

And Kobe was a FREAKING ASSASSIN on the basketball floor, winning five NBA championships.

He was a KILLER. 

You could see it in his eyes every time he stepped on the floor.

What’s even better is he played when he said he was going to play, as often as he possibly could, even if he was injured.

When he was down, he would still go out there to play.

No rest days, which is extreme and a bit of an lost cause in today’s NBA. 🏀

But Why?

Because it was for the fans, especially the kids.

He felt accountable to them.

He knew they saved up their money for a ticket to come watch him play.

Often times for the first and only time.

Which was the same thing he did as a kid to watch Jordan play.

He paid that forward every time he stepped on the floor.

The crowd was going to get his best version that night.

Win or lose, Kobe was going to give it his all.

He spent thousands of hours in the gym, focused and determined to become the best version of himself so he could make a positive impact on others through his craft.

Without it, the LEGACY wouldn’t have lived on like it has today.

From the late Kobe Bryant himself, in his words…

This is the MAMBA MENTALITY. 🐍

"To be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself. That is what the mentality is. It's a constant quest to try to better today than you were yesterday."

“Mamba mentality is all about focusing on the process and trusting in the hard work when it matters most.”

“Hard work outweighs talent -- every time. Mamba mentality is about 4 a.m. workouts, doing more than the next guy and then trusting in the work you’ve put in when it’s time to perform. Without studying, preparation and practice, you’re leaving the outcome to fate. I don’t do fate.”

“The mamba mentality is a mindset that extends way beyond basketball or sports. It’s simple, if you have a goal or a dream, you need to apply the mamba mentality to achieve it.  Everything worth achieving needs total focus and dedication.”

“The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.”

So yeah…

I was bitten by the Black Mamba 🐍 and now I have the sickness.

The symptoms are as follows…

• An awareness for better opportunity.

• A passion to create, fueled by purpose.

• A mindset to be better today, than yesterday.

• A work ethic that proves you’re on the right path.

• A strong mind to embrace failure and keep playing.

Kobe’s number was #24 when he retired, so cheers to 2024 being the…

Year of the Mamba Mentality.

I’m all in.

I highly encourage you give your year a mindset as well.

Then GO ALL IN.

Figure out what you’re striving for, set goals that keeps you on the path, and remain consistent all year. 👊

Consistency is the key to all success.

This worked for me last year with a focus on creating OPPORTUNITY and I know it will work for me again this year by going all in with the MAMBA MENTALITY.

By the way…

If you or someone you know is looking for more consistency through mastermind group this year…

The OPPO FLOW Alliance & Mastermind could be the right opportunity.

OFAM is a group aligned in their desire for more consistency in their life, and business, through Mindset, Adventure, Relationships, Communication, and their Health. 

A monthly cohort for community, growth, accountability, and focus towards success and happiness.

Kicking off in March with an event (FREE for Storybook Readers), then the real deal starts in April with only 12 spots.

11 are remaining…

Remember, Opportunity is Everywhere!!

Cheers! Steven

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As always, thanks for your support!