On getting fired
I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
Steve Jobs
Amen Steve, you are spot on. I was listening to an interview with Marc Benioff (Charlie Rose) and he speaks about the zen idea of the beginner’s mind and how you need to employ that in business thinking. There is a tendency to cling to the old way, to hold onto what no longer serves you, and then you try to glom onto the old way, the new way, which can’t be entirely new because it is weighted by the old.
But getting fired – now that changes the whole equation. I personally feel that getting fired from my job was the best possible thing that could happen to me at this point in my life.
The other day when we had guests staying at our house, we were coming up the side of the house and walking to a neighbor’s and the guests spoke to Tin, “Hey little man,” the guy said to which Tin responded, “I used to live there.” Tin is learning how creative his parents can be when times grow challenging – cost of this lesson = priceless.
I’d rather live a life by my wits than follow the lemmings off the cliff.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:09 am
“I’d rather live a life by my wits than follow the lemmings off the cliff. ” — Oh Rachel, I know you will never be a lemming!! Never, ever. You are destined for so much greatness, I feel it.
Anyway, the old place is no more. (Jerilee said to me today: “I feel like we’re on the Titantic.” I told her I’d never let her drown, though.)
I got laid off from my (really pretty amazing) job at Reuters in 2005. It was so hard but also it opened the door. I moved home to California (what I’d wanted to do for a long time but was too afraid to do). I think if we can see these things as opportunities rather than hindrances we’re the lucky ones. You have been ready to go for a long time. I know you will be more than just fine. You know this.
(And, our secret, if I got laid off it wouldn’t be ideal but in so many ways I would welcome it. Sometimes I wish for it. Err. Like i said : * our secret * ;))
xo
March 18th, 2020 at 12:44 pm
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