The Power of Falling to Rise Again
“In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix first must burn.” - Octavia Butler
Steve Jobs was fired from Apple.
(Nope, not joking).
I recently read his biography Becoming Steve Jobs and had no idea this happened.
His board let him go after they’d already had some incredible success.
Can you imagine?
Building a game-changing product from the ground up.
And then getting fired…
From your own company?
Talk about tough.
He then went on to create NeXT, a company that never quite resonated the same as his first.
It wasn’t until 1997 (almost 12 years later) that he returned to Apple.
It was only in his second run at the company that he invented the iPod and iPhone.
Would he have made these same inventions had he stayed the whole time?
Who knows.
Maybe he would’ve become a tyrant and imploded the company.
Maybe there’s an even better invention that could’ve been made if he’d stayed.
What we do know is that every successful entrepreneur, artist, and musician doesn’t reach great heights without falling a few times.
It can be difficult to appreciate this when we’re in the moments of free fall.
When everything is seemingly burning around us and tomorrow feels like a year away.
But a phoenix can only rise from its ashes once it’s already burned.
A powerful image.
Breakdowns create breakthroughs.
Let’s remember that.