Just Quit It
“Ask yourself at every moment, “Is this necessary?” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Welcome to The Vibe!
The blog that shows up on snow days.
Each week we discuss ONE IDEA to help you live a better life.
This week’s topic is QUITTING.
And how QUITTING can put you on the path to WINNING.
The Vibe: Just Quit It
In 1997, Steve Jobs took the reins at Apple for his second stint as CEO.
Apple was in bad shape.
The company lost over $1 billion that year.
On the verge of bankruptcy, many thought Apple was finished.
Steve Jobs had a huge challenge in front of him.
What was Jobs’ first move?
He became one of the greatest QUITTERS in the history of business.
Jobs cancelled 70% of Apple’s product line overnight.
Apple went from 17 products to only 4.
Jobs FOCUSED Apple only on the few things it did best.
He QUIT everything else.
The result?
Apple went from a $1 billion loss to a $300 million profit in one year.
Apple would go on to become the world’s most valued company.
And change life forever with the iPhone.
This Steve Jobs’ story destroys one of the greatest myths ever told…
“Winners Never Quit.”
This quote looks great on Pinterest.
It’s found in grade school classrooms and gyms everywhere.
Just one little problem…
It’s total BS.
In his book “The Dip”, Seth Godin writes, “Winners quit all the time. They just quit the right stuff at the right time.”
Sometimes our best move is to move on.
We need SELF-AWARENESS to realize what’s no longer working so we can move on to what will.
We all have HABITS and PROJECTS that no longer serve us.
They hold us back from being the best version of us.
Maybe you check your phone every 2 minutes, all day long, even when you’re around family and friends.
Perhaps COVID got you spending way too much time on Netflix at night and it’s crushing your quality sleep.
Or maybe that BIG project your business took on last year no longer makes sense.
We all have something we need to QUIT.
This is true if you are a legendary CEO, an Academy Award winning actor or a working parent just trying to get it right.
Reflect for a moment.
How are you getting in your own way?
What are you doing that no longer serves you?
Find the courage to JUST QUIT IT.
In an interview before his death, Steve Jobs was asked what was his greatest accomplishment at Apple?
Job’s replied, “I’m as proud of what we don’t do as I am of what we do.”
It’s a new year.
Time for a fresh start.
We’re moving forward.
And only bringing the good stuff.
#JustQuitIt
Joe Ciccarone