*Typing*

When Jobs took back his throne in 1997, Apple was a shell of what it once was. It was facing bankruptcy with over $1 billion in losses and just 90-days of cash left. During his exile, Apple had released a number of failing products that were bleeding the company dry. So what did Jobs do? He got ruthless. He cut anything and everything that wasn’t profitable or necessary. He pulled the plug on the LaserWriter Printer, shuttered the QuickTake Camera, slashed the Newton MessagePad and canned the game console Pippin. Jobs then refocused his company’s efforts and resources on just two product categories: Desktops and Laptops. To say Jobs’ ruthlessness was effective is an understatement. By the end of the following year, Apple was once again profitable. When things aren’t going well for us in life or business, our natural reaction is to do more. But, doing more only prevents us from focusing our full attention on the one or two things that truly matter. Do less. Be ruthless about doing less.

Desire is an agreement you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want. When you are unhappy, look at the underlying desire. Ask yourself if the cost of your happiness is worth the pursuit of the desire. If the answer is no, let the desire go. Furthmore, try never to have too many desires at once. By limiting your desires, you will be happier and more likely to achieve the ones that truly matter.

Hemingway wrote standing up.

Woolf wrote aloud to herself.

Angelou wrote from a hotel room.

Morrison wrote just before dawn.

Kerouac wrote on a 120-foot scroll.

Dostoevsky wrote to cover his debts.

It doesn’t matter how you write.

It doesn’t matter where you write.

It does matter when you write.

All that matters, is that you write.

Don’t find your passion. Find your genius. Your genius is something that feels easy to you but challenging to others. This contrast creates instant demand around your genius. Those who find your genius to be difficult to embody, will pay you to embody your genius for them. With time, you will grow to appreciate your genius as it gains you respect, pays the bills and allows you the freedom to follow your passion.

When the Carthaginian General Hannibal Barca was crossing the Alps to launch a surprise attack on Rome, his path was cut off by an enormous landslide. Instead of turning back, he had his troops pile wood around the large boulders and then set them ablaze. Once the boulders were red-hot, Hannibal asked his men to dowse them in vinegar. This rapid heating and then sudden cooling caused the rocks to crack, making them much easier to clear.

This brilliant maneuver not only earned him respect from his team but reinvigorated them for the journey ahead. They were, in many ways, stronger after the unfortunate setback. There was a study done years ago that found customers who had a problem that was resolved rated their satisfaction with a brand higher than customers who had no problem at all. Problems aren’t problems. They’re opportunities to build trust, win loyalty and flex your creativity.