"That's been one of my mantras—focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."
—Steve Jobs
I love the words that Steve Jobs chose: get your thinking clean to make it simple. That's no easy task. It's much easier to have our thinking cluttered by a thousand questions and complications. It's hard work to get focused and to simplify things. But, as Jobs said, it's worth it, because when you make things simple, you can move mountains.
Steve Jobs is a good role model for the power of simplicity and focus.
In a business that most would say is, by its very nature, incredibly complicated, Steve Jobs was able to make Apple a dominant force in the marketplace. Bill Gates once said that Jobs's ability to "focus on a few things that count" was amazing. Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, has said that Jobs could cut out the noise like no other. Jobs had the essential leadership skill of keeping everyone focused on what was most important.
I work with all types and sizes of businesses, and it's fascinating to see the commonalities among those that are doing well and among those that are struggling. People in a struggling business are likely to say, "You have to understand that this is a very complicated business." People in a successful business will usually say, "You know, at the end of the day, this is really a pretty simple business."
Both of them are correct, because they have made it so. Successful people have the ability to make the complicated simple. That's one of the main reasons for their success.
What Is Most Important?
The incredible power of simplicity begins with focus. It begins with the answer to a very simple question: What is most important?
Interestingly enough, very few people ever give careful thought to deciding what is really most important in their work or their lives. Most of us simply show up and go to work on whatever is in front of us or whatever pops up during the day. Imagine how much more effective, successful, and fulfilled we would be if we focused on doing those things that were truly most important, and doing them with excellence and consistency every single day?
I've had many people tell me they are frustrated because they are doing absolutely everything they can think of to succeed, but it's just not working.
Doing "everything they can think of" is most likely the root of their problem.
The winners in work, in business, and in life aren't those who do the mostthings. The winners are those people who do the most important things.
Source:
Excerpts from, "Once you get there, you can move mountains" from keep it simple by Joe Calloway.
Sourced from: Simple truths promotional mails.