The Phoenix . . . From Wikipedia . . . “A phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.”
When we talk about a “Rising Phoenix”, we have that image of this beautiful creature emerging from a destructive inferno . . . complete destruction followed by “reincarnation” of something new and beautiful rising from what was left of the old (ashes).
This is interesting to me because it’s NOT about “Survival” and adaptation . . . in fact, it CANNOT be about that because of the sheer destructive power of the inferno . . .
To “Rise” requires “Re-Creation” . . . Scrap most everything that was before the inferno and innovate for the new environment . . . Death and Birth
We are (and have been) seeing this unfold as we all grope our way through the economic recession and shift in the “rules” . . . EVERYTHING is in question . . . NOTHING now is as it was . . . It’s all changed.
From a scientist in the early 1900s who was trying to make sense of the emergence of life on Planet Earth which seemed to come in “Bursts” of adaptation . . .
“the history of life is a story of massive removal followed by differentiation within a few surviving stocks, not the conventional tale of steadily increasing excellence, complexity, and diversity.” Stephen Jay Gould
“Massive Removal” is death of entire populations and or species (Businesses and business practices we knew prior to the economic downturn) . . .
The folks who are thriving in this new business environment are thriving not because they “Survived and Adapted” . . . They are VIBRANT because they have differentiated themselves and their businesses through innovation and recreation . . . and they ARE the “Vital Few”.
Watch these folks because they’re onto something as they forge ahead and create a new cycle.
Rising Phoenix!
Just sayin’
Best,
b