Raccoon Jimothy: Big Lessons in Radical Acceptance, Business and More

 In a hardened world leaning into hate a raccoon with a shortened spine in Seattle stole our hearts.  Collectively, we softened. The entity got named "Jimothy." 

But that didn't have to happen. Jimothy could have become targeted for a few bullets to wipe out this odd-looking creature. That was the ethos of the Third Reich. 

Instead, the miracle of seeing differently took hold. That had been a meme at the internationally famous Toledo Museum of Art last fall.

As a society, we put on a net kind of glasses. We became refreshed, not repulsed, by how Jimothy looked. 

That kind of thinking made Dove beloved in the 1970s. It created the message that all women are beautiful, just as they are. The objective was to erase the rigid norms of how women should look which was destroying self-esteem and triggering eating disorders. Today, we consider that mindset radical acceptance. 

The business lesson embedded in Jimothy is about unique value. Leveraging the spirit of Jimothy in merchandise has resulted in sales blockbusters. So much so that legal battles over Intellectual Property have broken out.

In his classic on entrepreneurship "Zero to One," Peter Thiel hammered this: Don't set out to create a better version of Facebook. Instead, conjure up what is truly new. Law firm Kirkland & Ellis launched as a raw hustler in what was then a WASPY genteel legal sector. It grew to be the largest, most profitable law firm in the world. 

BTW, its unique approach to AI is, Bloomberg Law reports:

"The firm’s goal [through its proprietary platform] is to leverage AI to harness its collective knowledge and judgment and put it at every Kirkland lawyer’s fingertips. The effort to scale the firm’s quality of advice will make its lawyers better, and that is a benefit to its clients ..."

Obviously, now and in the future there are myriad other takeaways from the Jimothy phenomenon. 

My favorite as an intuitive coach/tarot reader is a celebration of resilience. We want Jimothy not only to survive. We also want him to have a good life. The best. 

During the Great Recession I coached too many lawyers who had lost their plum jobs. I lectured at the New York State Bar Association on resets. Over the years some of those lawyers contacted me, gushing "Look at me now." They earned the right of bravado.

For Labor Day restaurants could put together a Jimothy discount for those who had found their way out of unemployment/underemployment. 

Careers. Forget all that. It’s about earning a good living, no matter what.

Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova, StreetSmart Coaching (janegenova374@gmail.com)