Yesterday we’ve lost an American genius, an inspiration to so many of us (especially in the computer- and business-related worlds)… the great Steve Jobs.
And today — while there’s no lack of blog posts [hundreds of millions have already been posted!] and articles on who he was and what impact he has made — I cannot remain silent either. A video comes to mind — a recording of his 2005 Stanford University commencement address. One of the stories Steve Jobs told there was a story “about love and loss”, and it was the story that really hit home for me. He said:
Sometimes life’s gonna hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t loose faith.
I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is gonna fill a large part of your life. And the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.
If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don’t settle.
I can identify with this 100%, and so, I’m sure, can thousands of other business people, self-motivated affiliate marketers, and other risk-takers who have tasted success in life.
You may watch the full Jobs’ speech below:
Rest in peace, leader. You’ve shined your light so bright that it will, undoubtedly, keep lighting the way for us many decades past your departure. Thank you for setting an amazing example. Rest in peace…
Great worker and leader! I hope someone in Apple will be able to follow his ideas.
Good luck Steve
Greg Henderson tweeted something beautiful (in regards to “ideas”) today: “3 Apples that changed the world: the one that Eve ate, the one that fell on Newton’s head; the one that Steve built.” So true!
It took me awhile to believe that he was gone. I have so very few role models and people I admire and to lose one of them was just devastating. He was truly a visionary and one of the fathers of modern-day computing – the very reason I sit here typing this on my gorgeous iMac.
I just hope that Apple as a whole can continue to follow in his footsteps and lead the company to an ever brighter future.
Zane, I’m one of those people who never got a Mac. Didn’t want to loose time learning how a new OS, etc. But being a bag fan of my iPhone, as well as everything that Steve Jobs embodied and stood for, I may as well buy my first Mac soon…
iSad… Never bought a Mac (mainly because I could build a better performing machine cheaper) but I’m strongly considering one now. Honoring his life in a way…
I feel exactly the same way, Kush.
From what I have read, the guy was far from perfect, with employees even fearing to take the elevator with him in case they were fired!
However he did effect a paradigm shift in the way the consumer thinks about technology and for that we owe him a debt – although I am sure this change in perception would have manifested itself in another perhaps more subtle way with or without him.
I have heard the remark recently “It was Steve’s Apple, not Apple’s Steve”… which begs the question where exactly is Cupertino heading now the helmsman has departed? It must be the question on everyone’s minds. They have some time with the iPhone 5 but after that…
Whilst I’m on the subject of heading if Apple ever let
that garbageflash into their products I will see that as a betrayal of Steve personally. Lets see what happens on that front.We live in interesting times.