My son is away at college and I haven’t spoken to him yet but I know that when he woke up this morning he was going to find out that his hero had died, Steve Jobs. It’s not just him but so many young men and women across the world that see Steve Jobs as the person that changed their lives. How they communicate, listen to music, work on their computers…the list is endless and all that he as done has added great value to the world.
A friend of mine, Dr. Emily Altman did a very nice tribute to Steve Jobs on her blog, she just provided quotes from his commencement address that he presented at Stanford University to the Class of 2005. His words say it all.
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.
You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
“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 going to 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. 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 until you find it. Don’t settle.”
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. Most important have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. I have always wished that for myself. And now, I wish that for you.”
My son will mourn his hero today and for many days to follow… along with many millions throughout the world.
