“[F]or the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
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.” – Steve Jobs
I’m not the only person to write a post about Steve Jobs passing today. I’m not even the first. From the moment the news hit the Valley, the local news, the tech blogs I frequent, even my Facebook page… All in a flurry of sadness, mourning, and tribute.
His passing left a profound and gaping hole in our world; a world he improved and immeasurably impacted with his ideas and innovation…. and other “i” words only he could have invented.
Stopping to consider this, I realized that it wasn’t his products or his companies that made him great (though they are insanely awesome and brilliant). It was that we all want to BE Steve.
We all want to be visionary.
We all want to be fearless.
We all want to have enough faith in ourselves to make that leap.
“[Y]ou can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”- Steve Jobs
If he left us anything, it was the idea that we need to BE who we are and embrace it.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it trying to be somebody else.”- Steve Jobs.
And, now I leave you with the commencement address from which these quotes came. Enjoy and “Stay Foolish”.
Apple would like to invite you to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences at rememberingsteve@apple.com.
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This commencement speech was amazing. To have such ideas, such power for words and such vision…what a loss.
I love that last quote. I read it yesterday and it’s now one of my favorites.
RIP Jobs.