I am well-known in my various circles for my habit of sharing quotes which – in one way or another – resonate internally with my world-view, or otherwise impact me in a positive way. The following Steve Jobs’ quotes are examples of this, in honor of Mr. Jobs’ recent announcement that he will be stepping down as the CEO of Apple, a company he founded which became one of the largest technology companies in the world – primarily due to Mr. Jobs’ leadership and tendency towards innovative – and sometimes controversial – business strategies.
“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.”
Life can be challenging. It can be wonderful. It can be traumatic. The constant through all of it is how well each person is anchored to his or her own mission; in other words, the meaning one incorporates into one’s own existence. I am convinced that when you follow your passion, you have the strength, focus and fortitude to withstand the obstacles that life invariably throws your way.
“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. And 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.”
Sometimes this awareness comes through a lot of trial and error. But it was someone’s else’s famous quote that tells us “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” The trick is to adjust one’s behavior to evolved expectations. Once those two elements are in line, one’s own life happiness percentage is much increased.
“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.”
Life is cyclical. It is seasonal. It also shares some of the same characteristics as death. A person is born into a space only he or she can fill, then eventually dies leaving a space that nobody else is capable of filling. It’s very symmetrical; poetic, even. Both are universal; every human being shares both experiences – yet the impact on our surrounding relationships covers a wide spectrum.
“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for 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.”
Nobody knows when that last day of life will be reached. This quote to me speaks of planning: How can I have a meaningful effect on my world beyond the actual days of my life? Not only is it important to lay the groundwork in the day-to-day, but also to realize that some of the seeds being planted will be sprouting and impact our loved ones much later in THEIR own lives. What an awesome thought. What an awesome responsibility.
“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
It’s not what you say that counts; it’s what you do. People don’t know how you feel until they can visibly see the action. Talk is cheap.
“The problem is I’m older now, I’m 40 years old, and this stuff doesn’t change the world. It really doesn’t. But it’s a disservice to constantly put things in this radical new light — that it’s going to change everything. Things don’t have to change the world to be important.”
This reminds me another quote by Brandi Snyder: “To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.” Even the smallest actions have the potential to create the biggest ripples. We may not be aware of it, but be assured it is absolutely true.
“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”
When that day comes, and Steve Jobs has been laid to rest somewhere on the planet, you can be sure that those closest to him as well as those whose lives have been positively impacted by his life and achievements will acknowledge and pay respect to his legacy – not the public image, not the successful business leader image – but as a man who devoted his life towards “making it count.”
Steve Jobs' quotes reference web location, Wall Street Journal: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/08/24/steve-jobss-best-quotes/?mod=yahoo_hs
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