What is your gut reaction when you see this name?
Happy? Envy? Pity? Reverence? Inconsequential?
What is the first word you think of?
Drive? Mean? Pioneer? Cold? Maverick?
Whatever you feel or think when you hear the name Steve Jobs, I highly recommend the audio version of the newly released Becoming Steve Jobs (if you aren't with audible already it's free through this link)
I've been listening to this audio book on my last 6 walks around the Bay here in San Diego.
If there is one word I would use to describe Steve Jobs' Entrepreneurial journey, it would be ROLLER-COASTER. (two words?)
Steve dropped out of College, started Apple, got booted, started NEXT (epic fail), joined up in Pixar (epic win), was re-hired by Apple...and crushed it.
Oh, and he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and cured. Then with liver cancer and not cured.
Steve re-invented himself as an Entrepreneur no less than 4-times, and each time came back better than before.
He was dubbed a complete dud dozens of times, and yet is now widely regarded as one of the most esteemed Entrepreneurs of our time.
His 2005 Stanford commencement speech is considered by some one of the best 15-minute speeches ever. (Text and video available below)
He breaks it down with 3 stories:
1) My first story is about connecting the dots.
2) My second story is about love and loss.
3) My third story is about death.
Steve understands the power of story, and the reality that we are all living a story.
The most powerful portion of the speech for me was:
"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.
It's near impossible to live each day like it's our last...and Steve acknowledges this by his statement: And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Fire Nation, we won't always be living a perfect day, or a day that brings us closer to our goals...but when we find ourselves living TOO many of these days in a row, then it's time to pause, reflect, and re-orientate.
Do you agree with Steve's statement?
You know I love hearing from you Fire Nation, and you know I love giving you that little push...only when you need it ;-)
Fire Nation, it's time to IGNITE!
~ John Lee
Click the video to watch!
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