STEVE JOBS

My Hero Steve Jobs

One of my great heroes has died. Steve Jobs was a major genius of our time. He has impacted my life (and the lives of tens of millions of others) with the iPhone, the iPod and the iPad. I love these tools and they have dramatically enhanced and improved my quality of life.

A few excerpts from a speech he gave at Stanford University commencement in 2005 is appropriate to this blog.

"My third story is about death. When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like this, "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.

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 of 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."

Great words from a great man.