The Apple of Our Eyes
I didn't know Steve Jobs. In fact, before today I hadn't given him much thought. Of course I knew he was the Apple guy. I also knew he was the Macintosh guy back in the day, when I was a precocious second-grader and would spend hours playing "Lemonade Stand" on one of his bigger-than-a-breadbox creations from the 80's. I knew he was a rich man, perhaps the richest of them all. But today upon hearing of his passing, I read some of his quotes. It was then that I realized, hey, maybe I do know Steve Jobs. Maybe we all do.
And no, I'm not smoking anything.
I heard the news of his passing via Facebook. That is pretty much how I get all of my news these days. I looked at Facebook on my smartphone, and while I do not own the iconic I-Phone, the device I used was undoubtedly inspired by Mr. Jobs' creations at Apple. I scrolled through many of my friends' posts, all wishing him godspeed. Then I read his quotes. I was moved to watch the commencement speech he gave in 2005 at Stanford University. Something was stirred inside of me. I re-read the quotes, over and over again. In case you missed it, here is the one that hit me like a two-by-four:
"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. "
Listening to the rest of his speech, I realized something even more inspiring than the words I had just read. He lived it. He didn't just talk about it. He did it.
With each time I read those words, it was more and more clear just how true they really were. I started to think how we all know this, deep down inside. We all know this! It struck me even more that this man, a phenomenally successful businessman beyond any of our wildest dreams, mentioned how listening to his inner voice and following his heart were the keys to his success. It was not about being smart, or studying the most. It was about listening. He spoke of trusting the universe, and always having faith that things would work out for the best. Again, he didn't just talk about it. Nope.
He did it.
Now of course, I did not know this man personally, but in some way I think we all know him, and not just because so many of us use his products daily. I believe we all have some Steve Jobs inside of us. We certainly all have an inner voice. We need to listen. That voice never steers us wrong. How could it? Our best interests are always at its heart.
And speaking of the heart, I believe this is why I felt such a strong sense of fullness and warmth in that area upon listening to his speech today. There is an interconnectedness between us all. I felt it tugging at me today, that invisible chord that holds all of humanity together, as I consciously discovered this man for the first time on the day of his death. It is such a wonder to feel that connection in the heart, sort of like a roaring fire glowing brightly on a cold winter's night. It is unmistakable. It has to be what life is all about. I mean, it simply has to be what we are doing here. And that fire was stoked by the words of someone I never met, who is no longer on the planet. I'm sorry, but in times like those, nobody can convince me that we are all separate.
One more thing. Whether anyone's inner voice brings the financial success of a Mr. Steve Jobs is also irrelevant. Besides, the real impact of such discoveries can never be measured in dollars. Money doesn't matter, titles don't matter, personalities don't matter. None of it really matters. It is all like window dressing anyway, able to be changed on any whim that strikes. I know Steve Jobs will be remembered for all of his technological accomplishments, and rightfully so. There is no denying any of them. His brilliance and impact on our society are surely immeasurable.
But for me, I think I will remember that he simply did what we all want to do. He followed his dreams. He believed in himself. He saw rejection as part of the grand scheme of life. He trusted his inner voice/heart/God/Universe/Spirit, and just look what he was able to accomplish. Yes sir. He did it.
For my part, I listened to my inner voice, which was screaming at me to write something like this as soon as I could. Oh, and naturally, I did it on a computer. It might not be a Mac, but in the end it doesn't matter. In fact, something tells me he wouldn't mind one bit. Godspeed, Steve.
And no, I'm not smoking anything.
I heard the news of his passing via Facebook. That is pretty much how I get all of my news these days. I looked at Facebook on my smartphone, and while I do not own the iconic I-Phone, the device I used was undoubtedly inspired by Mr. Jobs' creations at Apple. I scrolled through many of my friends' posts, all wishing him godspeed. Then I read his quotes. I was moved to watch the commencement speech he gave in 2005 at Stanford University. Something was stirred inside of me. I re-read the quotes, over and over again. In case you missed it, here is the one that hit me like a two-by-four:
"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. "
Listening to the rest of his speech, I realized something even more inspiring than the words I had just read. He lived it. He didn't just talk about it. He did it.
With each time I read those words, it was more and more clear just how true they really were. I started to think how we all know this, deep down inside. We all know this! It struck me even more that this man, a phenomenally successful businessman beyond any of our wildest dreams, mentioned how listening to his inner voice and following his heart were the keys to his success. It was not about being smart, or studying the most. It was about listening. He spoke of trusting the universe, and always having faith that things would work out for the best. Again, he didn't just talk about it. Nope.
He did it.
Now of course, I did not know this man personally, but in some way I think we all know him, and not just because so many of us use his products daily. I believe we all have some Steve Jobs inside of us. We certainly all have an inner voice. We need to listen. That voice never steers us wrong. How could it? Our best interests are always at its heart.
And speaking of the heart, I believe this is why I felt such a strong sense of fullness and warmth in that area upon listening to his speech today. There is an interconnectedness between us all. I felt it tugging at me today, that invisible chord that holds all of humanity together, as I consciously discovered this man for the first time on the day of his death. It is such a wonder to feel that connection in the heart, sort of like a roaring fire glowing brightly on a cold winter's night. It is unmistakable. It has to be what life is all about. I mean, it simply has to be what we are doing here. And that fire was stoked by the words of someone I never met, who is no longer on the planet. I'm sorry, but in times like those, nobody can convince me that we are all separate.
One more thing. Whether anyone's inner voice brings the financial success of a Mr. Steve Jobs is also irrelevant. Besides, the real impact of such discoveries can never be measured in dollars. Money doesn't matter, titles don't matter, personalities don't matter. None of it really matters. It is all like window dressing anyway, able to be changed on any whim that strikes. I know Steve Jobs will be remembered for all of his technological accomplishments, and rightfully so. There is no denying any of them. His brilliance and impact on our society are surely immeasurable.
But for me, I think I will remember that he simply did what we all want to do. He followed his dreams. He believed in himself. He saw rejection as part of the grand scheme of life. He trusted his inner voice/heart/God/Universe/Spirit, and just look what he was able to accomplish. Yes sir. He did it.
For my part, I listened to my inner voice, which was screaming at me to write something like this as soon as I could. Oh, and naturally, I did it on a computer. It might not be a Mac, but in the end it doesn't matter. In fact, something tells me he wouldn't mind one bit. Godspeed, Steve.
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