“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
What can I say about Steve Jobs that has not already been said? I guess just that the man, the icon meant a lot to me. The news of his death hit me harder than most have in recent years. I didn’t know Steve Jobs, but I knew him. Steve had become one of my go to people when I wanted to rally myself up and try again the "nearly anything is possible" thought process. So, in death Steve once again teaches me that not everything is possible and that life is too precious to waste.
Rarely have I read the news of the passing of a stranger with more than a hint of interest. I remember when Elvis died and I knew that a legend was gone. I remember hearing about John Lennon and spending the rest of the day listening to his music and reading about him, strangely numb from the loss of a hero.I rememer thinking that Jerry Garcia would be missed and then having a beer in his honor. I remember seeing the report of Hunter S. Thompson’s untimely demise and somehow smiling thinking how he went out on his terms. That is about the extent of my memories of celebrity deaths, but Steve Jobs was different.
Steve was the man that taught me that beauty can bring as much value to something as functionality. Steve taught me that business could be cool. Steve taught me that you can be brash and demanding as long as people know that in the end you’re all really in it together. Steve also taught me that no matter what, in the end……it all comes down to the legacy that you leave behind.
So, today one less pirate roams the earthhere is
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.
-Steve Jobs
February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011
