Steve Jobs addresses the graduating class of Stanford by telling three stories. Simple stories of his life that all end in a powerful lesson. In his first story, one about his short college career and connecting the dots, he reminds me of myself and of many others my age. If someone comes to college knowing exactly what they want to with their life at the end of four years, it's rare. So, like most people, Steve Jobs hadn't the slightest clue of what his path in life should be, and he didn't see college helping. He took this to the extreme and dropped out of school after six months. In his time off he was able to explore his interests, and as we know, this ultimately paid off for him. I say that this reminds me of myself because I often wonder if I am at college for the right reasons. Do I really feel that this is what I need to achieve my goals in life? Or am I here just because it is a social norm? Required classes have always frustrated me because I would much rather learn about topics that are important and interesting to me or that I will use later in life. Jobs spoke about "connecting the dots" from the point in his life when he made this speech to the point of him dropping out of college. Like him, I take life on a day to day basis and don't really have an overall plan for myself. I just try to do the things I love and trust that they will get me to where I need to be. Hearing Steve Jobs discuss how he did the same thing was really inspiring.
In his next story, one quote stands out: "You've got to find what you love." In this story he discusses the period in life after he was fired from Apple. Instead of moping around and feeling like a failure, Jobs took this rough patch and turned it into something amazing. He used it as inspiration to keep going, and he ended up created more companies that are still extremely successful today, such as the one and only Pixar. Jobs stated that his motivation to still work after such a low point in his life was the fact that he truly loved what he did. He stresses that the only way to be successful is to have passion for what you do, and to never settle. As a college student who also believes this, I truly take his advice to heart, and will definitely use it.
"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." Sure, this may sound harsh, but Jobs has a great point. His third and final story is one about death. He explains how the thought of death has actually helped to live a better life. When reminded that death is inevitable, we realize that it is so important to be happy with what we are doing and to remember that fears of failure or embarrassment are pointless. With his scare of terminal pancreatic cancer, Steve Jobs knew first hand how it felt to be in the face of death. He knew how death suddenly leaves you vulnerable, and you realize that in life, you have nothing to lose when death is the overall end for all of us, and therefore, you should do whatever it takes to make yourself happy.
In his closing statement, Steve Jobs left the students of Stanford with the phrase, "Stay hungry, stay foolish." He didn't explain what it means, but it really does not need an explanation. As college graduates, this should be the most hungry time of one's life. Hungry for success, hungry for new experiences, hungry for fun and life. However, it is also a time to be foolish. A time to have fun and a time to make mistakes that you will learn from. Jobs is saying to stay this way forever; to have a want and need for life and to make every day a new and interesting experience, and this is some of the best advice ever given.
No comments:
Post a Comment