I have been reading the masses of news that is rolling in from all corners of the earth lamenting the loss of Steve Jobs.
He is not just a technical genius that gave people the power to tame the beast, but also a visionary who saw far ahead of his times. His success lies in ‘sticking with what is cool’. Apple has always been the cool brand. His signature turtlenecked lectures have been cool. When he was ousted from the very company he founded and was struggling to establish NeXT on a firm footing, he stuck to the cool tools. When he was unveiling one iStuff after another, he was the heights of cool…
In all his words and demeanor, he was an inspiring figure that somehow stood taller than his contemporaries. He was the giant on whose shoulder every person wanted to stand. He was the CEO every startup wanted to be like. He was the guru every preacher wanted to be able to speak like.
In one of his trademark statements, he unveils the secret to his success:
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.
[This is up on the WordPress Blog too!]
In one of his most quoted quotes, he says, “I want to put a ding in the universe.” And as he lies in the final slumber, I hope he realizes that he has put a ding out in the universe for a multitude of people. He has touched more lives than he could have ever imagined.He has changed the world, for the better, in a way that many would not even dream of doing.
Rest in Peace, Steve. We shall try to keep the ding echoing out there…
Scepticemia 