Steve Jobs: Apple Genius, Word Guru

Sure, I carry my iphone proudly.... and my ipod connected to my car's stereo got me through so many commutes and long drives. But, the thing that impressed me about Steve Jobs was not just his amazing apple products. In fact, that impressed me the least.

What impressed me were his words. That a billionaire could somehow speak and reach billions. That he was always striving and learning, and making things better. His brilliant mind was full of ideas, and his words cut through a nation. And anyone who knows me, knows I love quotes. In high school I had an entire binder of quotes. I used to change my really cool AOL profile to reflect my favorites.

So Steve Jobs, here is to your creative mind, your amazing company, and your flare for life. You were one of the crazy ones; and whether you're an apple, a pc, or none of the above, no one would argue that you made this world a more interesting place. Here are your favorite words of mine:

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. - 1998

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.

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 other's 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 clearly left a mark. And some clear words to live by. And in insanely impossible standard to work towards. And while I love the quotes and words, and the world treasures the creations of this mastermind, unfortunately this is yet another time that cancer struck too soon and too hard. So while we all sit by hoping that one day there will be someone else as profoundly impactful in the business and tech world as Jobs, remember those who are still fighting & may be able to beat the fight. So go lend a hand or donate, and continue to make that difference this leader told us to:
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Johns Hopkins Pancreatic Cancer Research

Here's to the crazy ones....