On Staying Hungry and Foolish

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I remember watching a speech Steve Jobs gave at a graduation ceremony at Stanford University (You most likely know who Steve Jobs is, unless you live in a cave. And if you do live in a cave, I can't help but wonder how you have internet access to read this piece. But that's a discussion we will have some other time). In his address, he talks about three lessons he learnt from life.

About connecting the dots: He talks about the time he dropped out from university and did not know what to do with his life. He was not able to connect the dots. It was later in life that he realised that there were reasons for these events happening. He explained: "...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".

About love and loss: He talks about getting fired from his company, Apple, and having to start another company. He became a beginner again. He had to start from scratch. But in the end, it was worth it because he was able to expand this company into several companies, he met the woman who would become his wife, and Apple ended up buying his company. All the wonderful ideas he was able to develop at his company are still what are being used by Apple up until today. He explains: "Sometimes, life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith...You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill up 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 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."

On Death: He quotes something he read earlier when he was 17: "If you live each day as if it were your last, someday, you'll most certainly be right." He talks about how he had cancer a year earlier and how scared he was of death. It made him realise something -  that time is limited and that there is no point waiting for tomorrow to get things done. There is no point wasting your time living someone else's life. Live for yourself. Do what you love. Be happy. In the final moments of his speech, he talks about a publication which he used to read. On their final issue, they put a photo on the back cover which had a photograph of an early morning road. But it wasn't the picture that struck him, it was what was written beneath it. It said: "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." 

Steve Jobs died of six years after he gave this speech but this  will be one of those things that will continue to have an impact on people, hundreds of years to come. For some reason, every time I read or listen to it, it leaves me somewhat teary-eyed. I am so grateful for Steve Jobs' life and the lives of millions of people he touched. Learn from this. Live life wonderfully and try to be the best you can be in every aspect of your life. Cut off people from your life if they are toxic to you and have faith in yourself. Never settle for less.

I better round this post up. I have a lot of things I need to get done - two of them being: staying hungry and staying foolish. I hope you include these in the list of things you have to do.