4 Lessons From Steve Jobs

Four great lessons from one of the most inspiring people of our time: Steve Jobs! May these inspirational lessons be of great use in your life.

The iPhone, the MacBook, the iPad; a few of the stamps left behind by one of the greatest visionaries in the modern world: Steve Jobs, the driving force that brought the company Apple to life. The lessons from his life and his work ethic are endless, as are the reasons to write about him in this article. Jobs wasn’t born a genius of course, he worked hard, and he built himself up from nothing. He dropped out of university to go after what he truly loved to do. It was a big risk, and he took it. He used to sneak into computer courses to learn more. I consider him one of my idols in life. I have read over and over again from people who have worked under him, as well as from his companions, that there will never be another Steve Jobs; another person with a so-called mesmerizing energy that can inspire others to do the best that they could, as evident from the creations of Apple. I chose four out of the numerous lessons to put forward, so let us begin.

“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 matter of the heart, you’ll know it when you find it.” The first lesson is from this quote by Steve Jobs. Love what you do and do what you love. Have a burning passion for what you choose to do because it is that passion that will push you to make your work great. I have seen people drag themselves to jobs that they hate, complaining day and night about how miserable it makes them. You have one life, why spend it in a work that drains your energy and your enthusiasm? It was Steve Jobs’ love and passion for Apple that made him persevere, even when the company was on the edge of bankruptcy. So, follow your passions. Do what you love, and the world will thank you for it.

Here’s the quote for the second lesson: “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.” This one is simple; don’t give up, have faith. Life will always throw obstacles in your way, but that does not mean that you should just stop when you hit the first obstacle, or the second or even the third. Persist, and you will make it. Whether you ask successful people you know or study the lives of the inspirational individuals in history, you will notice the same pattern of persistence. Steve Jobs was fired from his own company, the company he helped build, but that did not stop him and he did eventually get back in.

On to lesson number three: “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 inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” Let’s face it; life is short. You have one life to live in this world and you deserve to let yourself live it well. Keep your focus on your voice when it comes to your goals and visions, trust yourself. Many people are so obsessed with what others think of them or say about them, to the point that they unknowingly become slaves of society. All those dreams of yours that you pushed aside, all those ambitions that you dropped because others said you wouldn’t make it, will turn into an ocean of regret inside of you. I have spoken to family members that wish the clock could be turned back, only to do the things that they really wanted to do, but didn’t, because people didn’t agree with it or made fun of it. This is your life; follow your heart, your dreams. It is not worth it to follow the words of others.

Let’s hop into the fourth and last lesson, a very meaningful one; “being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.” I find this one very important, especially nowadays. It is common to find individuals who define themselves by their monetary wealth; but money is as temporary as our human bodies. Some individuals even make it their goal in life; to be the rich or be the richest. If you question Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, you will discover that it wasn’t a desire for money that propelled their lives, it was the passion for their work and a drive to be of service to the world. They wanted to change lives, to leave a bright mark on the world. Steve Jobs also implies in this quote the true meaning of being rich; it isn’t being rich in money, it’s being rich in soul, which is the only thing that will matter when your life comes to an end.

Steve Jobs was a truly inspirational man and I believe his life should be learned from every aspect. I will end this article with one of my most all-time favorite sayings by him, one that he narrated in an old Apple ad:

“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. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About 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 people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”