JOBS

I recently finished reading Steve Jobs' Biography by Walter Issacson.  It was a fascinating life story of this iconic, incredible individual who created Apple and in doing so revolutionized the world in the area of technology.  I must warn you in the event you decide to read this biography that it is over 600 pages.  I found it so intriguing that it was very difficult for me to put it down.  It is one of those books that I wished it would never have ended.  He was an individual who barely made it through high school.  He eventually ended up attending Reed College, a private liberal arts school in Portland, Oregon but, shortly thereafter withdrew.  School did not interest him.  What did appeal to him deeply was a calligraphy class that he was allowed to audit at Reed after he withdrew.  At that point in his life, he was more interested in eastern spirituality specially Zen Buddhism and consuming LSD.  By all accounts, he was an extremely complicated individual.  When I say complicated, that's an understatement.  From being put up for adoption as an infant, to his diet of which he was a vegetarian, to his personal hygiene habits, which he was known to shower once a week and not use any deodorant. He was not in line with normal human standards, and to make things more unusual, he usually walked around barefooted. I am not knocking the Hari Krisna faith but, Steve Jobs was not a Hari Kristna follower.  At least not from what I read.  If he was, you can at least blame his habit of walking around in public barefoot on them.  However, I don't ever remember a Hari Kristna knocking at my door that emitted an unpleasant odor while barefoot.  Therefore, it is no surprise that very few individuals wanted to work or associate with him.  What was shocking to me was that he eventually did get married and had 4 children.  
 Aside from his complexities, he had an amazing desire to leave the world in a better place than when he arrived.  He was artistic and had a love for fine art, but he wasn't an artist in the traditional sense.  He had an interest in technology but from a visionary perspective.  In other words, he was not a technical or design engineer.  His passion was to merge art and technology together in a minimally simplistic way.  He was the epitome of someone who found his passion without any concern for personal enrichment. 
Ultimately financial fortune did arrive after Apple went public but, that was never his objective.  He accumulated wealth because he ultimately provided products and services that enhanced the life of billions of people and countless industries around the world.  He wanted to make a great product and he succeeded.  His approach was to find out what the people want before they do.  He once stated, quoting Henry Ford, "If I'd ask customers what they wanted, they would have told me a faster horse!" The bottom line is that Steve Jobs was no different than you or me other than his personal hygiene.  In fact, he probably didn't have the upbringing and tools that would have indicated early on a productive and creative life; however, look at what he created which has forever changed, in a positive way, all our lives.  He will be studied for generations to come and forever etched in history.  He died much too soon at the age of 56 with his entire family at his side.  A life too short but well lived.  We should all strive to leave this planet in a better way than when we first inherited it. Let's use our short time on earth wisely.  Go find what fills you with enthusiasm and unleash the genius in you.  I leave you with a quote on point.  "Vision without action is merely a dream.  Action without vision just passes time.  Vision with action can change the world."  - Author unknown. 
Just a thought. 

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