It is Thursday, October 6th, 2011. If you've been following my podcast, you know that on Thursday's I post interviews with experts in Internet Marketing. However, today will be different, in honor of someone who has had a tremendous impact on the world.
(The regular scheduled interviews will continue next week Thursday)
I was in the Gym with a friend last night when we heard the news – “Apple confirmed – Steve Jobs is Dead!” Everyone gathered around the T.V. and stared at it as if we had lost a family member and couldn't believe it.
Why was it such a big deal for a man we didn't know personally? Great question . . .
Whether or not you are a fan of Steve Jobs, he is someone that has influenced you significantly. When I woke up this morning, I picked up my iphone and read a post on Seth Godin's blog called A eulogy of Action. On that blog he said:
Everything in our world is different because of the device you're reading this on.
This really spoke to me because I was reading it on my iPhone. However, if you are reading this, it should also impact you.
Steve was a College dropout who started Apple Computer in his Garage at the age of 20. In fact, he developed the world's first successful Personal Computer in 1984.
When Bill Gates saw what Steve had done, this was what he said:
To create a new standard, it takes something that's not just a little bit different. It takes something that's really new and really captures people imagination. The Macintosh, of all the computer's I've seen, is the only one that meets that standard
Steve Jobs pioneered the Graphical User Interface and had this weird device that people would hold there hand to navigate what happened on the screen – the mouse.
After co-founding Apple with his buddy Steve Wozniak, he was later fired by that company (very publicly) – a development that impacted him strongly. In his Commencement speech at Stanford graduation, Steve said that:
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life
He was right. During that time, his other company, Pixar, went on to create the first computerized animation film – Toy Story.
In 1997, Apple was near bankruptcy, and P.C's had their time to grow and dominate the computer industry. Steve was brought back on board and lead the company in the development of the iPod, iPhone and iPad – devices that, once again, changed the way the world worked.
Within a year – Apple was reborn.
Why am I writing this?
I know what you might be thinking – This isn't a tech blog, you don't come hear to read about technology.
No, I'm not trying to say that Macs are better than P.Cs or to make anti-P.C jokes (I will do that in later blog posts and podcasts, lol).
I'm not trying to get anyone to switch from Macs to P.Cs.
What I'm trying to do is to give an example of someone who has really changed the world. I've been talking a lot about using your blog to impact the world. Steve Jobs wasn't a blogger, but he did use his passion for Apple to revolutionize the way everything is done. What a great example of doing what you believe.
What are you passionate about?
Are you passionate about Blogging?
Are you passionate about Teaching?
Are you passionate about Music?
Are you passionate about Life?
Are you passionate about Helping People?
Are you passionate about God?
What are you doing with your passion?
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. – Steve Jobs