I’ve never met the guy in person, but I really idolized him, way before I bought the iphone where I found about his death or this macbook that I am now typing this blog on. I idolized him the moment I heard his Stanford commencement speech, the one where he said:
Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. 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 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.
When I had first heard that, I had been so inspired that I had been propelled to act, to try to look, as he said. And that’s why I’m in a completely different place than where I was three years ago.
Another thing – isn’t it sad that not even all his money could save Steve from death? It just goes to show that money isn’t everything. It’s important to save for a rainy day, yes, but you also have to learn to enjoy the present, because who knows if you’ll even get to have the future that you’re saving everything for. Morbid thought but… that’s the harsh reality.
At least Steve got to live a fulfilled life, even though it was a short one. He found his calling, his passion, and he made a difference in other people’s lives. How many people can be lucky enough to lay claim to even just one small facet of all that he accomplished?
Keep looking. Don’t settle.
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