I am still amazed how much the two fears Steve Jobs mentions below influence me. They certainly slow me down and, if I am honest, sometimes cause me to fail to act altogether. But this is profoundly motivational… (bold is by me)
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, US computer engineer & industrialist (1955 – )
Are you ready to finally and completely commit to pursuing something great?
This is all the more poignant considering Mr. Job’s current circumstances.
Here’s what my favorite blogger, Seth Godin, said about him after his retirement was announced a few days ago due to his diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer:
A little empty
I guess this is how a sports fan felt when Joe DiMaggio retired.
Business didn’t used to be personal. Now it is.Computers didn’t used to make us smile. Now they do.
We didn’t used to care about whether a CEO made one decision or another, or whether or not he was healthy. I do now.
Sure, there was baseball after joltin Joe stopped playing. But it was never quite the same.
Thank you, Steve, for giving us all something to talk about and a way to talk about it with beauty (and fonts). We owe you more than we can say.
Seth’s blog is only one of two that I read every day without fail. I heartily recommend it to you!
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