On October 5th 2011, we lost an icon, one of the biggest geniuses of our times, The Zen-Master of Technology - Steve Jobs. He was not only an icon; he was an idol, an eternal source of inspiration, a maverick and a marketing genius. He was the patron saint of entrepreneurs. Sir Isaac Newton once reflected that if his vision extended farther than others it was because he stood upon the shoulders of giants.
As any creative person knows, and certainly those in business will tell you, that the road to ultimate success is often paved by initial failures; as long as they are viewed for what they are i.e. a treasure trove of valuable lessons.
From humble origins in 1976, Steve – more than anyone else – propelled Apple Inc. into one of the world’s best known and most admired consumer electronics companies. This was achieved through a relentless pursuit of innovation, technical perfection and high emphasis on design aesthetics. He inspired a cult-like following for himself and Apple products, many of which bore his signature style.
For 35 years, Steven Paul Jobs stood like a colossus at the global intersection of computers, consumer electronics, popular culture and fine design.
TIME magazine got it right when they called him “Technology’s Great Inventor”. People would wait anxiously to see his amazing keynotes; they would have to go through a huge line to buy the new Apple product because after hearing his speech, they felt that we couldn’t survive without the latest Apple release.
As he once said during his most valued thoughts,
“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.”
We actually liked all his perfectionism because his charisma and enthusiasm would get our attention in a way we could feel he was speaking directly to us, solving our problems, delivering something only we were thinking about. He knew exactly what to do, to grab our attention; in fact that’s what we loved about him.
For some, his philosophy is - what matters most is figuring out what you love to do, passionately pursuing a career in that area, committing yourself to thoroughly understanding it, always going by your own judgment, monitoring how you spend your time, and continually adjusting your activities in order to achieve the greatest happiness possible.
Apple and Steve Jobs were not really making computers or consumer electronics. It manufactured personalized dreams for seven billion human beings. In moments like this there is not much we can say, only thanks, thanks Steve for being so amazing. Rest in Peace.
