steve-jobs.jpgThat’s how Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, one of the most notorious figures in the tech industry today, concluded his commencement address at Stanford University on June 12, 2005.

The speech is one of those life-changing kinds, and although it has been around for a while now, I read it just recently. You should visit this page and read it too if you haven’t already done so.

In the following lines, I’ll try to explain you my point of view on Steve’s success, based on a quote from his speech.

I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it.

How could he love that? You may think that any sane normal being would hate to live such a life, and Jobs says he loved that?

Yes, he loved it. And I believe he really means that. Not only because at the present he has a gigantic fortune and remembering those times may be romantic for him, but because he saw things in perspective at that time and he believed that it was just a stage, part of the learning process of life. And who doesn’t love learning?

Sleeping on the floor and struggling to buy food may not sound too romantic for you and me, but they are valuable experiences. If you look at the small picture, there’s nothing to be loved, nothing valuable to be learned. But Jobs didn’t look at the small picture. He believed that this stage was just a dot waiting to be connected with other dots, from both from his past as from the future.

You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

And because he saw things in perspective, connected the dots and trusted his life, he got “lucky” and founded Apple, which today is one of the biggest companies worldwide.

Of course he faced many difficulties as the time passed, but the main reason why he managed to overcome them and get so successful is because he has managed to keep his “hunger” and “foolishness” alive, along with his love and trust.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.



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  • http://mindfullness.wordpress.com Alex

    I know I’m going to get flamed for this but I’ve always been skeptical of Jobs. He seems like a fake to me. I can’t take anything he says at face value. I don’t even like the way he treats other people (namely Gates). Not to mention that he is clearly a poor sport and if faced with unpredicted failure I think only then would his colors shine.

    It’s easy being great when everything is going your way.

    Just my two cents.

  • http://mindfullness.wordpress.com Alex

    I know I’m going to get flamed for this but I’ve always been skeptical of Jobs. He seems like a fake to me. I can’t take anything he says at face value. I don’t even like the way he treats other people (namely Gates). Not to mention that he is clearly a poor sport and if faced with unpredicted failure I think only then would his colors shine.

    It’s easy being great when everything is going your way.

    Just my two cents.

  • http://mindfullness.wordpress.com Alex

    I didn’t mean I’d get flamed by you. Just in general. A lot of people idolize Jobs like he’s Jesus. Everything that Jobs says is taken as the word of God. Lest someone insult the great Steve Jobs …

    It is difficult to learn from a person’s experiences to whom you can’t relate. Not to mention that it is an expected to story to tell.

    I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anybody try to downplay their hardships. Most rich people stress the apparent hardships they had to go through as though to justify their current fortunes and success.

  • http://mindfullness.wordpress.com Alex

    I didn’t mean I’d get flamed by you. Just in general. A lot of people idolize Jobs like he’s Jesus. Everything that Jobs says is taken as the word of God. Lest someone insult the great Steve Jobs …

    It is difficult to learn from a person’s experiences to whom you can’t relate. Not to mention that it is an expected to story to tell.

    I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anybody try to downplay their hardships. Most rich people stress the apparent hardships they had to go through as though to justify their current fortunes and success.

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    Hi Alex,

    Why get flamed? I appreciate and respect your opinion. But I don’t know why you want to pay attention to the his “darkside”.

    In the end, it is a matter of choice: wheter you want to look at his flaws or learn from his experiences, it’s all up to you.

    I’m not worshipping Jobs, but I think that there are some things that I could learn from him.

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    I agree with you here, it is difficult to learn from someone that you have difficulties relating to. But it’s not impossible!

    I’m not sure I’ve heard a rich man downplay his hardships, but at the same time I’m sure I’ve never heard a bum talk about how his hardships helped him… :)

  • http://nutshelljournal.com/ V. Neely

    Jobs has done some pretty shady things in the past, but he’s also accomplished great things. At any rate, he’s certainly doing better than most people. ;) And I have to give a brownie point to anyone who’s behind Pixar. I’m biased that way.

  • http://nutshelljournal.com/ V. Neely

    Jobs has done some pretty shady things in the past, but he’s also accomplished great things. At any rate, he’s certainly doing better than most people. ;) And I have to give a brownie point to anyone who’s behind Pixar. I’m biased that way.

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    Hi Alex,

    Why get flamed? I appreciate and respect your opinion. But I don’t know why you want to pay attention to the his “darkside”.

    In the end, it is a matter of choice: wheter you want to look at his flaws or learn from his experiences, it’s all up to you.

    I’m not worshipping Jobs, but I think that there are some things that I could learn from him.

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    I agree with you here, it is difficult to learn from someone that you have difficulties relating to. But it’s not impossible!

    I’m not sure I’ve heard a rich man downplay his hardships, but at the same time I’m sure I’ve never heard a bum talk about how his hardships helped him… :)

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    It’s only human to make mistakes… If I were in his shoes, maybe I would’ve done even more shady things. :) Anyhow, let’s not discuss Jobs, let’s discuss his ideas and creations, shall we?
    You know what Eleanor Roosevelt said. “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” Let’s be great!

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    It’s only human to make mistakes… If I were in his shoes, maybe I would’ve done even more shady things. :) Anyhow, let’s not discuss Jobs, let’s discuss his ideas and creations, shall we?

    You know what Eleanor Roosevelt said. “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” Let’s be great!

  • http://maxkaizen.com Max Kaizen

    First: delighted to discover your blog! clarity & creative insights from the 1st glances make me a happy reader :)

    Second: as we well know that whole overdone stereotype of the suffering artist has been so damn hard for humanity to shrug off, because it’s incredibly difficult to create from the comfort of complacent mediocrity. Not saying that to suffer is sublime. But creation tends to happen at the edges.

    I think it may have been Nabokov who would intentionally gamble away his book earnings to get back into the hunger, the drive that forces creation. There is a compelling beauty in the dark lonely places that artists, coders, empire builders have to go to it seems to bring back their prizes.
    But maybe we’re all just secretly masocistic & it’s an old story, this Hero’s Journey, and nothing need be forged in pain to produce magnificence.
    Being human is weird & irrational, especially if we focus on the flawed individuals who are the evolutionary forces. THink it was Somerset Maugham who said that “only the mediocre are always at their best”.

    LOL!! (rant rant rant) I’m particularly fond of the crazy ones, the misfits ..

  • http://maxkaizen.com Max Kaizen

    First: delighted to discover your blog! clarity & creative insights from the 1st glances make me a happy reader :)

    Second: as we well know that whole overdone stereotype of the suffering artist has been so damn hard for humanity to shrug off, because it’s incredibly difficult to create from the comfort of complacent mediocrity. Not saying that to suffer is sublime. But creation tends to happen at the edges.

    I think it may have been Nabokov who would intentionally gamble away his book earnings to get back into the hunger, the drive that forces creation. There is a compelling beauty in the dark lonely places that artists, coders, empire builders have to go to it seems to bring back their prizes.
    But maybe we’re all just secretly masocistic & it’s an old story, this Hero’s Journey, and nothing need be forged in pain to produce magnificence.
    Being human is weird & irrational, especially if we focus on the flawed individuals who are the evolutionary forces. THink it was Somerset Maugham who said that “only the mediocre are always at their best”.

    LOL!! (rant rant rant) I’m particularly fond of the crazy ones, the misfits ..

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    Hello Max and welcome aboard! It makes me *very* happy to see that you find my blog to be a quality resource!!

    I totally agree with you second point. You don’t see kids from mediocre families to achieve great thing too often… it’s either the very poor, or the very rich.

    W. Somerset Maugham ~ “Only a mediocre person is always at his best.” – this is a brilliant quote in the context, thanks for bringing it up! Fits perfectly. ;)

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    Hello Max and welcome aboard! It makes me *very* happy to see that you find my blog to be a quality resource!!

    I totally agree with you second point. You don’t see kids from mediocre families to achieve great thing too often… it’s either the very poor, or the very rich.

    W. Somerset Maugham ~ “Only a mediocre person is always at his best.” – this is a brilliant quote in the context, thanks for bringing it up! Fits perfectly. ;)

  • shamir

    I am a very big fan of steve job and apple product .my age is 18 .My pet name is APPLE.And my father made a management software (name of the office is “UPDATE SYSTEM” which is not so popular and
    1 My aim is to market the software to big company if posible APPLE and to learn animation
    2 Next my UPDATE SYSTEM office should have only APPLE product
    3 Next if posible i will have contact with APPLE to open APPLE STORE in india (TAMIL NADU state) because in our area only 5% of them use apple product
    4 Next i want to build a UPDATE UNIVERSITY with APPLE PRODUCT
    5 NEXT I WANT TO CONVERT POOR PEOPLE IN TO MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE And kindely send my the infomation in my mail id

    THANKING YOU
    your’s truthfully
    A.SHAMIR MOHAMED
    INDIA

  • shamir

    I am a very big fan of steve job and apple product .my age is 18 .My pet name is APPLE.And my father made a management software (name of the office is “UPDATE SYSTEM” which is not so popular and
    1 My aim is to market the software to big company if posible APPLE and to learn animation
    2 Next my UPDATE SYSTEM office should have only APPLE product
    3 Next if posible i will have contact with APPLE to open APPLE STORE in india (TAMIL NADU state) because in our area only 5% of them use apple product
    4 Next i want to build a UPDATE UNIVERSITY with APPLE PRODUCT
    5 NEXT I WANT TO CONVERT POOR PEOPLE IN TO MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE And kindely send my the infomation in my mail id

    THANKING YOU
    your’s truthfully
    A.SHAMIR MOHAMED
    INDIA

  • Shamir Mohamed

    Sir since 15 years the UPDATE SYSTEM office is there but our management software runing in 11 hospital and 1 petrol bunk only. My father has done a very good software but he can not able to market because he was a professor and main thing is we do not have more money .

  • Shamir Mohamed

    Sir since 15 years the UPDATE SYSTEM office is there but our management software runing in 11 hospital and 1 petrol bunk only. My father has done a very good software but he can not able to market because he was a professor and main thing is we do not have more money .

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    Well, Shamir, I wish you all the best in your pursuit!

    You’ll have a lot of effort to put into it, but seeing that you’ are passionate about it, the effort required won’t be that much of a problem.

  • Shamir Mohamed

    Sir i am very much attracted by steve jobs animation .so to get more money i have desided to learn animation Sir kindly send me the infomation about animation ,how to learn ,software cost,and send more details about animation in my mail

  • Shamir Mohamed

    Sir i am very much attracted by steve jobs animation .so to get more money i have desided to learn animation Sir kindly send me the infomation about animation ,how to learn ,software cost,and send more details about animation in my mail

  • http://armannd.com/ Titus-Armand

    Well, Shamir, I wish you all the best in your pursuit!

    You’ll have a lot of effort to put into it, but seeing that you’ are passionate about it, the effort required won’t be that much of a problem.

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