You may have read these thoughts before, but they are a great reminder from someone who we would all see as hugely successful…
When I
think of a successful person whose thinking and vision was so innovative it
shaped the way we interact with the world -Steve Jobs immediately comes to
mind. His powerful creative drive, endless search for perfection, and
unconventional thinking made him a legend of this generation.
And
while Steve Jobs is no longer with us, his ideas, his vision and his personal
success story continues to affect and inspire millions of people in every part
of the world.Here are 9 Guidelines of Life that Steve Jobs himself preached and followed, be it when creating his latest iPhone, building multi-million dollar companies or when facing personal and professional setbacks.
1.
Do what you love - "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."
2.
Develop beginner's thinking - "There's
a phrase in Buddhism, 'Beginner's mind.' It's wonderful to have a beginner's
mind.". Keep an attitude of openess as Zen Masters say, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few."
3. Never fear failure - "I'm the only person I know that's lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year…. It's very character-building."
4.
Break free from routine - "Kick-start
your brain. New ideas come from watching something, talking to people,
experimenting, asking questions and getting out of the office."
5.
Say "no" 1,000 times - "It's
only by saying no that you concentrate on things that are really
important."
6.
Believe in yourself - "The
ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones
that do."
7.
Persist - "I'm
convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from
the non-successful ones is pure perseverance."
8.
Give back - "You
know, we don't grow most of the food we eat. We wear clothes other people make.
We speak a language that other people developed. We use mathematics that other
people evolved… I mean, we're constantly taking things. It's a wonderful,
ecstatic feeling to create something that puts it back in the pool of human
experience and knowledge."
9.
Live with purpose - "Your
time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped
by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't
let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most
important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow
already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
These
are lessons for us all and there is really not much to add, except to say…
Thanks for the inspiration and for following your heart, Steve!
