Apple…an iconic image which has come to represent and symbolize innovation, inspiration and intuition. Steve Jobs was the man who made it happen. Some say he is not only the greatest CEO the world has ever known, but the greatest innovator, artist and trend setter. His electronic products did more than make computing easier, more relevent and managable, it became (for some) a philosophy of life.
The outpouring of messages tweets, status updates and public statements in response to the news of his passing is pretty remarkable. You know you’re a pretty big deal when the President pays tribute to your life the day after your death.
Jobs’ story and the story of Apple is well documented. It is the story of rags to riches, from the garage to glory. But it is more than that, it is a story of never giving up and getting back up once you’ve fallen. Jobs himself was fired from the very company he founded. He experienced failure and fumbling only to return to Apple with a vengence.
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a better story. But as remarkable as this story is, it doesn’t explain the devotion, the loyalty, the affection his life and the company he founded elicited from the world.
Why was he so beloved? I think it’s because Jobs’ life inspired us to believe that our existance could actually make a difference in the world. He chided us not settle, he exhorted us not to simply work but to have fun. Jobs made us believe that if we just worked hard enough, labored long enough and demanded more from ourselves, we would be impactful, we could be successful, we would be cool, we would be happy.
Some of the more famous Jobs quotes:
“We’re here to put a dent in the universe.”
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
“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.”
“Your time is limited so don’t waste your time living someone else’s life”
His life came to represent all that we ever wanted from life, it represented what life was supposed be; impactful, successful, innovative, and most importantly cool.
News flash. You won’t; you can’t. Doesn’t matter how hard you work, doesn’t matter how long you wait. The most inspiring thing about Steve Jobs is also the most discouraging thing. He made us believe our satisfaction and ultimate happiness is a product of our labor. This doesn’t help us, it just hurts. It is a constant reminder of what we can’t do, what we will never be able to do. I don’t care how long you practice, how hard you work at it. If you can’t dunk a basketball, you can’t dunk a basketball.
Jesus Christ surpassed Steve Jobs on every level. He was smarter, more creative, more discipline, more demanding, made a greater more lasting impact and was just plain cooler. But the biggest difference was that while Jobs told us we could Jesus told us we couldn’t.
And that friends makes all the difference in the world. Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. He lived a perfect life, because we couldn’t. He died the perfect death so we wouldn’t. He came to be more than an example, He came to be our savior. That is good news.
Jesus doesn’t expect you to live his life, he wants to live through your life. So stop wasting your time hoping to live someone else’s life; give him your life!
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