October 5, 2011 - The Loss of a Genius

Today is the 21st anniversary of my father’s death and I took a bit of time to reflect on that and the interesting life that he led. I have always said that my life was boring but a very good one. My father led a life that although not adventuresome, it was certainly one that gave him a complete lifetime of experiences at a very young age. I have often wondered if I had shorted myself out of those kinds of adventures for the safety net of constant employment.

Just before I was to head home from work, Julia texted me that Steve Jobs, the mastermind behind Apple, had died. This was not completely unexpected as he had been fighting cancer for years, but still one that set me back. Understand that I am not an Applephile. I have owned the same iPod for the last five years and we just purchased an iMac that I still can’t figure out. I have watched Apple from afar but never fell in love.

Steve Jobs is a different matter, however. If there is such a thing as a man crush, I have had that for years. Jobs was an everyday man that went from being abandoned by his parents to one of the richest men in the world. He dropped out of college because he felt guilty that his adoptive high school-educated parents were spending money that they didn’t have to send him to a school that was one of the most expensive in the country.

He felt that he could do more on his own as he chased his dreams. And did he ever chase his dreams. From the garage of his parent’s humble home, he and Steve Wozniak created Apple. He went on to lead Apple to great heights only to be fired. Imagine being fired by the company you created. Yet he bounced back to lead the company to even greater heights, at one point, being the most valuable company in the world.

He was a genius at a time when we scoff at the very term. It seems that it is easier to believe that someone from the past is far greater than someone of the present. It is the reason that Babe Ruth will always be called the greatest baseball player ever no matter who comes after him. We find it hard to crown someone as being exceptional in our own lifetimes no matter what they achieve.

More than anything, I believe that Jobs was special because he didn’t fall in love with the thought that he was special. He was knocked down so many times in his life that he knew the only way to survive and make a difference was to work harder and never give up. When he found that he had cancer in 2004, he became a mere mortal and it drove him even harder. Even though he initially beat cancer, it made him look at life as being even more precious. When he spoke at the Stanford graduation ceremonies in 2005 he spoke from the heart.

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because 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….

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

“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 others' 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.”

Steve Jobs was no saint as some of his early indiscretions would indicate, but the man truly was a genius. He brought about change. In many ways, he changed the world. He didn’t bring world peace or find a cure for cancer but he did make a difference even to the end. Listen to his words, they speak volumes. Don’t ever let failure stop you; don’t ever let potential embarrassment hinder your efforts. Follow your heart and make a difference. Make use of what precious time we have.