I was a bit unprepared for how hard the death of Steve Jobs would hit me. After all, we’ve known he’s been terribly ill. And most of all, I don’t know the gentleman, just admire him greatly – for so many reasons.
Yet on Thursday, as I did my final preparation for my Introduction to Entrepreneurship class at Purdue, I realized that we had to mark the occasion of the death of the centuries preeminent entrepreneur, futurist and transformational leader.
I immediately found the perfect finale to class that day. I told the class we had a surprise guest speaker coming via video. I then played the commencement speech Steve gave at Stanford in 2005 entitled How to Live before you Die. And as I set with the next generation of entrepreneurs learning from a great one – I cried.
I challenged them. I challenge myself. I challenge you. How can each of us bring our gifts to the world? What can each of us do to create something beautiful? Useful? Wonderful?
Here is an excerpt from Steve’s address:
“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.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]
And some final wisdom from him…
“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]
