This has to be one of the most powerful speeches I have ever heard in my life. It was given by a charismatic leader, the Co-founder of the cutting-edge technology company named Apple Computers. He built Apple to be one of the most valuable companies in the world. Unfortunately, last year in October, he succumbed to Pancreatic cancer and died, one of the richest people to ever live. His name was STEVE JOBS.
Despite his enormous success, Steve was raised with foster parents and never graduated from college. His life is a testament that nothing can stop you if your determination and resolve to succeed are stronger than your circumstances. His commencement speech titled "How to live before you die," which he delivered at Stanford University on June 12,2005, made a huge impression on me as a 17-year-old kid with big dreams and forever altered my life trajectory. I wish to write the whole speech, but because it is long, I have attached the link below to watch the speech. I have also extracted some important bits that caught my attention.
He says, "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".He continues, "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, 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 will know when you find it. Likely, any great relationship just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it.
"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 33years, 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 that I've ever encountered to help me make 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. 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 inner voice. And most importantly, dare to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
He finishes his speech by saying, "STAY HUNGRY.STAY FOOLISH"
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