Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Aug 19
Steve Jobs Got Fired From His Own Company
I was just reading great story that was actually the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005 at Stanford University.
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories…
It is a famous speech so you may have come across it before, but I found it very timely to what I am currently experiencing.
In short the speech deals with three pivotal points in Steve’s life. From a certain point of view each was a dramatic failure or loss…well you can guess the punch line, but for me it is clear that if you want to get to the top you will likely fail once or twice along the way.
How you deal with those failures will likely determine the degree of success.
The question then and this is the part that is relevant to me right now…how to let go of the grasp on security and the “known” in order to take the foolish path that may lead to failure?
That’s the part I’m not too sure about. I’ve been a lifelong risk taker trapped in a non-risk taker’s psyche. So far I haven’t failed and I don’t have much tolerance for risk either. I’ll be writing more about this in my next newsletter…the risk vs. reward dilemma.
Check out Job’s speech though, it is worth a few minutes of your life.
This post was written by Jon Symons, see my short bio. Or use the contact page to get in touch.
I loved this speech- always great to read again!
I never came accross this speech before, however it is a great read. I highly suggest it and it is not that long.
Here is some quote I extracted from it:
“If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”
“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
and of course:
“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”