It's Life's Job

It's Life's Job (Steve Jobs, Commencement speech June 12, 2005) Jobs: "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." My Message As we have sadly seen the passing of a brilliant man a visionary and creative genius I thought it fit to use a few of his powerful words which he addressed Standford University in 2005. The above story has such a powerful message. We sometimes think of the idea of "what if today were the last", but how often do we use the heaviness of death to motivate us to do what we are set out to do? In Jobs' speech he is simply saying "Seize the day" While he acknowledges that no one wants to die, Jobs says the knowledge that we all will, should be motivation enough to live the best life possible. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” he says. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” How much more real can life be, when we learn that we are here for a short time only, and that is the truth. we don't know when our last day is, but we should at least fill our lives with all the things we really want to do. Life is too short to do something you don't want to be doing. Jobs truly made this idea a reality and it's not hard to see what came from it. This week, get out there and start making plans to achieve the things you have only dreamed of, start living to the fullest and getting ultimate pleasure out of every second that life has to offer. Have an amazing and awesome week! Darren Zwiers The Quote: “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.” - Steve Jobs