The world lost a great inventor and entrepreneur when it lost Steve Jobs. He left a legacy of simple, elegant designs that demystified technology.
For me, as a fellow entrepreneur, Steve Jobs left a legacy even more valuable than his design ideals: he set an example for how to run your business to make the most of the time you're given. He lived and acted with a sense of urgency and an abundance of passion.
My friend Erik Calonius had the pleasure of interviewing Jobs early in his career and reminded me of a quote that defined him throughout his life:
When you think that every day could be your last, you start thinking about the things that are really important to you. Of course, for almost everyone, there is an automatic response: family, friends, charity, community all make the top of the list. And indeed, in honor of Steve, I am heading home early today to play with my kids and kiss my wife. Then I plan to enjoy a nice glass of wine while staring out the window for a relaxing reverie.
But after that, I am going back to my second favorite place: work.
There is some irony to this for people who know me: For years, I have done this work-home-work routine each and every day. Even when I have a Board meeting that lasts into the night, I take a break to head back home to see my wife and tuck my kids in — always. And then I go back to work.
We've all read a lot about Steve Jobs in the past few days, and the "live every day like it's your last" sentiment is running high. I think the challenge — and the thing that Jobs was great at — is doing that day after day after day. We all make time for our favorite things after a seismic event — a death, an illness, an earthquake — but it is far more important, albeit more difficult, to do so on a random Tuesday. I think that if Jobs could pick a legacy, it would be to inspire a few more brave souls to make sure that that the things they will do today, both in business and in life, aren't so far off from what they would do if they knew there were no tomorrow.
That's the part that, sadly, the majority of Americans miss out on. And nowhere is that more true than at work, where we spend most of our time. For too many, work is a grind instead of a passion, a four-letter word. I'm lucky enough to share Jobs' absolute passion for work. A good number of my friends and colleagues I know feel the same way — and entrepreneurs absolutely have to, or their businesses will fail. But it is sad to see how many people do not cherish what they do for a living. I've written before about having a passion for work — the art of loving what you do. There is a test: You know you're doing the right thing when you pop out of bed in the morning (before your alarm goes off) because you're excited to start the day.
For me, as a fellow entrepreneur, Steve Jobs left a legacy even more valuable than his design ideals: he set an example for how to run your business to make the most of the time you're given. He lived and acted with a sense of urgency and an abundance of passion.
My friend Erik Calonius had the pleasure of interviewing Jobs early in his career and reminded me of a quote that defined him throughout his life:
"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" too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."
When you think that every day could be your last, you start thinking about the things that are really important to you. Of course, for almost everyone, there is an automatic response: family, friends, charity, community all make the top of the list. And indeed, in honor of Steve, I am heading home early today to play with my kids and kiss my wife. Then I plan to enjoy a nice glass of wine while staring out the window for a relaxing reverie.
But after that, I am going back to my second favorite place: work.
There is some irony to this for people who know me: For years, I have done this work-home-work routine each and every day. Even when I have a Board meeting that lasts into the night, I take a break to head back home to see my wife and tuck my kids in — always. And then I go back to work.
We've all read a lot about Steve Jobs in the past few days, and the "live every day like it's your last" sentiment is running high. I think the challenge — and the thing that Jobs was great at — is doing that day after day after day. We all make time for our favorite things after a seismic event — a death, an illness, an earthquake — but it is far more important, albeit more difficult, to do so on a random Tuesday. I think that if Jobs could pick a legacy, it would be to inspire a few more brave souls to make sure that that the things they will do today, both in business and in life, aren't so far off from what they would do if they knew there were no tomorrow.
That's the part that, sadly, the majority of Americans miss out on. And nowhere is that more true than at work, where we spend most of our time. For too many, work is a grind instead of a passion, a four-letter word. I'm lucky enough to share Jobs' absolute passion for work. A good number of my friends and colleagues I know feel the same way — and entrepreneurs absolutely have to, or their businesses will fail. But it is sad to see how many people do not cherish what they do for a living. I've written before about having a passion for work — the art of loving what you do. There is a test: You know you're doing the right thing when you pop out of bed in the morning (before your alarm goes off) because you're excited to start the day.
Work involves way too much time and energy to not enjoy the process — life is just too short. That message is the simple, elegant design Jobs truly left us.
No comments:
Post a Comment