i felt like i was punched in the gut when i heard on the radio that steve jobs died today. i don't think more than a week has gone by in the last 20 years where i haven't touched something created by apple. or pixar. he was a true visionary and genius. revisiting the 'think different' campaign with images of wonderful, thought-provoking people such as jane goodall, rosa parks, alfred hitchcock, ghandi, jim henson etc it's not hard to picture him amongst these great thinkers.
just two days ago i was at apple headquarters in cupertino to begin a project for them. i am so proud to work for this company and truly believe in steve's words, 'you can't connect the dots looking forward. you can only connect them looking backwards. so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. you have to trust in something. your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. because believing that the dots will connect down the road, will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even if it leads you off the well worn path. and that will make all the difference.' i went off the well-worn path and somehow i ended up at apple.
these words apply to every thing i do in my life, in my work and my relationships. life can be messy, confusing and scary. we don't know what lies ahead but we have to work towards a vision of what we want our lives to be like.
when i close my eyes and think of happiness, i see myself riding my bike with my family, i feel sunshine on my face, i smell the ocean air. i have a feeling of my daughter being safe and secure next to us. togetherness. i don't see the latest shoes or clutch or caftan anywhere in this picture*. so how does my vision slip away so easily? how do i get so caught up in things that are just not important? days like these are meant as a time of reflection. to pause and think of a greatness of a life and how you too can impact the lives of those around you. even in the littlest way.
thank you steve.
quotes from his 2005 commencement address - the best 14 minutes you could possibly spend on youtube.
