A few hours back when I casually signed in my Facebook account, I saw the link of a page R.I.P Steve Jobs, you will be missed....
When I first looked at it, I couldn't believe it. I mean Steve Jobs, the sum and substance of Apple is no longer among us. Being youngsters, owning an Apple product is like the biggest pride for most of us. Iphone, Mac, Ipod, Ipad and stuff, all of it is bloody effing good - sleek, stylish and definitely very edgy.. and some time back, the innovative mind, the ingenious guy behind all this left us and is no longer there to puzzle us with more of his innovations!!
I live in one part of the world, and Steve Jobs lived in another. Of course, being a Pakistani student I have never met him, but yes I have to admit the fact that Steve Jobs had always been known to me as a genius, as a charismatic leader, as an extremely creative entrepreneur, a guy with amazing managerial skills, and nno doubt as the "wonderkid" of the Silicon Valley.
A lot of meaningful personalities expressed their sorrow on Steve's death. Have a look
I remember, it was my first semester of my Business Degree, back in 2005.. when a professor pointed out in class, that Steve Jobs' Commencement Address at Stanford at 2005, was the example of managerial skills and the determination to control his fate. If you want to listen to the address, kindly click here. I know most of you don't like reading much, but those of you who want to have a look at the text of this historical address, kindly click here
What a masterpiece really. A month after I came across this magnificent address, I had to do an assignment. It was a report on the life of some famous leader, and I had to assess that person on the basis of his managerial and leadership style, and well yes, the first man who came into my mind was none other than Steve Jobs himself.
So I went on, did some more research and scored an A- in the report. But you see it;s not about an A Minus or a successful report, or doing an assignment, its about all the lessons I learned after that. The life of Steve Jobs taught me the following points.
1. Passion is the key to success.
2. Even if you are not from a very rich background, you can still turn your fate into your favor, like Steve did. He dropped put of college due to lack of money, but instead of wasting himself, he joined calligraphy classes and he calls those calligraphy classes as the foundation of the stylish designing of Apple
3. If you are determined enough you can do anything. Apple started out in Steve's parents' garage, and today it is a company listed in the Fortune 500.
4. Stress Management and Conflict Management are very important. For instance, if you look at Steve's life, he got fired from Apple. But he didn't lose hope. He continued working on other animations, and worked on the most successful one Toy Story and later Apple bought Next, one of the animation studios Steve had founded, and Steve was back in Apple.
I can go on and on and on. But all I would like to do now is to pray that may his soul rest in peace. He really re-designed life by bringing out Mouse, and by introducing the touch screen technology. He was great in every aspect. As an entrepreneur, he is maybe one of the most creative men of the Silicon Valley. As a Businessman, he had excellent managerial and leadership skills. As a person, he was a great friend and mentor to many, and as a member of his family he was an extremely loving and devoted guy.
Many would see it as a loss that he is gone now. But I would say yes it is a loss, but we all should also be happy thinking that such a marvelous man once existed among us, and we should apply whatever we learned from him into our lives. That is definitely the best way to treasure his memory.
I would end by quoting a few things from his Stanford Commencement address.
"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."
R.I.P Steve Jobs, you really are one of the most valuable men of our times