Beyond the Basics - Inspiration from Steve Jobs

The recent death of Steve Jobs is something that hit close to home for me. I recently lost my brother to pancreatic cancer. Maybe because of that, I have been more than slightly interested in Mr. Jobs, his vision and his outlook on life (and the world) now more than ever before. I've always been a big fan of Apple products, but never really got to know the man behind the empire.

In these past few weeks, I've watched TV reports, read articles and watched videos about Steve Jobs. In my opinion, he was a man of not-so-great integrity when it came to his personal life–and some business dealings as well. But he knew what he wanted and he made it happen. He didn't take no for an answer and he pushed forward, looking ahead and creating products that consumers didn't even know they wanted until they saw them.

Steve Jobs put together his seven secrets of success. They're simple. They worked for him and I believe that if we follow them, they can work for us too. Whether in our personal lives or in business, the same principles apply and we can become successful.

Number one on that list is "Do what you love." I absolutely, with all my heart, believe that everyone should do this. With the passing of my brother, I have learned that life is too short not to find time to do something that makes you happy. Find time to do something you love on a regular basis whether it's a hobby, spending time with your family, running your business, reading, walking... whatever makes you feel good... just do it.

One of my favorite quotes (and quite possibly my absolute favorite) is this:
“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin–real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” – Fr. Alfred D'Souza

Life passes by sometimes without us even realizing it. Life is too short. Do what you love. Start now.