[Technopreneurship] Reflections and Learnings: Steve Job's Commencement Exercises Speech
What are the lessons that you learned after reading the commencement address of Steve Jobs? (at least 1000words)
“You’ve got to find what you love.”
I have always been wondering how people of extraordinary statuses in the economy lived their lives and how did they reach their current states. I’m not only referring to worldly wealth (which takes about the big part of the pie), but also of their intellectual and social aspects. It is always amazing to see them standing in a majestic podium with people admiring and applauding for them and their successes, but there’s more to it than that.
A few months ago, our facilitator let us watch the “Pirates of the Silicon Valley”, a life story of both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates depicting their life struggles and journey towards success. In the movie, I have learnt that it wasn’t really easy for them to have what they have now. Both of them have different stories, but one thing was common to them: They never gave up, even in the brink of life giving up on them.
Supplementary to this movie, our facilitator again let us read Steve Job’s commencement/graduation exercise speech in one of the most renowned universities in the world, delivered on June 12, 2005. I have been, more or less, familiar with his life (as depicted by the mentioned movie and from some articles that I’ve read), so I can relate to what he was saying to his speech.
The speech consisted of mainly three parts: Connecting the dots, Love and Loss, and Death.
Well, those titles were all just metaphoric representation of what the parts are really about. The first part was about how did his academic life go, and how did the failures became his platform for success. The second one was about how his love for work became his strength and driving force to go on with his life and career despite the hindrances and problems. The last one was about how he survived a seemingly incurable disease and living his days thinking that it would be his last. These occurrences in his life made a very big impact in his life, especially in his career.
From his speech I have learned not just a few, but many specific lessons.
The first and most important thing that I learned is: You’ve got to find what you love. This phrase, I think, is his very core principle that drove him to the peak of his success. If he didn’t love what he does, he wouldn’t want to pursue it. And considering the problems and failures that he encountered (being fired from his company that he literally started and many others), for a person who is weak-hearted, it won’t be easy to stand up again or he won’t really be able to recover from the blow. It was really remarkable of him.
I had to admit that this is what’s missing from me, I guess. Or I haven’t still found the “Love of my Career.” Yet. Looking back in my life, I haven’t got a specific job or activity that I really loved doing to the extent that it would become part of my system and everyday life. Not to mention having a specific “talent”, for I have none. I am a master of none, and really not a master of all trades. It is because I am the type of person that is easily discouraged. Whenever a task or job is very hard for me to accomplish (e.g. learning how to play the guitar, piano, etc.), I easily give up. Because of this, I am determined to find what I love. Just as stated in my purpose in life, I have to find it. I MUST find it. And now, I’m still searching. And I know that, when I’ve finally found it, I will surely be able direct my career toward success.
Failures are firm platforms to success. The bigger the blow, the stronger the foundation and resolve of the person becomes. I know that it wouldn’t be easy ignoring or forgetting the bad and heartbreaking happenings that will make one think that it would be the end of the world. There will be setbacks and discouraged moments that will be felt, but if one is determined, he will stand up and recover from those blows.
Relating to myself, I am a type of person who is easily depressed when something unexpected or bad happened to me. A specific example is that whenever I get low grades in school, I constantly degrade myself. But a good thing about it is that I easily recover and forget about it. I wouldn’t what those affect me in my future tasks, because I know it would just make matters worse. Instead, I think of it as a driving force to strive and perform well than I do. I think this is important, especially in ones’ career. Faults and failures are just normal. It’s just a matter of how you interpret and handle it.
Social and personal backgrounds don’t really matter. Jobs came from a poor family. His parents’ earnings were just enough to let him enroll in a prestigious university. But he didn’t stop there. He wanted more. It is true enough that how poor or rich you are doesn’t really matter. It depends on the person.
Trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. To connect the dots, one must look backwards. The future is not certain, so you have to trust on something. That something, whatever it is, will be the very thing to cling on when something is not certain. This will somehow drive you to go forward so that you won’t give up.
Think that this day would be your last. This is a very common cliché, but I think that there’s more to this phrase that being a cliché. Job’s thought of this every single day, and when he wakes up, he goes directly in front of the mirror and tells himself “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, he knows he needs to change something. It’s because he knows that thinking this day would be his last will make a person do all the right things to be done.
Because life is too short, one must always think that life is too short to waste. We must always live life to the fullest and enjoy its’ beauty. This principle will also help in making big decisions in life. We must do all that we can do for the best. Or else we will regret it.
Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let you decisions and resolve be influenced by people who doesn’t really know you at all - You are the master of your soul, so you know very well what you really want. Don’t let your emotions and feelings become mute. Intuition and hearts’ desire is also important. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Last, but not the least: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. Don’t stop there. If you think you’re genius and wealthy enough, then think twice. Life is a continuous learning. In order to become successful and to continue improving ourselves, it is vital that we should never stop learning. Of course, being hungry and foolish doesn’t mean that you will step on others and get what you want in a bad and harsh way. Again, be hungry and foolish, but remain humane. Not just for other people, but also for yourself.
Again, these learnings, I know, will help me a lot in my career and my life. Take it from the expert. Thanks to Steve Jobs. He sure knows a lot.
"Stay hungry. Stay Foolish."
-excerpts from Steve Job's Commencement Exercise Speech, June 12, 2005.
“You’ve got to find what you love.”
I have always been wondering how people of extraordinary statuses in the economy lived their lives and how did they reach their current states. I’m not only referring to worldly wealth (which takes about the big part of the pie), but also of their intellectual and social aspects. It is always amazing to see them standing in a majestic podium with people admiring and applauding for them and their successes, but there’s more to it than that.
A few months ago, our facilitator let us watch the “Pirates of the Silicon Valley”, a life story of both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates depicting their life struggles and journey towards success. In the movie, I have learnt that it wasn’t really easy for them to have what they have now. Both of them have different stories, but one thing was common to them: They never gave up, even in the brink of life giving up on them.
Supplementary to this movie, our facilitator again let us read Steve Job’s commencement/graduation exercise speech in one of the most renowned universities in the world, delivered on June 12, 2005. I have been, more or less, familiar with his life (as depicted by the mentioned movie and from some articles that I’ve read), so I can relate to what he was saying to his speech.
The speech consisted of mainly three parts: Connecting the dots, Love and Loss, and Death.
Well, those titles were all just metaphoric representation of what the parts are really about. The first part was about how did his academic life go, and how did the failures became his platform for success. The second one was about how his love for work became his strength and driving force to go on with his life and career despite the hindrances and problems. The last one was about how he survived a seemingly incurable disease and living his days thinking that it would be his last. These occurrences in his life made a very big impact in his life, especially in his career.
From his speech I have learned not just a few, but many specific lessons.
The first and most important thing that I learned is: You’ve got to find what you love. This phrase, I think, is his very core principle that drove him to the peak of his success. If he didn’t love what he does, he wouldn’t want to pursue it. And considering the problems and failures that he encountered (being fired from his company that he literally started and many others), for a person who is weak-hearted, it won’t be easy to stand up again or he won’t really be able to recover from the blow. It was really remarkable of him.
I had to admit that this is what’s missing from me, I guess. Or I haven’t still found the “Love of my Career.” Yet. Looking back in my life, I haven’t got a specific job or activity that I really loved doing to the extent that it would become part of my system and everyday life. Not to mention having a specific “talent”, for I have none. I am a master of none, and really not a master of all trades. It is because I am the type of person that is easily discouraged. Whenever a task or job is very hard for me to accomplish (e.g. learning how to play the guitar, piano, etc.), I easily give up. Because of this, I am determined to find what I love. Just as stated in my purpose in life, I have to find it. I MUST find it. And now, I’m still searching. And I know that, when I’ve finally found it, I will surely be able direct my career toward success.
Failures are firm platforms to success. The bigger the blow, the stronger the foundation and resolve of the person becomes. I know that it wouldn’t be easy ignoring or forgetting the bad and heartbreaking happenings that will make one think that it would be the end of the world. There will be setbacks and discouraged moments that will be felt, but if one is determined, he will stand up and recover from those blows.
Relating to myself, I am a type of person who is easily depressed when something unexpected or bad happened to me. A specific example is that whenever I get low grades in school, I constantly degrade myself. But a good thing about it is that I easily recover and forget about it. I wouldn’t what those affect me in my future tasks, because I know it would just make matters worse. Instead, I think of it as a driving force to strive and perform well than I do. I think this is important, especially in ones’ career. Faults and failures are just normal. It’s just a matter of how you interpret and handle it.
Social and personal backgrounds don’t really matter. Jobs came from a poor family. His parents’ earnings were just enough to let him enroll in a prestigious university. But he didn’t stop there. He wanted more. It is true enough that how poor or rich you are doesn’t really matter. It depends on the person.
Trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. To connect the dots, one must look backwards. The future is not certain, so you have to trust on something. That something, whatever it is, will be the very thing to cling on when something is not certain. This will somehow drive you to go forward so that you won’t give up.
Think that this day would be your last. This is a very common cliché, but I think that there’s more to this phrase that being a cliché. Job’s thought of this every single day, and when he wakes up, he goes directly in front of the mirror and tells himself “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, he knows he needs to change something. It’s because he knows that thinking this day would be his last will make a person do all the right things to be done.
Because life is too short, one must always think that life is too short to waste. We must always live life to the fullest and enjoy its’ beauty. This principle will also help in making big decisions in life. We must do all that we can do for the best. Or else we will regret it.
Don’t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let you decisions and resolve be influenced by people who doesn’t really know you at all - You are the master of your soul, so you know very well what you really want. Don’t let your emotions and feelings become mute. Intuition and hearts’ desire is also important. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Last, but not the least: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. Don’t stop there. If you think you’re genius and wealthy enough, then think twice. Life is a continuous learning. In order to become successful and to continue improving ourselves, it is vital that we should never stop learning. Of course, being hungry and foolish doesn’t mean that you will step on others and get what you want in a bad and harsh way. Again, be hungry and foolish, but remain humane. Not just for other people, but also for yourself.
Again, these learnings, I know, will help me a lot in my career and my life. Take it from the expert. Thanks to Steve Jobs. He sure knows a lot.
"Stay hungry. Stay Foolish."
-excerpts from Steve Job's Commencement Exercise Speech, June 12, 2005.