#17 - Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

This video of Steve Jobs telling three experiences from his past that he had learned from them was inspirational, eye-opening and thought-provoking. The three lessons were:

1. That you can only connect the dots looking backward. 

- What I took from this was that we are going to make many decisions in our lives, some simple (like if we should wake up on time or just sleep in those 10 precious minutes) and some that will change the path of our lives (like what university to go to). These are two decisions that can make a difference in our lives, however we may not know it until years down the road. I think that this was a helpful piece of advice as, right now, people are asking me where I want to go to University and what program I'm interested in. This, for me is easy, although, then people ask about where I want to be in 10 years. The answer for this is a little more complicated. I have no clue where I will be in 10 years. I might be unhappy, married, with a job I hate and no kids, though I could also be happy, travelling, and single, but I might even be dead. The truth is none of us knows what tomorrow will bring so I think that by hearing Steve Jobs talk about how his life has been, shows us that we should live for today and to think about what will make us happy if we are lucky enough to have a tomorrow. 

2. "If you live each day as though its your last, one day you will most certainly be right"

- The thought of living each day as your last, isn't a new concept to society, however, actually thinking that one day you will most certainly be right is kind of crazy. I've known a lot of people that have past away throughout going to high school, so I try to get the most out of my life and make sure that I have plans to make sure I'm happy in the future. Though, the question that Jobs asked himself everyday, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to be doing what I'm about to do for my last day?", was eye-opening for me. Although I love the question, my first thought was that I'm still in high school and that I have my whole life ahead of me outside of going to IDCI. However, after I thought about it some more, I realized that I shouldn't be waiting to make sure that I am happy with what I'm doing, I should be happy now. So, now I've started asking myself before I get up every morning if I would be happy having today as my last, and I'm slowly making little changes. 

3. Remembering that you are going to die, makes following your heart easy. 

- My favourite line from this story was, "Sometimes life is going to hit you over the head with a brick, don't lose faith." Though this is a funny quote, there is also a lot of meaning behind the laughter. I think that many people settle for a lifestyle, while some keep fighting for their dream their entire life and never quite make it. It is my goal to never settle for anything. This is my hope as I believe that if we are to quit fighting for something half way through we won't ever experience total happiness. I also think that in order to gain anything we have to give up something as well. This is a balance that (in my opinion) many people don't understand. In today's society, many just want, want, want and never give, so I think that these people aren't actually totally successful. It is a common belief that money is happiness and that work is more important than home, however for me those two things are a lie. I think by keeping in mind that we will all die one day can help us remember what is truly important.  

So, stay hungry, stay foolish.