Due to unexpected complications during a standard surgery, I recently had the opportunity to think about death and dying. I listened to my favorite speech by Steve Jobs, Commencement Speech, Stanford 2005.
Don't waste your time.
Stay hungry, stay foolish.
No big deal. Just three stories from my life:
1. The first story is about connecting the dots.
You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.
2. My second story is about love and loss.
It turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t loose faith.
The only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.
Don’t settle.
3. My third story is about death.
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 will be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. 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.
And yet death is the destination we all share. Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life‘s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
