I can’t think of a better way to kick off the weekend than by watching this Stanford Commencement speech by Steve Jobs in 2005. If you haven’t seen this video, I highly recommend it!
Even if you have seen it, it is worth another watch through. :)
Some of my favourite quotes from the speech:
On Connecting the dots:
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path. That will make all the difference.”
On Love and Loss:
“I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
On Death:
“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.”
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
What a thought-provoking, from-the-heart speech! Steve Jobs is one of the most fascinating and brilliant people of our time. Thank you for sharing this! :)
So encouraging…thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I think it is important to remember (as morbid as it seems) that we ALL will be dead “soon.” It’s just a matter of time for each of us… If that doesn’t give you a kick in the pants to live life now and to live it well, I don’t know what will!
I have always loved this speech. Have you watched Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
Both are chill-inciding, awe-inspiring speeches.
yes! Love that one too!
I was definitely brought to tears watching his lecture. There was a lot going on in my life and some of what he talked about really hit home for me. I’ll have to watch the Steve Jobs speech too.
wonderful quotes! so right on! :)
Wow. That’s a great speech; so heart felt. I’m sort of obsessed with great speeches these days. I’m all about the TED talks. It’s such a good reminder; to follow your heart because everything else is secondary.
i just discovered TED not too long ago…so fun!
Awesome!
Thank you for sharing, so inspirational!
I work in the corporate Apple offices and this makes me happy :)
Oh so true…
I particularly like the analogy to connecting the dots. We do have to trust that this path we’re on will all make sense in the end.
I have never seen this video before but it is so true, and the part that you highlighted about love and loss is so incredibly applicable to my life right now. Thanks for the dose of inspiration Ange, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
i saw this about a month or two ago. truly inspiring. life recently HAS hit me over the head with a brick (diagnosed with bipolar disorder), but this made me feel better.
i want to wake up feeling as inspired as when i first saw this, every day.
So inspiring! I love the connecting the dots analogy. I always always think of that. When something bad happens, yes it’s bad at the time, but looking back it will be a good thing because it will take me in another direction with new opportunities. Thank you so much for sharing :)
i love this…very inspiring! don’t be trapped by dogma–living with the results of other peoples thinking.. great concept!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m in the middle of making some career decisions. Big ones. I’m so very tired of my unfulfilling office job. I have all the signs that it isn’t right for me, but I’m scared to take that next step. I don’t know what I want next. Hearing these words are just one additional step in helping me move forward…
Love this–thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this Angela!
My favorite part: “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”
Yeah that’s exactly what struck me.
Fear of other’s opinions and them wondering who the heck am I – and that I can’t do it…that is a huge one for me.
I also just love the resiliency in “Have Faith” – and “Don’t Settle”.
DON’T SETTLE B&B…;) (need to actually believe it though)
We watched this in one of my final courses in college. Such a great speech. Steve Jobs is a genius, and really inspiring!
I’ve had that last paragraph of his speech on my wall for years to remind me of what matters.
Thanks for the reminder :)
Wonderful video! Thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend.