"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."
- Steve Jobs
These words seem prophetic right now. Here is what is coming up for me. I was always impressed by his last name. He surely created many jobs. But what we should get from this and apply to our lives is what Lincoln had phrased as "this too shall pass". Not just each moment, or incident, not just good passes, not just bad passes, we pass on with time. So what is your biggest fear? Fear of shame, fear of being judged, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of being ill, fear of money... what is it? Go within and find that which holds you back from living your life to its fullest, from experiencing all you desire, from being who you are meant to be.
When you run out of reason, start your journey, one step at a time. Your path will continue to unroll itself in front of you as you keep stepping on it, marching on. Tagore composed a song "when you call and no one comes, you march alone". When we seek for someone to follow us, then it is a waste of time.
Each step you take will make you bolder to take the next step. Those on the other side do it all the time. So what are you afraid of from doing it? Your fear is what your enemy feeds of. Embrace your fear, embrace your enemy. They are both you. Dissolve them within the same infinite that you exist and live your life like today is the last day. Make plans like you will never die. Even when your body dies, your plans continue after you.
True leaders make plans for others to follow even when they are no more. Apple will continue with the vision that Mr Jobs saw for Apple. Your work is your legacy. Allow the world to see through your eyes. There is greatness in every cell that comes together to make you. Do not hide behind the invisible veil of mediocrity and someone else's perceived demands.
Have courage! Courage to be simple! Courage to be stupid! Courage to fall! Courage to fail! Only the brave dares play the fool. Only the strong bend to serve. A great master is one with the most humility. Steve Jobs worked had for his vision and in turn created a world that he did not take with him. Now is your turn to create charisma and live it knowing that only the best will do, and that is what you attach to your name as you leave the battle field, the worldly ocean, the earthly plains, the material world.
This brings to mind when in the 90s corporations were disposing off their MACs for windows. The MACs were being given away to schools or as charity write off. Windows 3.1 was the "thing". I was shocked when every new thing they said Windows could do, MAC had been doing for 10 years. I did not understand this, except that this is the way marketing works. I used to be a software engineer in the 80s-90s. So when I got my powerbook at the turn of the century, people asked me why was I wasting my money. When Ipod came and every kid and wanna be kid got themselves one, I said to myself “aha!”.
As long as we do not give up our dreams, the world will come around.
