Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

There has been a lot of death and tragedy in my world recently.  Some close to home, others not so close to home but still very sad to hear about.  Yesterday Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple and Pixar, lost his battle with cancer and while I did not know him personally I felt the loss of a true visionary, and a man that took the phrase "everything happens for a reason" seriously.  I have said before in my blog that it chaps my ass when things are not going right in my life and someone has the nerve to say "Don't worry, everything happens for a reason".  My instinct is to respond: f*ck you.  Not very lady like I know, but let the truth be told: I don't do many lady like things when I am upset.  In 2005 Steve Jobs gave the commencement speech at Stanford University and for such an intelligent man that could have talked about anything he chose to give a speech that focused on the idea of allowing life to take its course, that yes everything does happen for a reason no matter how horrible it may seem.  Not being able to afford rent or food, getting fired, being told you have a debilitating disease; all of these things are horrible life changing moments but according to Steve Jobs it is what made his life as amazing as it is.  All of those "dots" he saw and leading him to where he was suppose to be, and while it is a struggle to get through them at times, he encourages us to embrace the good with the bad and to use that to push us and to give us drive to strive for happiness and excellence.  He took himself from collecting bottles to feed himself, to founding the most powerful and innovative computer animation company on the planet.  He was not super privileged with family money or connections, he did it with hard work and determination to follow his heart and live his dream. 

I have to admit I fall all to often into the mental obis that happens when things don't go my way or when the world starts to pile hurdles in front of me.  I think we all do.  I vow that from here on out I am going to remember Steve Jobs and his great speech and his advice:

                    "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."

---Steve Jobs