"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish"

     Now that over one week has passed since Steve Jobs's death, the reality of the situation has begun to sink in. I first received the news the afternoon of October 5th. I received a surprisingly warm and heart-felt text from my brother informing me of Jobs's passing. I couldn't believe it. I knew Jobs was sick with severe pancreatic cancer and that his end was soon, but I never imagined the level of impact it would have on me. I ran downstairs and shared the news with my uninformed parents. They, too, were shocked. The three of us proceeded to sit around the kitchen table and discuss the amazing accomplishments of this incredibly successful man. The more we talked, the more I realized how much I didn't know much about his life. Curious, I began to research Jobs; at this point various articles and eulogies had already been published talking about his life's accomplishments and his tragic death.

     But something stuck out to me. Of everything I read, not one article had published a single bad word about him. He was described as devoted, hardworking, visionary, inspirational, loving, appreciative, and so on. I read article after article, and the overwhelming love and real appreciation for this man was incredibly heartwarming.
      In the process of reading about Jobs's life, I came across a video of Jobs delivering a commencement speech to Stanford University in 2005. He speaks about three things: "connecting the dots," love and loss, and death.

     Jobs's success did not come easily to him. His biological parents put him up for adoption under the condition that he would be adopted by college graduates. Although Jobs's adoptive parents were not college graduates, they promised that Jobs would get a college degree. Jobs ended up attending Reed College, but only for a little while before dropping out. Then came a little company called Apple Computer, formed with an old buddy, Steve Wozniak. The company eventually flourished and grew to be huge, and eventually Jobs was kicked out of his own company by the very people he had brought in to help Apple Computer manage its rapid growth. For over 10 years Jobs was out of Apple Computer, until he found a way to return when the company needed him the most. Since then, the company has more than made its name and its products known to society (and deleted the word "Computer" from its name). With easy-to-use inventions like the iPod, Macbook, iTunes and the Apple operating system for computers, Apple has forever altered the way we communicate with machines, and with other people.
     I think Jobs's view on life was very admirable. In his speech, he says,

"For the past 33 years, 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."

     Jobs shows how he is accepting of death as long as he is happy and loving what he is doing on Earth. He shares with the graduates how much he truly loves what he does, and how choosing a career that you are passionate about makes a huge difference in your happiness. He shares these ideals with the students of Stanford, inspiring them to find their calling, and do what they love. He says, 

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."

     Jobs's outlook on life was incredibly unique. His effect on our society has not only been technological, but I believe emotional as well. Regardless of his riches and fame, I think people saw and will remember Jobs as a normal, genuine, relatable guy. I think that is why he is so inspirational. He is proof that anyone can succeed with enough hard work and devotion.
    
  Nowadays there seems to be a necessary path carved out that we must follow in order to succeed: Get A's, go to college, graduate, go to graduate school, and quickly find some kind of job. This is what you are "supposed to do." But, as Jobs has displayed, there isn't just one way to succeed in life. "Success" should be defined differently by every person. Success can only be measured by your own happiness. If you "stay hungry" and "stay foolish," you will likely achieve success on your own terms, perhaps in an unconventional way, and live a life with very few regrets.