Steve Jobs: “Death Is the Destination We All Share”

The news of Steve Job’s death yesterday hit me with surprising force. I’m still not sure I understand why. Why should the death of a man I never met in a place I’ve never been affect me in that way?

Yes, I learned about his passing while listening to iTunes radio on my iMac; I saw the first headlines hit the news on my iPhone; I read the tributes on my iPad. Yes, this technology affects how I live my life every day. But this is about something completely different.

The word that keeps coming back to mind is “vision.” Steve Jobs was a man consumed by vision. He was a gifted leader, an outspoken visionary and an eloquent salesman, but all of that was fueled by his passion for his vision. His drive came from a riviting approach to life. In his own words:

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.

Having vision is not in and of itself all that amazing. I meet people all the time with great ideas and the best of intentions. It is the drive and the courage to pursue those values you say you believe in, to lay everything on the line for them, to say “no” to any lesser distractions that is exceptional and rare. And when it comes down to it, I suppose that is what the technology Steve Job’s company developed represents for me—it’s a visual reminder of what it means to live life purposefully and richly. And that’s why I will miss Steve Jobs.

You can see the rest of the speech from which the above quotes were taken in this video (it’s worth watching if you haven’t seen it before):