By now, everyone is discussing the impact Steve Jobs has had on the world. When I first heard the news it was a surreal moment of trying to grasp the reality of a world without Steve. My first reaction was shock, followed by sadness and finally in reflection of the “dent” he made in this world. And what a dent he’s left.
Many of you are aware of how much impact Steve has had in shaping my personal views on business, design and philosophy. He taught us all that life is too short and not to accept the status quo.In shaping our vision, approach and thinking differently. goBalto is in so many ways is a reflection of what he pioneered before us.
It is with great irony that on the day we have laid out a vision in reaching for the moon, that somebody I have personally looked up for so long a time has departed us. However, he has left us a legacy. One which tells us that we don’t have to accept things as they are. That we should spend our time on things that matter and on what we are passionate about. I can not predict with absolute certainty where we will be a year from now. But I know (and after speaking with many of you tonight) we are on a similar journey to make to the world a better place. And leave our mark. And we should do it in a bold fashion.
So let us give a final farewell and toast to a mentor. An inspiration. A visionary. And go forth on this amazing journey before us. I end this email with an excerpt from the commencement speech he gave at Stanford in 2005 and one that has driven me to exceed my own expectations since we started this together.
“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
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.”
“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”
Thank You Steve.
Jae
Student
