Steve Jobs is remembered as a tremendous innovator. He was a brilliant entrepreneur and amazing visionary. The former CEO of Apple was a leader and a legend. And he had much to say. He had thoughts about making mistakes, following your intuition, and making the most of life’s limited time. When he died, he not only left behind an extremely successful company, but also many words of wisdom.
Here are 15 Steve Jobs’ quotes to inspire you:
1. “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
When you are in the middle of a difficult situation, or you’re confused about your path, it’s important to trust that eventually everything will connect.
2. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
Be you! The world needs your unique strengths. Trying to be a clone of someone else, or to be someone you are expected to be, won’t work. You are wonderfully made and have a purpose only you can fulfill.
3. “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”
If your goal is to please everyone, you will always fall short; you will never make everyone happy. Listening to everyone’s opinions about your life can be very discouraging and it’s important to not let others’ judgments of your dreams and goals drown out your hope. Don’t let your innermost spark, the passion that ignites you, die.
4. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
Have you ever said, “I’d love to do (fill in the blank) with my time, but…?” Work through the “buts,” the fears, and the obstacles. Have the courage to follow your intuition.
5. “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
Push yourself. Stay eager to learn, take risks, and keep trying to do what others say can’t be done.
6. “If today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you are about to do today?”
Jobs said he looked in the mirror every morning and asked himself that question, and whenever the answer was “no” for many days in a row, he knew he needed to make a change. Facing ourselves in the mirror and asking this question to ourselves can help us determine if what we’re doing is truly important and whether your plans for the day actually line up with your priorities.
7. “I think the things you regret most in life are the things you didn’t do.”
How many of us have jobs we hate? How many of us live our lives in misery because we’re too scared to take risks? The greatest joy comes from living a life outside of our comfort zones, where we live vulnerably and authentically. We are called not to live sheltered lives but to boldly live our purpose.
8. “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”
Many of us spend our lives in discontent due to fear. Don’t live little. Remember your life is brief; move past your fears and stand out.
9. “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”
There has never been another you, and there never will be another you. You have unique gifts and talents that can change the world.
10. “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”
Be humble enough to admit when mistakes are made and move forward to your next idea.
11. “My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.”
We all have the same 24 hours in each day. Are you spending your time wisely?
12. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
Have you developed persistance, tenacity, and dedication?
13. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
The Encarta Dictionary defines innovation as a “new idea or method.” Are you generating new ideas or methods? You have the choice to live your life stagnantly or as an innovator. Which will you choose?
14. “I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.”
Keep progressing forward.
15. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
If you feel unfulfilled in your career, keep looking until you find what you love to do.
You only live once. Make it count.
Featured photo credit: Dent in Universe / Celestine Chua via flickr.com
