We are all different. We come from different places, different backgrounds and different cultures, but we all share one thing: mortality.
With the death of Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple and Pixar Animation Studios, I recently became entranced by his words of wisdom. Steve Jobs was not God, but he touched many of our lives with his ideas. The 300 million iPods, 128 million iPhones and 62 million iPads sold, in addition to iTunes, the App Store and digital music downloads are a testament to that.
As a forward-thinking idealist, his mindset truly went all the way into the future, even to death. Steve Jobs had it right when he said, “Embracing death is a beautiful way to further life. We’re young, but how often do we still feel awkward, like we’re looking for friends to sit with in the lunchroom?”
Today, right now, this very minute, this very second, we are one step closer to death. Are we following our hearts? And more importantly, are we challenging ourselves? By no means did this man follow the pack. He didn’t graduate college, and by our arrogant standards these days we would have seen him as a failure, had he not turned out to be one of the most powerful minds of our time. He capitalized on every possible opportunity. He took the classes he wanted.
But as students, many of us push ourselves onto the already beaten path. We have our advisors plan out our schedule. We don’t think twice. When was the last time we threw off our already-set-in-stone mindset and just seized the day for what it was?
People often see death as an ominous ending, a thought pushed to the very back of our mind. But death should drive us. Jobs recognized that, and we should too. Death should drive us to take chances, take risks and never settle for anything less than our highest hopes. We never know when death will come.
The prospect of dying should make us see that when we’re too embarrassed to dance in front of people or accidentally trip while walking to class, we aren’t the only ones who have the clumsy gene. We are who we are.
Jobs couldn’t have put it any better when he told the Stanford graduating class of 2005 not to be anyone but themelves . When you know death is coming, why waste time being something you’re not?
Death will come. For some, it will come earlier than others. I’ve always heard the same exact thing from my elders—at one point, you’ll stop worrying and caring.
You’ll realize that as the years roll by, you owe it to yourself to live. Really live. They always say that ‘youth is wasted on the young.’ By the time we come to terms with death, we’ve already lived half of our life. And that’s when the regrets start pouring out: what we should have said? What we should have done? The places we could have gone? The people we shouldn’t have let go?
But, don’t let it get to that point, Jobs said.
Be your best self now. The clock is ticking. We all have the same ending—so go for it. Talk to the people you want to talk to. Be with the people you want to be with. Give the world a chance to surprise you. Take the opportunity to surprise the people around you. Be like Jobs and be creative and innovative. If you’re happy, be happy. If you’re sad, be sad. Don’t waste your moments on trying to live how you think you should live.
Jobs said what is rarely ever spoken. We’re all going to die, so might as well live. Stop worrying about the what-ifs. Follow your heart. And never look back.
