LIVE LIKE YOU WERE DYING



US President, Barack Obama may have put it best. “The world has lost a visionary.

And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the

world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”

 To most today is a sad day because yesterday, the world lost one of its most magical, creative and innovative thinkers/inventors of its time: Mr. Steve Jobs. For most, he was the Co-founder and former chief executive officer of Apple Inc. He invented things like: The mouse, the Mac, the little wheel that allows you to spin back and forth on your iPod / iPhone for selections and many, many more wonderful little things that makes our world a little more special. For me, he was a man who dared to dream about all he could be within this life and not only spoke of it-but went out and made it happen. This is a man who dropped out of college (at the age of 21) and began to work out of his parent’s garage with a friend to pursue a calling. A man who was fired more than once. A man who knew all about failures and disappointments but didn’t allow them to shadow his desires. Today he was worth an approximate 8+ billion dollars, not to mention that the company is worth quad-duple that. Yet, the most important “worth” of all can never be measured in dollars. Therefore, it makes his “true worth” priceless.


Last night, I decided to turn in early from sheer and utter exhaustion of the day’s events, when I received a text from my dear friend, Armand about Mr. Jobs passing. The text read: “Steve Jobs died” A simple three word statement that left great impact for the rest of my evening. At first, I was “dazzed and confused”. My response to Armand was: “What? Who?” Even after I read his response, it still took me a few more minutes to fully digest the news.

At first, I was quite sad about it all. I started to think about how disgusting it was that cancer took the life of yet another great individual too soon. I began to think about what other incredible things Mr. Jobs would have delivered to the world if only he was healthy and was given the gift of a longer life. I became angry that he was only 56 and was not allowed to live out the rest of his dreams. Then, immediately all those thoughts came to a halt. I was doing the very thing I shouldn’t be doing – thinking negatively. A natural reaction for any human being when faced with the passing of someone’s life. Especially one that touched the lives of so many. However, one thought came to mind. He was a great man who lived with utter passion, every day that he was given. That was something to be proud of. Because of the way he lived, it gave me courage to do the same.

I have always lived my life by two things: That life is not about finding yourself, but creating yourself. The other: To always remain a child somewhere within your heart forever. Because of these two beliefs it has always dared me to dream my dreams, no matter what anyone else thought. Many find dreams to be silly and worthless. I say, without them you are truly nothing. Mr. Steve Jobs believed, that without them, life was not worth living. It can be said that in the past I have been too afraid to fulfill my dreams; but because this man lived and died, I may just find the courage to go the extra mile. For this I am truly grateful to him and for what his life has brought to mine. So today, instead of being sad that he died, I choose to be happy because he made sure that he truly lived while he was here!

To Mr. Steve Jobs:
Thank you for all you had the courage to be. May your spirit and imagination live on in the eyes, hearts and minds of your children and colleagues. That they may have the drive, genius and determination to take your legacy to new heights. A height that will reach you in i-heaven!

Finally, thank you for leaving me with a few things to think about today. You may just be the final reason that I’ve been given to succeed. God Speed. R.I.P.