And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.

Dude, I love that. It's proving to be true in my life, for sure. Don't know if y'all know, but I applied for a carpenter helper's position on a whim, based on 1) not wanting to be in an office, 2) not wanting to be in school anymore, and 3) enjoying wood shop in middle school.

From that same speech, on failure and humiliation and starting over:

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. 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. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

I particularly like this:

"The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."

Jobs on death (same speech):

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.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

Two biographical tidbits about Steve Jobs that surprised me when I found them out (though I think they're fairly common knowledge now):

1) His sister is the novelist Mona Simpson.

2) His biological father is Syrian.

The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again

This is just beautiful.

The local news just showed a bouquet of flowers left at an Apple store and noted that the reporter had taken and sent the picture on an iPhone.

This is oddly moving to me: "I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley."

That he felt the need to apologize to Bob Packard for being ousted from Apple.

Caution - rant ahead.

K-Bug went by KCD's to get some paperwork she needs for school. While there she mentioned that I had been at CJ's school talking with the teachers. He comments to her that CJ is smarter than her. WTF? He kept on with it comparing CJ to his new step-son and how the boys are smarter then K-Bug and his new step-daughter. WTF? CJ has an amazing memory and still struggles in school, partially because he is bored. Also, hello - your daughter just graduated college in 3 years with a very respectable gpa.

He then got passive aggressive with her over the fact that CJ wants to spend the weekend up at a friend's cabin. CJ had asked his dad's permission since it would be during his weekend. K-Bug has nothing to do with that, didn't even know CJ had been invited to the cabin. Needless to day, KCD told CJ that he couldn't go. Ok, yes, it is KCD's weekend and his choice what CJ does - but seriously, why not let him have a weekend with his friend. Let the boy have a social life outside of ARP and karate.

Of course I can't talk about any of this at home. I try not to bad mouth KCD around CJ. But arrrrggggggggg.

wired homepage:

[link]