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steve jobs

Mortality As A Motivational Tool

June 8, 2014 by Marc Guberti 2 Comments

End Of The Road

Everyone is looking for a source of motivation. Some people look for motivation in the music they listen, the books they read, and the inspirational quotes they get from the Forbes list. However, few people are able to keep the motivation they get from the songs and quotes they read and listen to on the internet. In order to gain and keep motivation, you need to think of a bigger picture that will almost force you to accomplish your dreams. It’s very easy to think of, but for most people, it will also be very scary. This kind of motivation is your own mortality.

Although not everyone agrees about where you go once time is up, it is agreed upon that we are by no means immortal. Many people want to think that they will live forever and only pursue dreams at an old age when they seem almost impossible to reach. Although there are success stories such as the one of 65-year-old Colonel Sanders founding KFC, most people give up on their dreams and do not get their goals accomplished at this age. Unfortunately, this occurrence is too common in every age group. Fewer people are pursuing their own dreams because they lack the motivation to do so.

I get my sources of motivation just like anyone else. I have an inspirational quotes app on my iPhone, watch some of Tony Robbins’ videos, and read success stories about people in my niche who make six figures every year. Then came a new way for me to gain motivation–thinking about my own mortality. In my opinion, one of the few problems (depending on how you look at it) technology will not be able to fix is our mortality. Technology has made us live longer and can make us live even longer, but immortality is out of the question.

If someone came up to me and told me about the motivational “secret weapon”, I would be very objective when I heard that the “secret weapon” was thinking about mortality. It’s scary and makes us realize that we don’t live forever. However, the person who used his own mortality as a source of motivation was the leader of a generation, Steve Jobs. I could go on about how he got kicked out of Apple and then ended up saving the day while doing other cool things along the way, but it is more important to realize what motivated him throughout his life. Some of the years he lived were very tough. He was adopted, dropped out of college because his family couldn’t afford it, and right when Apple started to become successful, Steve Jobs got fired. The difficulties he faced and his perseverance alone are incredible. Even when he became successful and regained his position as Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs continued to be innovative. The motivation behind his desire to do so much in his life was his own mortality.

His belief in using mortality as a motivational tool towards success was reflected upon in one of his most famous inspirational quotes, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

We all have an effect on the people around us, and some of us have an effect on people on a global scale. Steve Jobs had an effect on people in California, New York, Europe, and everywhere else in the world. When most people think of Steve Jobs, they think of the visionary that transformed Apple. There are also people throughout history who are remembered for bad reputations and villainous acts. People will remember you for how you lived your life and what you did while you were here.

You may have a bucket list of all of the goals you want to accomplish. You may have the list of 100 places you want to visit before you die. You may want to make $1 million every month so you will be able to live a life without financial worries. You may want to become a bestselling author because it is something you strive for. You may want to run the mile in under four minutes for the glory of doing so. You may want to become successful at a faster rate and start moving instead of staying where you currently are.

We all want to accomplish many things in our lifetimes. However, we only have so much time to accomplish all of the things that we need to accomplish. There are more valuable things we can be doing with our times than watching 32 hours of TV every week. Time gets lost this way; time that you can never get back. Having efficient time management is one part of the puzzle, but a strong motivation the other part of the puzzle.

That motivation, the other piece of the puzzle, is thinking of your own mortality.

It’s something very scary. It’s something that few people ever want to think about. There are so many things uncertain about what happens when mortality creeps in. We have no clear idea of what happens after this stage and are forever left guessing until the time comes. However, there are events in your life that you can control. You may not be living the ideal life right now, but you can change that. Whether you are a stay at home mom trying to bring in more revenue, someone who works at three different jobs, or someone who gets fired too often, there is always enough time to change your life and fulfill your dreams. Colonel Sanders started KFC at 65 years old and got to live to be 90. He did not let the life he lived earlier prevent him from pursuing and eventually fulfilling his dream. Now we remember Colonel Sanders as someone who stayed true to his dream and never gave up on it, not someone who gave up on his life and stopped trying.

The leader of an entire generation used his mortality as a motivational tool to be very productive and accomplish his dream in a predicament where most people would have given up. Although avoiding the thought of mortality at all costs is the easier option, it may be the motivation you need to realize your time is so valuable and you only have so much of it in your lifetime.

 

Filed Under: Mindset, Motivation, productivity, Success Tagged With: how to be more productive, how to get more done, steve jobs

Before He Changed The World, Steve Jobs Was “Nervous And Scared” During His First TV Interview

April 28, 2014 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

Steve Jobs had a big impact on the world. He founded Apple, created revolutionary devices, saved his company from bankruptcy, and turned it into a multibillion dollar enterprise. However, there was a point when Steve Jobs had to actually start. When someone becomes as successful as Steve Jobs was able to become, we often forget that there was one point when the company did not exist. Many years ago, there was Steve Jobs but no Apple. Not as far back was a time when there was Jeff Bezos but no Amazon. In addition, we often forget that Steve Jobs is a human being, and at the starting stage, he was “nervous and scared. Rare footage from Steve Jobs’ first TV interview back in 1978 says it all.

 

Filed Under: Entrepreneur, Motivation Tagged With: steve jobs

Two Great Quotes From Steve Jobs

June 29, 2013 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

With the Steve Jobs movie coming out in August, I decided to look at some of Steve Jobs’ inspirational quotes. These were the two that I liked the most.

 

“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.”

 

“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.[…] 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.”

Steve Jobs loved what he did, and he was able to make a comeback when Apple fired him. That takes a lot of talent. The message in both of his inspirational quotes are accurate.

We all work for a long time. Some people work more than others, but working will take up a lot of time. We have the option to enjoy what we do or grunt as we work. Choosing something to work on that you like will result in you having fun with your work.

People with bad jobs go through the days of work and talk about their bad job with other people. That is not the right way to live. We only live once. In fact, the thought of death motivated Steve Jobs to do more work and make an impact on the world.

There aren’t many people who like getting fired from their company. Getting fired from the company you started is a horrible punishment that Steve Jobs had to endure. Sometimes we will have to step out of our comfort zone. Everything will start to look different.

Steve Jobs didn’t lose his faith. He created Pixar which Disney later bought for $7.4 billion. Steve Jobs also regained position as Apple’s CEO. He lead the company from near bankruptcy to billions.

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. When that happens, just get up and continue.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: apple, business, business tip, inspiration, steve jobs

Turning Your Fears Into Ideas That Lead To Growth

June 22, 2013 by Marc Guberti 1 Comment

Apple has become a powerful company because it was able to create a lot of great products and sell them. There are many devices Apple has sold such as the iPhone, Mac, iPad, a mouse for the Mac, and others as well.

There are a lot of things you can say about the devices Apple produces such as reliable, fast, easy to use, or incredible. I use 2 devices I got from Apple every day (my iPhone 4S and Mac Book Pro). However, when people describe Apple’s products, few will say something about the number of buttons.

The iPhone has only 1 button. The iPad has only 1 button. The Mac has a very small power button at the corner. The mouse has only 1 button as well. Apple’s competitors had buttons all over their devices, so why did Apple do things differently?

Having less buttons in my opinion allows me to do more on my Apple devices. I am able to find the exact button I am looking for since there aren’t many buttons to choose from. This could have been the reason why Apple avoided using a lot of buttons, but after doing some research on Steve Jobs, I figured out the answer.

Steve Jobs had button phobia. He couldn’t stand buttons. If you look up pictures of him doing a Keynote presentation about the newest Apple products, you won’t find any buttons on his shirt. As the CEO of Apple, his fear of buttons made an impact on the designs of Apple products.

Apple products have few buttons, but that doesn’t mean Apple’s devices aren’t useful. I use them every day, and I never have to worry about finding the right button to click.

Steve Jobs had a fear of buttons, and one of the many reasons Apple is a thriving company is because there aren’t many buttons on their devices. If Steve Jobs did not have a fear of buttons, more buttons would have probably been added to Apple devices.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: apple, business, business tip, inspiration, reality, steve jobs, truth

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I am a business freelance writer who writes for individuals, small businesses, and corporations. My content will help drive engagement and sales to your business. I have produced content for several companies, including…

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