"What inspires us most are ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. We appreciate when someone has the ability and willingness to be selfless, creative, innovative, or just dares to be different. Mother Teresa. Gandhi. Martin Luther King, Jr. All of them were ordinary people who decided that the world needed their help -- true leaders who believed that they could change the world and who, despite nearly impossible odds and tremendous opposition, weren't afraid to try, nor were they afraid to be who they were; they were authentic."
Ten years ago today Steve Jobs delivered what is considered to be one of the greatest commencement speeches in history: How to live before you die. Using 3 simple stories: Connecting the dots, Love and loss, and Death, he shared his truth and inspired people. As Walter Isaacson said,
"Even those who told me about his [Steve Job's] rough manner put it in the context of how inspiring he could be."
And like others who inspire us, he too became a hero. Heroes drive us; motivate us; teach us and encourage us to push ourselves and strive to be the best version of ourselves; one that is constantly evolving; one that striving to be the limitless version of ourselves, and often than not seen as being a little crazy. The Crazy Ones itself is now a term synonymous with Steve Jobs, yet often it is used to refer to people who are no longer with us, what about the current Crazy Ones? The one's who are alive and kicking and pushing humanity forward today? How did Steve Jobs inspire them? Would not a fitting recognition of his life and work be to ask them?
"[People] often...say Steve Jobs [died of] cancer...I only know Steve Jobs died for iPhone."
"Steve Jobs...really did change the way the world works...and did it in such an extraordinary way, so I think we'll be talking about him for generations to come as we should. I think he's going down like, Einstein; he's at that level."
"Steve Jobs and how he approached innovation was something that I've drawn from."
"Steve Jobs, he's impacted...me a ton...and one quote impacted my life and was a catalyst: 'go out there and find the best that humans have done and then go out and bring that in to what you are doing.' To me I want to make a difference."
"I read everything I could about Steve Jobs...in the 80's. I was really inspired by his view, the thing that was different, or is now proven but wasn't at the time, that computers can help people and it could be personal, that's not was anyone else was trying to do and that's what I wanted to do. I didn't go to college because what you could learn in college was about the science of computation, and what I wanted to do was put computers to use, and in a weird way, was more dedicated to that vision, that I literally got from Steve Jobs of trying to make computers useful in people's lives."
Myself, well Steve Jobs inspired me to question if he was the only one who 'thinks differently.'
So....
"Here's to a crazy one. A misfit. A rebel. A troublemaker. A round peg in a square hole. One who could see things differently. He wasn't fond of rules. And he had no respect for the status quo. People quote him, disagree with him, glorify or vilify him. But the only thing people didn't do is ignore him. Because he changed things. He pushed the human race forward. And while some may have seen him as a crazy one, others saw genius. Because he was crazy enough to think he could change the world, and he did."