Memorable Steve Jobs Quotes
“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.”
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
“There’s nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an iPad over in the UK and tells me the story about how it’s the coolest product they’ve ever brought home in their lives. That’s what keeps me going. It’s what kept me five years ago, it’s what kept me going 10 years ago when the doors were almost closed. And it’s what will keep me going five years from now whatever happens.”
“Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we’ve been thinking about a problem. It’s ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.”
“And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.”
“These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups, get medical information, the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. I’m not downplaying that. But it’s a disservice to constantly put things in this radical new light — that it’s going to change everything. Things don’t have to change the world to be important.”
“Picasso had a saying: ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal.’ We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas…I think part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians, poets, artists, zoologists and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world.”
“I read a study that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet. The condor used the least energy to move a kilometer. Humans came in with a rather unimpressive showing about a third of the way down the list….That didn’t look so good, but then someone at Scientific American had the insight to test the efficiency of lomotion for a man on a bicycle and a man on a bicycle blew the condor away. That’s what a computer is to me: the computer is the most remarkable tool that we’ve ever come up with. It’s the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.”
“My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other’s kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That’s how I see business: great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.”
- Project BE Bold
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Excelling Versus Maintaining
Life is a wild ride indeed. There is something within most of us that wants to maintain the things we’ve known and to be
able to predict where we are to go. “Change is never easy,” it has been said. But what if change is easier than maintaining what is?
What if listening to that deep voice within will bring a happier existence?
What is it that keeps us from reaching for new heights and leaving behind the fearful creature that brings on sleepless nights, troubled/stagnant days, and may simply lead to a future full of maintaining the same ole’?
“Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.” – Unknown
- Jen Engevik
Project BE Bold
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The Power of Words & Why “It Is What It Is” Doesn’t Cut It
Reading some thoughts by Anthony Robbins on how the words (or word associations) we use either weigh us down or give us wings
with which to fly. He suggests trying a simple exercise in an effort to change our thoughts from negative & energy-zapping to empowering & energy-provoking.
Robbins provides the following exercise:
1. Take a moment to write down at least three words you currently use on a regular basis…words that make you feel lousy, lost and lazy. These can include (but definitely aren’t limited to) frustrated, angry, scared, sad, incompetent, etc.
2. Write down next each word how it makes you feel. Does it affect your ability to succeed in your work, relationships, or other areas of your life? Does it keep you from reaching your goals and dreams?
3. Go on a crazy, outrageous, and fun brainstorming session! Write down new words that you can use in place of the words you listed. “Remember that your brain loves anything that gets you out of pain and into pleasure,” writes Robbins. Choose new words that will move you beyond limited thought to new places cookin’!
It’s quite interesting to think — your world is what you perceive it to be. Have you noticed the difference from neighborhood to neighborhood within a city? In Los Angeles, I’m always amazed at how one neighborhood can be inspired…pristine…creative…litter-free. Yet, a few blocks down the story can be completely different…litter everywhere…houses with cracking paint and barred windows.
The difference between neighborhoods…and minds…is vision. It’s what we perceive and what we manifest (create) as result.
As a Disneyland fan, I notice when I ride on the Pirates of the Caribbean some children cry their eyes out because they are afraid of the dark atmosphere & the freaky pirates, while others love it so much they want to go again and again. The only difference between the two types of youngsters are their mental perceptions.
In many sacred texts, “the word” is given much attention. I think this is because long-ago wisdom-filled individuals realized the words that run through our minds — are then spoken through our lips — which inspires action/or non-action — and then the results are seen in the home, in families and friendships, in the workplace, and in our neighborhoods.
Don’t allow the words & perceptions that run through your mind to be the end-all-be-all. One of my least favorite phrases = ”it is what it is.” I hear it all too often from people I love. An “is what it is” mentality is a cop-out. Don’t forget that we have the power to shape our worlds — moment by moment. It all begins by reshaping our perceptions and creating a new mental vocabulary.
Make it a bold day!
- Jen Engevik
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The Prince and the Monster – A Fable about Truth
Once there was a prince who was skillful in the use of the five weapons. One day he was returning home from his practice and met a
monster whose skin was invulnerable.
The monster started for him but nothing daunted the prince. He shot an arrow at him which fell harmless. Then he threw his spear which failed to penetrate the thick skin. Then he threw a bar and a javelin but they failed to hurt the monster. Then he used his sword but the sword broke. The prince attacked the monster with his fists and feet but to no purpose, for the monster clutched him in his giant arms and held him fast. Then the prince tried to use his head as a weapon but in vain.
The monster said, “It is useless for you to resist; I am going to devour you.” But the prince answered, “You may think that I have used all my weapons and am helpless, but I still have one weapon left. If you devour me, I will destroy you from the inside of your stomach.”
The courage of the prince disturbed the monster and he asked, “How can you do that?” The prince replied, “By the power of the Truth.”
Then the monster released him and begged for his instruction in the Truth.
The teaching of this fable is to encourage disciples to persevere in their efforts and to be undaunted in the face of many set backs.
- A Buddhist Fable
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On Drama and Unrelenting Passion
Thinking today about unrelenting passion…
I wonder sometimes about the reason for the ideas that run through our minds.
I watch people and find the unfolding human drama fascinating…
Now I’m sitting in a coffee shop across from a duo -
two professional women trying to get to know each other…
Expressing how they know certain things
that make them valid in today’s world.
It appears that a part of them both wants to prove that they just know things…
that they have the solutions to the world’s complexities.
They may have the answers…who knows?
If I had more time, I’d listen for an hour or two…
Last night I read how we human beings create drama, but usually the dramas we create aren’t real.
The secret to a healthy mind…a healthy body…and soul
is to try to keep the mind at bay.
It’s about keeping it calm.
Probably if we are worrying about wild dramas, we have too much time on our hands.
Instead of focusing on drama – or watching other people’s dramas on reality TV -
what would happen if we focused on our passions? Our talents?
We just may see our dreams come true.
Just some food for thought…
-Jen Engevik
Project BE Bold
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Musings on Visualization and Goal Attainment
I’ve been reading a lot about the concept of visualization. The process includes filling the mind with possibility and seeing success in a certain area
of life or pursuit. Top athletes use it as they navigate through their worlds, artists see something in their mind’s eye and bring it to life, and successful entrepreneurs stay awake at night contemplating their goal until it becomes a reality.
In my own quest for bold living, I must use the power of visualization more. The process has to include clearly defining my goals – knowing that I can reach them with hard work – and actually willing myself to believe that I am capable.
Quite some time ago, I sat next to my brother in his Jeep as he tried to navigate through a major life change. At the time, he was living on his friends’ couches and trying to determine his next step. It appeared that he was going through some sort of refining process…nothing seemed to come all that easy for him. Yet, he shared with me something that I will never forget. Out of his briefcase he pulled a notebook…he opened it to reveal his dreams. He had written down all that he wanted to become, the home he one day dreamed of owning, trips wanted to take, and things he wanted to accomplish.
“I wrote it all down and think about it each day,” he said. “One day I’ll make it all a reality…just you wait and see.”
I was touched. Today, my once nearly homeless brother has attained many of his dreams. He owns a home…has an amazing job…and makes a major difference in the lives of his employees. His life isn’t perfect…he doesn’t always make the right decisions or say the right things…but he’s a visionary.
Yesterday, my sweet cousin told me, “I try to think of the one thing I can do in a single moment that can have the most impact…that is my focus.” I like the way he said that…
For me in this moment…I need to dig in and believe. I need to visualize what I want to accomplish…smell it…feel it…and then become the task.
The easier, lazier path is to doubt…to listen to the voice that says, “You aren’t quite enough. Other people are more worthy. You’re just a dreamer.”
If everyone said that, nothing would get done in this world. There wouldn’t be a Disneyland, no skyscrapers, no Great Pyramids, no Apple Computers or iPhones, no cars, no running water…”
Why is it that we all too often allow other people to be great, while settling for mediocre in our own lives? Why is it that we allow our daily dramas to consume our minds and zap our strength?
The mind is a tool that we must use with care. I’m thinking I need to feed mine with vision. See what I wish to see and stay focused on making it happen. I must know that my vision determines my steps. Vision determines outcome.
- Jen Engevik
Project BE Bold
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It’s Time to Enlarge Your Vision
Visiting Mom’s house and came upon a book left behind by my brother by Joel Osteen. 
He wrote about how many times we human beings sell ourselves short. We settle for less than we’re worth on so many levels. It’s all-too easy to curl up in a ball and rock back and forth, lamenting about the things we could have done…or things we’ll probably never do.
Osteen wrote about a man who one day visited Maui. The man saw a beautiful home and mentioned that he’d never be able to enjoy living in such a place. With that mindset, he was definitely right. Or for the person who says…”I’ll never have a good relationship,” it will most likely be so.
We must enlarge our vision and go into action to make our dreams come true. It’s not about having a pricey home or numerous expensive toys…it is about open our eyes to the unlimited opportunities around us.
Osteen writes:
“You’ve been wallowing where you are long enough. It’s time to move on, to let go of past hurts, pains, or failures. It’s time to believe for bigger things. It’s time for increase, time for promotion, time for supernatural favor. But if that’s going to happen, you can’t keep going in circles, doing the same thing the same way year after year…the key to developing a fresh vision for your life is breaking the barriers of the past.”
In what areas of your life do you need to enlarge your vision? I dare you…me…us…to begin here :-D
- Jen Engevik
