In this third and final part of Steve Jobs’ commencement speech, he shares matters close to his heart, what moves him and how he is inspired

My third story is about Death

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

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.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent.

It clears out the Old to make way for the New. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch.

This was in the late 1960s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along. It was idealistic and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s.

On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous.

Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry.
Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Living your own dreams

One powerful habit from Steven Covey’s best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “begin with the end in mind”. This aptly describes Steve Jobs’ idea of looking in the mirror every morning and imagining it’s your last few days on this planet.

Would you be spending your limited time on things and with people you dislike, or on things and with people you love?

Sadly, many people go through life living other people’s dreams, not their own. They keep doing things they are not suited for or working with people they dislike.

Due to the fear of taking risks and making drastic changes that could lead them to a better future, they console themselves and keep postponing their plans.

Most of them keep waiting for the “perfect” time in order to make that much needed move. In reality, that “perfect” time will
never come.

Just imagine for a moment that you are in a seminar and the speaker asks you to write your own eulogy which will be read out at your funeral.

How do you want your family, friends and society to remember you? What were your notable achievements in your career, with your family, relatives and friends? Did you take risks and live your life to the fullest or did you play it safe and lived a life filled with regrets? As Steve Jobs advices: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” Have the courage to follow your heart and live life with no regrets.

Through my books and seminars, I have helped many people achieve financial freedom through property investments. There are no complex formulas or rocket science involved.

The correct way to overcome any fear of the unknown is to acquire the right knowledge and seek guidance from a mentor. The secret to achieving success is to remain hungry for a better life and remain foolish in pursuit of it.

Don’t take your limited time lightly and waste it away. Have a sense of urgency in the accumulation of wealth and in the pursuit of other achievements. In the past, it was the Big Fish that ate the Small Fish.

Today, it’s the Fast Fish that eats the Slow Fish! Hence Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish and be a Fast Fish.

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Article Contributed by:

Milan Doshi
Financial Trainer and Best Selling Author of
“How You Can Become a Multi-Millionaire Real Estate Investor!”
For more information, visit www.milandoshi.com

Copyright by Milan Doshi