“I think we’re having fun. I think our customers really like our products. And we’re always trying to do better.”
-Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs chose not to live by many of the rules that govern our daily lives. What he did live by is a handful of principles that defined his life and accomplishments. Arguably there are several more, but these are the ones I’d like to focus on here.
- Do what you love
- Be run by ideas, not hierarchy
- Make insanely great products
- Put a dent in the universe
If you look carefully, you’ll see that the latter point was only possible because of the first three. I call that the defining principle, the guiding point that acts as a culmination of the rest. The defining principle pushed Steve to continuously reinforce the first three, and to persevere even when it may not have seemed worth the effort.
Your life will be defined by the principles that guide your path. If yours involve taking care of yourself first and getting as much as you can at the expense of others, you’ll soon be forgotten by history— or at best be remembered as a thug.
No one sets out to define themselves as being selfish, nor even selfless. But whether or not you consciously know your principles, they are steering your path.
If you can’t articulate yours, how do you know where they’ll lead you?
-Jeff
