“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” What does it mean, and why should you do it?
My iPhone 6 is too tall. I can’t comfortably reach the top icons while holding it with one hand.
So, I placed blank icons along the top row. I figured it was an opportunity to send myself a message every time I looked at my phone. The icons say Stay Hungry Stay Foolish.
I’m aware it’s rather cheesy to have a Steve Jobs quote on one’s iPhone (or, rather his own quote of the Whole Earth Catalog). The last thing the world needs is another guy who thinks he’s Steve Jobs.
Nonetheless, these icons are a useful reminder for me every day.
What does it mean to stay hungry, and to stay foolish?
Eight years ago, I left my life as a product designer in Silicon Valley. I had plenty of job opportunities. Since becoming an author, I’ve had plenty more.
I would have made more money if I had stayed on that path: a fat salary, stock options, and probably more catered lunches and company-provided massages. But I couldn’t get over the feeling that I hadn’t earned it.
Instead, I made the pursuit of my own curiosity my metric for success: How much did I learn today? How excited am I to do more tomorrow?
Turning down six-figure jobs to go eat garbanzo beans and potatoes for a few years isn’t technically foolish. I had a nice padding of savings, I had a family I could fall back on if I really fucked up, and I lived in a country full of opportunities.
But sometimes hyperbole is necessary to cut through the distortion field others have put up. They’ll tell you it is foolish, that you should take the safe route, and that you need Italian leather shoes to be happy.
I’m not saying you should build up credit card debt following your dreams. I’m not even saying that “following your dreams” is a wise thing to do (unless you recognize the discomfort you’re in for). What I am saying is that your brain — and all of the brains around you — will want you to play it safe. As far as they’re concerned, leaving the well-worn path is tantamount to hugging a grizzly bear. The world you live in is likely much less dangerous.
So, that’s what it means to me to stay hungry, and to stay foolish. Whenever I’m tempted to do the thing that’s more comfortable — the thing that feels safer — I’m reminded that I’m being ruled by my fears. Instead, as I contemplate my next move, I’m listening intently — as I stage each option in my mind — for a faint grumbling in my stomach.
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