Tonight my children (5 and 9) and I chatted about “Who was Steve Jobs?” They knew him as the man who invented my MacBook Pro, my son’s iPod and the amazing new iPad that they know we just need to have. And the conversation led to a discussion about “who will come up with more great ideas?”
As a marketer I can’t help but feel a big sense of loss at his passing. Apple is an amazing brand. One I admire, follow and use. Beautifully designed. Clearly communicated. And exceptional customer support. All companies aim to be like Apple and have an NPS (Net Promoter Score) like theirs. As I thought about Steve Jobs, I remembered something that I read:
“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. 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 others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
I always tell my kids that their generation will be the ones to create the next big thing…. And they could lead it or be a part of it.
My son has a great homework assignment recently. He had to write a persuasive letter for his head teacher. He decided to convince his head teacher that the school needed iPads. It’s an amazing letter. The biggest thing that hit me was a quote he used from an interview he conducted with a friend of mine, a teacher, who is using iPads in her classroom. “The iPad is changing the way we learn.”
Time will show us what an amazing contribution that Steve Jobs has made to this world…. More than we realise. I thank you Steve Jobs.
