7 Life Lessons I learned from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs brought me into the software and computer industry over 25 years ago. On his passing, I thought I’d share what I learned from this extraordinary man.  As Steve was a Buddhist and we both enjoyed practical mysticism, I thought I’d share my lessons as Zen Koans . Zen Koans are designed to be experienced personally and have the ability to awaken our thinking and spirit on a much deeper level.

Steve was an enigma wrapped in a mystery to paraphrase Winston Churchill. Steve was a painfully private introvert with the vision and drive that would make Donald Trump smile.  So keeping with his simple doctrines for leadership I share these with you. Please share them with others and keep them with you as you lead your life, family and business.

1. Design matters in everything we do and don’t do. Find joy in the small and big design elements.

2. It’s alright to have your own vision of the world and then share it forcefully until others can get hold of their own visions and incorporate it into yours.

3. Difficult people make the best teachers. You will learn more from my outburst than you will from my silence.  Learn what motivates you and pass it on.

4. Seeing the world in different colors offers you many more products than making them just in black. Others see the world in black and white, take time to look for the colors.

5. It is never enough to wear formal black, you must be able to wear your formal black and it’s not always formal.

6. When given a second chance, don’t treat it as it’s not important enough to invest your life in. Don’t let your past angers kill your love for new life.

7. Living one’s life is not about the money or the power, it’s about creating a world than you can live in and excel at. Money and power have always followed breakthrough ideas even when it doesn’t.

Those are seven leadership rules I learned from Steve Jobs. But keeping in Steven’s spirit I give you the most important one last and hope you will share yours with me.

8. Don’t live someone else’s life; embrace your life and gifts in the way that it serves you and mankind. You never know how far your gifts, strengths, and life experiences can take you. But it doesn’t matter because it’s your life.

Thank you Steve Jobs  for everything you did to change the world.  You will be missed but your leadership legacy will live on in every life you touched.