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Steve Jobs at Stanford

Today, Steve Jobs gave a heartfelt and personal speech. Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computer Inc. delivered a speech on valuable life lessons from his startup in the garage, to the head of a tech conglomerate. The 50 year old took the stage at Stanford University today on June 12, 2005 addressing a series of topics and encouraging the youth to pursue their dreams. 

A sea of eager faces washed over the crowd as Jobs started reminiscing about his own life starting from his early days of Apple when he and co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak developed the idea in a garage. They were just two kids who had no idea what direction they were going to take Apple, but they had an idea, they had the work ethnic, and they definitely had the brains. He was very passionate about the importance of resilience and perseverance. Jobs went on to talk about how being passionate and consistent can take someone as far as they’re willing to go. 

Jobs would then go on to talk about pivotal moments that shaped him as a person and as an entrepreneur. His departure from Apple after ten years at the helm was something that he focused on heavily. Expressing the importance of failure to the Stanford students, he recalled the time that former executive of Pepsi. Co ultimately led to Jobs’ departure from Apple. John Sculley may have been a roadblock in Jobs’ life, but through perseverance and dedication Jobs used it as a learning experience to go on to do bigger and better things.

Drawing on his own experiences, Steve Jobs offered advice to the Stanford students on navigating the uncertainties of life and finding happiness in the pursuit of purpose. He spoke passionately about pursuing one’s dreams, even in the face of adversity. “Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” Jobs said, encouraging the students to pursue their passions and stay true to their goals. 

In a touching moment during the speech, Jobs also spoke about the love of his wife and the support she’s shown throughout his journey. He expressed gratitude and an insurmountable amount of love to the woman who has been with him through his ups and downs. He implored the group to find someone who shares the same passion and can compliment your strengths. This was a more serious part of his speech and heartwarming seeing that he wanted these students to one day find the love that he himself found. With this part of the speech, he underlined the importance of meaningful relationships and finding joy in what you do.

As the speech started to conclude, the stadium erupted with claps, shouts, and an overall sense of joy. He showed a side of himself that not everyone gets to see. He not only shared insight and wisdom, but showed his personal side while talking about roadblocks and love. Instilling a sense of purpose and inspiration, these Stanford students were extremely grateful for the time Jobs took out of his day and come to share with them the experiences that have turned him into what he is today. The words that Steve Jobs shared will stay in the hearts and minds of everyone who attended.