In a commencement ceremony to the graduating class of 2005 at Stanford University, Steve Jobs, Apple founder and CEO, delivered an immaculate speech. On June 12th, Jobs, 50 years-old at the time, walked up to the podium and shared various stories about his life that included life lessons and words of wisdom that left a lasting impression on the graduates.

Jobs took the stage and was greeted by loud applause and cheer from the graduates and the audience. As he began, all eyes were on him and all ears were listening to one of the most popular technological masterminds in the history of the world. Silence filled the area as Jobs was about to tell his first life story.

Jobs began his speech by discussing his own story, going from being a college dropout at Reed College in Portland, Oregon to inventing the multi-billion dollar company we all know today from his parents’ garage with “Woz” (Steve Wozinak). He was very straight forward with the challenges he faced along the way. One of these challenges included being fired from the company he started by John Sculley, former marketing and sales executive from Pepsi that Apple brought in. He followed his challenges by emphasizing the importance of perseverance and to always follow your passions.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work,” Jobs told the graduates. “And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” 

Based on his past experiences, Jobs encouraged the graduates to not be afraid to fail as it is a stepping stone to success in the real world. “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future,” he said.

Throughout his speech, Jobs stressed the importance of following your passions in life. He strongly recommended to the graduates to be bold, don’t be afraid to take risks, and live life to the fullest.  “Stay hungry, stay foolish,” Jobs famously said.  These words are what has said to stick with the graduates to this day.

As the end of his speech approached, Jobs shared one last story about his ongoing battle with pancreatic cancer. Jobs was diagnoised with said cancer that previous year (2004). He spoke about taking advantage of living each day with a purpose. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” he reminded the graduates.

The audience listened as if it was the president talking up on the podium, hanging onto every last word of wisdom he spoke as he concluded his speech. As Jobs said farewell to the graduating class, there was a sense of inspiration in the air. The speech strucl a cord in every single member of the graduating class and their families. It was a true reminder of the powers of perseverance, passion, and purpose. Jobs had forever left an impact on the Stanford University class of 2005.