I didn’t have to think twice about my favorite quote for today’s Blog Every Day in May Challenge.
A few years back, I was going through a very difficult time emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
It seemed like everything about my life was being controlled by the people around me, or in the case of my health, just completely out of my control. I was at the point where I wanted to tell the whole world (and God) to just shut up and leave me alone. I had enough problems of my own, but I felt like all the stress and pain in my life was being caused by other people.
At my lowest point, I discovered a quote by Steve Jobs that really slapped me across the face. Although I knew these things before I read the quote, seeing it from someone like Jobs really woke me up. He had amazing successes, but he also had incredible failures and heartbreak. What I admire most about him, is that he was his own person- and he didn’t let other people (or cancer) control the outcome of his life.
I printed off a copy of his words and stuck it to the front of my refrigerator, where it stayed for two years. By the time he passed away, I had been able to overcome most of the things (and people) that had been controlling my life. Steve Jobs had played a small part in taking back my life, so on that sad day, I stood in front of the fridge, tears rolling down my cheeks, and said “Thanks.”
So without further ado, Steve Jobs at the 2005 Stanford University Commencement Ceremony:
“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 other’s 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.”
*Anyone else notice the lady with the book on her head?



