I recently read Steve Jobs's 2005 Stanford University commencement address -- which John commented on. In it, Jobs describes a simple question he uses to measure how inspired he feels each day. Since the age of 17, he has been asking himself the same question every morning. "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" "Whenever the answer has been 'no' for too many days in a row," he goes on to say, "I know I need to change something."
Something to consider:
When you do what you love, you come to life. You wake up parts of you that are dormant. You give off positive energy which everyone sees. Take the time to find and follow your passion. Passion breathes life into you and everything around you.
Something to try:
1. Ask yourself the same question as Steve Jobs above.
2. If you'd rather be doing something else, articulate it as clearly as possible.
3. Move in that direction - start doing small things if you have to.
4. Realize that you're most valuable to yourself and the world when you're doing whatever makes you come alive.
Question: What makes you come alive?
Related Stories: | Topics:Leadership, Steve Jobs, Stanford University |
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Recent Comments | 6 Total
August 2, 2005 at 11:19pm by Stephen
I agree with starting out with little things. I think too many people try something (along the line of their passion) but become discouraged when success doesn't come quickly.
If you know what energizes you, it should become part of your daily to do list. I like to write. I also like to research topics and share my conclusions with others. But, my job doesn't allow me to do that every day. So, to get me "going in the right direction", I started my blog. It allows me to write my opinions while helping engineers and technicians develop.
August 4, 2005 at 2:50pm by susan
Finding a way to turn your passion into a money making enterprise is not as easy as steve jobs makes it out to be. This is especially so for people who are not in technical fields.
August 4, 2005 at 5:25pm by dennis
asking questions like this is surely going to
cause you to find answers that will begin
to open up your creativity which, if you
allow yourself some freedom, can be profitable.
I believe the principal is a universal one.
One thing you can be certain of - there are other
people who love what you love out there.
August 7, 2005 at 4:28am by Wiliam Arruda
Steve Jobs has it right. Look at all the strongest personal brands in the world and the one thing they have in common is their passion for what they do or how they do it. It doesn’t matter what field you are in or what your job function, if you think about it, you can link your passions to your career. And if you can’t find a creative way to do that, perhaps it is time to think about a new career.
August 16, 2005 at 4:30pm by Edie Rische
Since we only have one life to live, doesn't it make perfect sense to live it doing something we love? This is such a simple premise, yet most of us miss it. My job truly energizes me -- so I hesitate to retire from my resume writing and career coaching business. Helping people identify their passion and make it their vocation is my job and my life.
September 30, 2007 at 3:41pm by anonymous
I am now 28 yrs old and for my entire life I've been working and doing things that don't inspire me and I've done it for the pay (I am in the IT industry).
I am now realizing that this is killing me a little bit everyday. I work for a great company in a great environment with with great pay but to be honest this is not fulfilling. We spend a huge part of our day at work and if it's something that's just ordinary or that does not reflect our passions, it becomes boring.
I am now in the process of changing careers and I am going back to school to learn 3d animatio and visual effects. It's scary changing careers like that because even though I am passionate about graphics, film and animation I don't know how a typical day in a job of a 3d animator is like.
But, like jobs, I ask myself everyday "Is this what I want to be doing right now?", "Am I happy with this job and carrer?". The answer has been "no" for too many days in a row so I am now changing. Wish me luck :)
Another question that has been helpful to me in trying to find out what my passions are (I'm not like most people that have always known what they wanted to be since they were 5) is "what keeps me awake at night?" What excites me? Little by little things start coming to you and you'll know you're in the right track once you answer yourself in a away that is exciting!
Good luck to all!