The Best Thing That Could Have Ever Happened

The email subject line was "Text of Steve Jobs' Commencement Address (2005)". It was an email forwarded from our school principal to all of the staff the day after Thanksgiving, so I read the words with gratitude in mind.

Jobs' first story was about "connecting the dots". He had my undivided attention. When I read the words "It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made", I knew that this man was telling 'my' story from a different perspective.

Steve's next story was about "love and loss". Once again, every word resonated with a kinship and the feeling that he could have been telling my tale. "It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it ... Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith." No matter how experienced in life I get, I keep swallowing those bitter pills. But Steve says, "Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it." The more I live, the more I find this to be true ...

The third story was about "death". " 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." It is with this type of thinking, that I have decided it is in my best interests to end a relationship ... make a career change ... or fine tune my living to a degree where I wake up each morning excited (or at least content) about the day that I have at my disposal.

I read this commencement address and was inspired. I googled 'Steve Jobs' this morning, with the intent on finding out just a little bit about him before I wrote this post. I was shocked and surprised when Steve Jobs' death appeared as a selection on my google's 'auto complete' feature. He died October 5th, 2011. I didn't read his words until I received this email October11th.

His words resonated with me before. They took on a deeper meaning after I realized that he had recently passed away ...


The more I look back and "connect the dots" ... the more I realize that the best things that have ever happened to me, were the hardest things to endure at the time. I have faith that this this will always remain to be true ...

** Note: all italicized quoted are Steve Jobs' words - not mine **