What I Learned From Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs touched on some interesting ideas about following your heart and achieving success. He said you must believe the dots will connect down the road, even if you are so far off the path you think believing is pointless. Somewhere they will connect and allow for success. Steve knew he liked computers and even mentioned he appreciated the labels at Reid College, so he recognized what he loved. At times when that love hit a road block like when he was fired from Apple, his own company, he kept the faith and sure enough the dots connected and he is now in an incredible position in life.

Steve emphasized that you must find what you love to do. That is the key to you doing great work. He went to college, but didn't see the point in going after 6 months. For the next 18 months he was a drop in on classes he was actually interested in. If you can find what you love, you will be a happy person in life because you will be doing something you are passionate about. You must never let go of the hunt to find what you love and of course you must keep holding on to it, once you find it. Everyone loves something, it's up to you to find that something out there.

Live like it's your last day. Your time on earth is limited, just as Steve saw when he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, but later cured. It opened up his eyes that he only has so much time on earth and he must make the most of it, just as we all should. Don't ever let others' opinions drown out your own voice. Do what you love because you don't want regrets when you are old and tired and wished you made more of your life. Do what you want and love and what will give you success and satisfaction now instead.

What I Learned From Richard Branson

Richard Branson had some very interesting things to say, but there were a few key points he spoke about that really caught my attention. The first is that if you generally are not interested in a particular thing, there is a good chance you won't have too much success at it, and you won't grasp its full idea. Richard was dyslexic and was the opposite of a top student leading him to eventually drop out at the age of 15. That to most people looks like a person you might see picking up your trash at the end of the driveway a few years down the road, but not Richard. He simply had no interest for school. He wasn't book smart, but he was business smart and had extreme intelligence for making money. So, I learned if I am not interested in something, move on and find something im passionate for. That's where the wealth and success lies.

Another interesting point Richard made was about business in general and how you generate major success. You don't have to step on lots of people to find your way to the top. If you treat people well, people will come back for more. It's very true. So many companies these days are too into the product, selling it, and making money. They don't pay attention to the customer and details. With Virgin the people matter and if you want to be successful, pay attention to basic needs and the basic needs of people.

So much emphasis is put upon the struggle of the economy these days and how Capitalism is a bad system in ways. That leaves people my age with the impression that the system doesn't work. I learned from Richard that Capitalism does in fact work, but extreme wealth falls into the hands of few people. It's up to those people to make the right choices with their money and use it to create jobs and even solve world issues like global warming and AIDS. So, Capitalism does work, but it's up to the wealthy to help make it operate correctly.