“I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.” – Steve Jobs
What was driving Steve Jobs? An intense passion for his work.
Not a passion for money.
Not a passion for success.
But a passion for what he did every single day.
The dictionary defines passion as “a powerful emotion and boundless enthusiasm.” Let’s face it, work takes energy. But when your energy is fueled by passion, it’s a lot easier to wake up each day and put forth your best effort.
2. Trust Yourself.
“You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” – Steve Jobs
We can only investigate, plan and plot so much – but at some point we need to take a leap of faith and act.
Jobs was trained in Zen Buddhism and repeatedly spoke about the impact of intuition on his success. He even asserted that intuition was more powerful than intellect – or what he called “Western rational thought.”
In today’s fast-paced and noisy world, it can be difficult to settle down and listen to the quiet voice within. But it may just be worth the effort.
3. Find a way to differentiate your products – and perfect it.
“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.” – Steve Jobs
When you think of other companies, it can be difficult to find a single concept that exists throughout the entire product line.
But for Apple, that concept is obvious: intuitive design.
Jobs knew it was a mistake to compete only on speed, complexity, or technological features. This type of differentiations only leads to everlasting competition for bigger, faster, better…
Instead, he took a different approach to standing out in the marketplace: he created unique and intuitive designs for all of his products.
And that