iMaverick: How Steve Jobs changed the world & what every young entrepreneur can learn from it

The late Steve Jobs of Apple has become an iconic symbol for entrepreneurs world-wide. From having cult followings in the early days of Apple, Jobs fan base has grown immensely throughout the world simultaneously with Apple itself, journeying from a struggling company to a global brand known for innovative excellence.

I consider myself very inspired by Steve Jobs. Now, when I say ‘inspired’, it doesn’t mean ‘influenced’. I’ve seen some young entrepreneurs from my generation (all Steve Jobs fans) be influenced by his actions. In simple words, they portray a young Steve Jobs in them. While this is not wrong, it always leads to duplication. I see an alternate version of a young entrepreneur shadowed by the fairytale of their favourite hero.

   

I see Steve Jobs differently. While, I do not try to duplicate any of his traits, how he saw life and its surroundings resonates with me every time I think about life. My favourite quote by Steve reads ‘Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it. You can build your own things that other people can use’. When I heard this the first time, only couple of years ago; I felt that most of my doubts towards entrepreneurship had vanished in to thin air.

It resonates with me personally because I was curious and often baffled by all the inventions around me as a child. I wondered how they worked, how they were built and what amazing skills were needed to built these things which every person can use. I, like most people believed that it required  superhuman intelligence, something only a selected few were capable of.

But, I was wrong. You can build your own things for others to use! If you see there’s a need, find the right people to back you up and take the courage to journey from an idea to execution, you will reach that vision. Failure is inevitable, It’s only part of the learning process. I’m happy to fail and start again than not trying anything at all. Steve Jobs himself was convinced that half of what separates from successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

A key lesson about learning from failure can be taken from Steve Jobs dismissal from Apple. When he got ousted, Jobs could’ve got lost in the dilemma of negative emotions, taken a lot of hatred, reacted badly to the negative press around it but, he didn’t do any of that. He immediately started NeXT computers, hoping to revolutionise the education market which needed an advanced machine at that time. If he only knew, that his NeXTStep technology would eventually be the operating system which would play a key part in the saviour of Apple when he returned in 1997. I’m sure he already knew it because he once said that You can’t connect the dots looking forwards; you can only connect them backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect you to the future. 

So, when you look at your life, I want you think of what’s that one thing that you always wanted to do. And, why have you not achieved it yet?. If there’s any barriers, differentiate the true barriers with excuses. All it requires is the ‘Mindset’, the way you look at things. And if you cannot come to conclusions of your own perceptions, see how Steve Jobs saw life. He saw it, lived it and changed it. Upon his death, he said Your work is going to fill a major part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to believe what you do is great work. And  the only way to great work is love what you do. 

So THINK DIFFERENT!

Written by- Niranga Nero Kaluarchchi (President, Monash Entrepreneurs Club)