The End of a Life but not a Legacy

In the coming days, papers, magazines, the web and every conceivable talking head will be consumed by the death of Steve Jobs. His career ups and downs will be delved into, dissected and analyzed. The privacy he guarded so fiercely will unravel a bit more. We'll hear interviews with his colleagues, competitors and fans and see photos of his spectacular progression from college-drop out to one of the greatest tech innovators the world has ever known.

But as fantastic as all that is, I am especially moved by his humble beginnings as the child of an unwed, single mom who was put up for adoption and despite many obstacles and setbacks, his drive and vision never seemed to falter. It's hard to reconcile Steve Jobs - the legend, with Steve Jobs - the man who once turned in Coke cans to earn a nickle and walked miles to get a hot meal at a Hare Krishna Temple after he dropped out of school. He famously founded Apple Computers at 20 in his parents' garage, only to be ousted when the company reached the $2 billion mark ten years later.

But these "setbacks" didn't actually set him back at all. Each time, he kept moving forward, finding a way to do what he loved and build upon his entrepreneurial gift again and again. After being fired from Apple, he went on to found Pixar, the venerable movie studio behind such hits as the Toy Story and Cars franchises.

In the end, even the most successful, seemingly iconic of us cannot escape death. Death is the great equalizer and while he certainly must have known it was inevitable sooner rather than later, in his case, Steve Jobs left a great legacy of how to live your life in the here and now. I hope that future generations learn from his amazing journey and strive to continue with their passions, even in the face of adversity. Sometimes, the greatest things in life are accomplished by accident.

In a commencement address Jobs gave at Stanford University, he talked candidly about his life and passed along some lessons that are worth repeating.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

His work and his words outlive him and I've no doubt his contribution to our current way of life will be reflected for decades to come.