.. . . ...connect the dots.. . . .. . . . .

"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish"

-Steve Jobs @ Stanford grads

Last night I watched a video of Steve Jobs, the mastermind who created Apple computers and never graduated college. He was addressing a graduating class from Stanford in 2005. He tells 3 stories: "Thats it. No big deal. Just 3 stories."

The first was about why he dropped out of college, how typography on the Mac originated. He closed that story saying:

"Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you confidence to follow your heart."

Second on how cheating death changed his life and how

"remembering that you are going to die is the way I know to avoid the trap of feeling you've got something to loose"

His third and final story was about getting fired from Apple and how his "love" for what he does has allowed him to overcome public humilation, rejection and temporary defeat. He finished that story saying

"YOU'VE got to find what you love. And that is as true for work as it is for lovers....the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you beleive is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."

It was on TED.com, (the TED Talks website) which has recently become my "go-to" site if craving some good ol' multimedia...not to mention to be inspired/entertained/educated. Looking deeper, I found their description of what they hope to achieve at Ted Talks:

"We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other."

Wow. What a delicious concept, and final product no less. I know this is not new for many, but wanted to share, especially since passion is built right into their model of success...