Each Day Is Your Last

You might want to take a look at this video of Steve Jobs giving his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University. Here is the much quoted quote from that speech:

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

But what exactly does that mean, in practice? It’s a fair question.

For your interest, or not, in a CNN article there’s information about Jobs and his interest and practice of Zen Buddhism.

That’s it, let’s let the chap RIP now.

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4 thoughts on “Each Day Is Your Last”

  1. I liked the bit about joining the dots afterwards, not before. Inspiring stuff. I found what I do as ‘work’ now rather late in life but the experience gained along the way while I was looking for it holds me in good stead. I quit a professional job in ’95 when I got in to work one day at 8.30am & realised I already didn’t want to be there & I had to stay all day, not wanting to be there. Of course it had been building for a while but the decision kind of made itself, like many good decisions.

  2. I know about those decisions that kinda make themselves Angie. Thats how I came to be a monastic, it crept up on me over a good number of years. Glad I noticed and jumped when I did.

    I am really glad for you that you have come to something that you actually like doing and which is fulfilling too.

  3. I find important decisions nearly always make themselves if I don’t hurry them. The old saying ‘omnis festinatio ex parte diaboli est (all haste is of the devil) is a fair maxim.
    in gassho

  4. Somebody mentioned while I was at Throssel recently that I was going very slowly. I said I’d given up ‘rushing’. She said that’s a great example and she would try it herself.

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