Inspiration

WHAT?

Recently while looking for inspirational speeches to help me come up with a speech for running for President of Alpha Phi. While looking through countless speeches, I came across one that really stood out to me. Steve Jobs commencement speech to Stanford in 2005 was the most inspiring speeches I have ever come across.

SO WHAT?

In Steve Jobs speech he focused on how he got to where was at that point.  He started off his speech with how this commencement speech is the closet he ever will come to graduating college. He spoke about how he dropped out of college, how he took the unconventional route in that sense. He told three different stories in his speech and the first started with everything happens for a reason. If he had not dropped out of college and if he had not taken classes in calligraphy at a local college the Macintosh computer would not have been the first computer with beautiful typography.

                  He next spoke on love and loss; in his life he and co-worker, Woz, had created Apple in his parents garage. After they had created the Macintosh he was fired. He was fired from the company he started. He didn’t really know where to go from there. He created Pixar. He kept reiterating how you have to do what you love, he said “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe 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. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.”

            His third story was about death. In 2004 Jobs was diagnosed with Cancer. The doctors told him that he only had about 3-6 months to live. The doctor told him to basically go home say goodbyes and lives his life for the next few months. Later, the doctor found that it was a very rare form that was curable with surgery. That was the closest he was to death. He then spoke of The Whole EarthCatalog, which was released in the mid 1970’s. One the back cover was the word “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish”, he ended his speech with “ I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish”.

           

NOW WHAT?

            So while writing my speech for Presidency I made sure to start of my speech with telling three different stories and keeping my speech organized just like Jobs did. The way Steve Jobs lives his life is very similar to the speaker we watched last class. Marcus Buckingham emphasized how important it is to focus on your strengths. I feel that Steve Jobs does a wonderful job of this, he never did anything that he didn’t enjoy; he constantly was working with his strengths and enjoying his work. Life the saying is life what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.  I aspire to be more like Marcus and Steve utilize my strengths more in life.



**Here is a link to Steve Jobs actual Commencement Speech for Stanford 2005**