Can you relate to the philosophy of Steve Jobs? – 13 Nov 2013

 

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Much has been discussed about Apple’s co-founder, Steve Jobs since his passing on October 5, 2011, more than 2 years ago.  That he was a visionary who set up a company to change the world he saw fit; to empower students with intuitive computers so they can do more; that he was a tough taskmaster who would sack you if you didn’t size up to his requirements.  I never knew him.  The only association I have with him is an apple ipod and apple shares that I still hold.

 

With a lot more bandwidth after leaving full time employment, I’ve had a lot more time to indulge myself in the rich trove of Youtube videos and see videos and interviews of Steve Jobs.  That he was a masterful presenter with clarity and focus is without doubt.  Of all these videos, the 2005 commencement speech he gave at Stanford University in 2005 still floors me, even though I’ve watched it several times.  It’s a video that’s been widely circulated and if you ever feel compelled to do something to make things happen, do watch this 14 minute plus video with subtitles at the end of this posting.

 

In essence the takeaways from his speech are

 

1)    Following your instinct.  That your life experiences lead to something eventually.  That it is about connecting the dots (life experiences). You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.  Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.  Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

 

2)      You’ve got to find what you love.  And that is as true for your work as it 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. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.

 

3)      Remembering that we’ll be dead helps one to make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

 

You can’t interpret Steve Job’s speech to the extreme.  It doesn’t mean you throw all caution to the wind and live life recklessly.  To different extent, we have financial commitments and obligations.  Once these are more or less in order, we can be in a better situation to “Stay Hungry.  Stay Foolish” (Again, in the words of Steve Jobs).

 

This is how the takeaway points relate to me

 

Following your instinct – As I recollect my work experience in banking, advisory and government and my degrees in real estate and applied finance and try to connect the “dots” looking back, I realized that they all came together to help me to solve problems and create wealth for others.  That one day I’ll be in a good position to give good, sensible financial advice to people who sought for it.  And it all came together in the present form of Empower Advisory.

 

You’ve got to find what you love – I’ve always believe that the only way to be happy at work is to find work that you love, especially since we spend so many hours at work.  The day I wake up in the morning and have to drag myself to work is the day I know I might have to move on.  I believe most of us have a high threshold of pain but if it is not working out the way we envision, we have to be honest to ourselves.  Empower Advisory is a labour of love and I’m glad to be able to leave full time employment to devote myself to it.

 

Remembering that we’ll be dead helps one to make the big choices in life – This is so true.  I could have been comfortable within the public service as my good performance was recognized by senior management who offered transfer options to retain me when I tendered my resignation.  But I wanted to change things that I could not had I remained in public service as it was not in my scope of work.  The longer I stayed in public service, the greater the inertia.  The public was being let down by dodgy investments and outright scams out there.  I knew I would be able to make a greater difference out there with the knowledge and skills I have accumulated.  Remembering that I’ll be dead and it was now or never made it easier for me to resign from a leadership job I took immense pride in.

 

Empower Advisory charges for courses as it is necessary to cover overheads, sustain and grow the organization so that the paying public will benefit from it.  Yet we do not obsess over profits.  Our core mission remains to empower you with genuine investment knowledge and only introducing investments that we are comfortable with internally.

 

A company obsessed with profits will not hesitate to introduce to their members risky investment projects without even addressing the risks or explore safer alternatives.  For those who have had such unfortunate experience with such irresponsible companies, you know which ones they are.  I will not mention names but urge their affected members to alert others.
To conclude, it is my hope that folks can be financially savvy to be able to pursue what matters to them and that they can continue to “stay foolish” and live a happy and meaningful life.

 

Our Best, Always!

“At Empower Coaching, we believe that our Clients are unique, and responsible people who delight in moving their lives forward. Together, we can!”

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