Tag Archives: steve jobs

Connecting The Dots

“One of the great innovators of our time, Steve Jobs of Apple, had this insight: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward,” he said. “You can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” What did he mean by that? Perhaps an illustration will […]

If I Had My Life To Live Over Again

Yesterday I blogged about a talk Steve Jobs gave in which he discussed keeping perspective on life and death in the context of making decisions and not letting fear hold you back. After I’d finished that blog I couldn’t help but think a bit more about that subject of life and death, but my thoughts […]

External Expectations, Pride, Fear Of Embarrassment Or Failure – They All Fall Away In The Face Of Death

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me 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.”  […]

You’ll Know It When You Find It

 “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love…Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly […]

The Energy That Comes From Doing What You Love

“The only great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs Tonight I was asked to give a keynote speech to a group of entrepreneurs at Startup Ignition, a startup Bootcamp program for entrepreneurs. Truth be told as I was driving down to give my speech I was feeling exhausted from having had […]

You know you have created a good product when…

You know you have created a good product when people feel they can’t live without it, and when it is taken away from them they feel like their universe is falling apart! Our smart phones are the perfect example of that. I was on my way to speak at a High School District Conference today […]

Growing Old Is Mandatory but Growing Up is Optional

In a few hours I will be turning 45 years old. 45 sounds SO OLD!!! To put in perspective how many years ago I was born – the internet wouldn’t be invented for 20 more years! And it would be 27 years before Google was launched!! Yikes…that sounds SO OLD!!! I’ve seen things change a lot in […]

The New Year Is More Than Just A Change In Calendar, It’s The Perfect Time To Change Ourselves.

The New Year is more than just a change in calendar, it’s the perfect time to change ourselves by making a commitment to become better. It’s the perfect time to take a good hard look at the things we want to change in our lives and recognize what actions we have to take in order […]

Learn To Be Comfortable Saying ‘No’ Or You Won’t Be Available To Say ‘Yes’ When It Really Matters (Forbes Article)

“It’s only by saying “no” that you can concentrate on the things that are really important.” – Steve Jobs Saying “No” can be awkward, uncomfortable, and downright difficult. After all, it is human nature to want to be liked, and what better way to be liked then to make people happy by saying “Yes” when […]

The Do’s And Don’ts of Creativity (Forbes Article)

“Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought.” – Albert Einstein Creativity is one of the most intrinsically rewarding endeavors we engage in.  Creativity requires a combination of innovation, inspiration, and a tremendous amount of hard work. It allows us to explore both the wondrous potential and […]

Striving to follow the examples of great people

Tonight I attended a dinner following my board meeting for the University of Utah National Advisory Board.  A man I know and respect greatly, Mike Murray, gave the keynote address during our dinner.  Mike Murray has had an amazing career. He went to school at Stanford, then went to work directly reporting to Steve Jobs […]

The Ones Who Do

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes.   The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.   You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. […]

“It’s only by saying “no” that you can concentrate on the things that are really important” – Steve Jobs

One of my biggest weaknesses in this life is being able to say “no” when someone needs me.  I struggle when I see any situation where I know I can be of help to not make time to help someone.  And I know the real reason it is hard for me is because I desperately […]

Speed Dating Plus American Idol Equals a Brilliant Hiring Technique (Forbes Article)

For years as a CEO, I absolutely hated the interviewing process for hiring. I felt that the entire hiring technique was inherently flawed. We would post a job description and candidates would respond with a resume that was tailored to fit the position we had described. When the candidate came in for their interview we […]