Some of the most profound life lessons come from personal experiences. Today, I want to share three stories from my life—no big deal, just three stories that shaped my journey and may inspire yours.
Story One: Connecting the Dots
I dropped out of Reed College after just six months. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I found myself spending my working-class parents' entire savings on a college education that didn’t seem to provide clarity about my future. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I took a leap of faith and trusted that things would work out.
After dropping out, I could stop taking required courses and instead attend classes that truly interested me. One of those was calligraphy. I learned about typefaces, spacing, and the artistry of typography—knowledge that seemed to have no practical use at the time. However, ten years later, when designing the first Macintosh computer, everything I learned about typography came flooding back. The Mac became the first computer with beautiful fonts and typefaces, a feature that influenced all modern personal computers.
Looking forward, the dots never seem to connect, but looking back, they always do. You have to trust that they will connect in the future, even if you don’t see the path ahead.
Story Two: Love and Loss
I was lucky to discover my passion early. At 20, I co-founded Apple in my parents' garage. Over the next ten years, Apple grew into a $2 billion company with 4,000 employees. But then, I got fired from the company I started. How? As Apple grew, we hired a talented leader, and eventually, we had a falling out. The board sided with him, and suddenly, I was out.
It was devastating. I felt like I had let everyone down and even considered leaving Silicon Valley. But then I realized: I still loved what I did. So, I started over. Over the next five years, I founded two new companies—NeXT and Pixar. Pixar went on to create Toy Story, and Apple eventually bought NeXT, bringing me back to the company I had once lost. The technology we developed at NeXT played a crucial role in Apple’s resurgence.
Getting fired was painful, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Sometimes, life hits you hard, but don’t lose faith. 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.
Story Three: Death as a Motivator
At 17, I read a quote that said, "If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." That quote left an impression on me, and for the past 33 years, I’ve looked in the mirror each 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?" When the answer was no too many days in a row, I knew I had to change something.
Knowing that I will die soon has been the most powerful tool for making life’s big decisions. It strips away fear, ego, and distractions, leaving only what truly matters. No one wants to die, yet death is life’s greatest invention. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now, the new is you. But one day, you will become the old and be cleared away. Sorry for being dramatic, but it’s true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They already know what you truly want to become.
Final Words
Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
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