Steve Jobs, as the founder of one of the biggest companies in the world in the last six months of his life, sensed that his death was quite close due to his prolonged illness; he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. 

His attitude towards his approach changed altogether. He wasn’t bothered anymore about the fear of his failures and happiness out of his successes. He was only bothered about the fact that he could bring something which could benefit humanity. He wanted to contribute.    

Because almost everything around you is going to change, all your internal and external expectations, all your doubts and pride, fears, embarrassment or failure, these things just are going to vanish away on the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

From the excerpts of one of his old speeches, when you’re standing at a particular point of your career, wondering what lies ahead, a few wise words can go a long way towards shaping the path you’re going to take.

“If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.”

It made an impression on me, and since then, 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 I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. It is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.

You are already naked. There is no bigger reason left for you to justify not to follow your heart. 

All of this forward motion requires a less celebrated element, all the things you’re not doing any longer. Ten years from now, you will have new skills. New people around you as a team or clients. A new title and a new authority.

The fact remains that in order to get a new position, you’ll need to leave your old position behind.

When you conceive an idea,  you’ve already initiated a process that leads to actualization. Thoughts and words are followed by actions. 

Often, we think that all the success and growth come with no goodbyes, but it does. Perhaps you can start envisioning, understanding that what you begin will likely end. And when you have a plan for it, you’ll definitely do it better.

The main idea remains that we are here in this world for some specific reason and this world definitely should be a better place because we were born in it. 

Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels