Thoughts on Steve Jobs's Commencement Address at Stanford University

Ken's Blog

Steve Jobs's famous Commencement Address to Stanford grads (June 2005) goes to the heart of the SiteSell philosophy about work and life. If you've not read it yet, it really is must-read material.

Print it. Read it. File it someplace where you'll find it again, because we all tend to forget thoughts that deserve to be remembered forever!

And share it. Share it with everyone you care for.

Recently, an SBI! owner pointed out the video version of it at YouTube.

I don't know why, but today it sparked four random but related thoughts...

1) We should all have the luxury (although Jobs's good fortune was due to poverty) of "stumbling around" until we find our passion, that special road that connects the dots of life, leading to where we want to be. If you're not leading a life of passion, be double-sure to heed Jobs's advice.

2) It's interesting how others such as Sergey Brin have also talked about "stumbling around" before finding their passions. On the other hand, Warren Buffett, in a currently airing PBS show where he appears with Bill Gates, talks about how lucky he was to find his passion early.

"Lucky?" That implies that most adults don't find their passion early, if at all. How many "grown-ups" dreamed they'd be selling widgets? Do you know why that happens (beside the fact that "someone's gotta do it" ;-) )?

We pressure kids too soon and too much to decide "what to do with the rest of their lives." Better they should stumble around a bit, especially in today's fast-changing world.

3) Although I'm a big believer in the future of video for small business people with C T P M sites, compare the Jobs video vs. the text.  Which do you think delivers the message more powerfully? Personally, I find the text connects better. Best of all, though, read the text while also watching/listening -- the combination rivets and drives the message home.

4) Finally, I'm going to start a little hobby... a search for other commencement speeches. What better chance do you get than to hear gems of wisdom from some of the most interesting minds of our day? If ever they are going to do their best to motivate and inspire, it will be in front of a group of bright-eyed and eager-to-face-the-world graduates.

Do you have any great text or video commencement speeches? Please share.

All the best,