I’ve long said, there are three types of people in the world:
- Those who make things happen
- Those who watch things happen
- Those who say, “What just happened?”
Steve Jobs was one of those who MADE things happen, and equipped others to make things happen too – which was why he was my hero. He enabled me to create. A lot of people spend their time talking about what others are doing, I prefer to DO. A lot of people spend their time talking about what others are writing, I prefer to WRITE. A lot of people spend their time talking about where others are going, I prefer to GO. A lot of people spend their time talking about what other people are creating, I prefer to CREATE.
Steve Jobs was the man who taught me this. When IBM said “Think” – he said “Think Different.” He didn’t listen to conventional wisdom, he listened to his inner voice and went against the grain and did what his instincts told him. Often it led to mistakes. But he never let his mistakes stop him from pushing forward toward his dreams. He had a vision of what people needed and he was relentless in giving people what he knew they needed. (and wanted, whether they realized it yet or not!)
That is why I created Kidology.org in 1994 – I had a vision of what children’s workers needed long before most were even using the Internet. I hope that someday when I am gone, I too can be remembered like Steve Jobs, as someone who never gave up, pressed on after mistakes, and pushed against the grain to give my customers what they need to succeed in their ministries.
While I have nowhere near his genius, I hope I have his tenacity to keep at it to the end.
Thank you for creating kidology. It is a great resource – exactly what our church needs at this juncture. Steve Jobs – hmmm. He was an amazing man. People wonder what will happen to Apple now. Was he able as a leader to pass the vision/direction on that the company should take? Will the changing pace of technology slow to something a little more stable with his passing?
It does grieve my heart, because I looked for some indication that Steve Jobs had some sort of relationship with God. There was an article about the spirituality of Mr Jobs, and he seemed to follow the same type of religion as the Beatles. Which I’m afraid doesn’t get you far in Biblical Christianity.
Fortunately he had the time to get things right and the resources to find out who Jesus is. I can only hope that there was another side of his walk that he never showed anybody.
It reminds us that no matter how successful you are, how rich (between 5 – 8 billion dollars) or how much you’re lauded by the world. Ultimately we stand before God, and he will ask us what we did with His Son.