Steve Jobs was a pioneer of our time and although most of us did not know him personally, many of us have been inspired or motivated by his work. If you have read much about his life and work there are some lessons that you can come away with and apply to your life, business, career, etc.
- Don’t settle. Lots of people can do a “good” job at their career or business but being memorable and notable is not about being good at something, it is about being great.
- Don’t take no from anybody including yourself. Many of the things that Steve Jobs was able to do were probably things that people told him were not possible. If you believe in yourself and what you are doing, don’t listen to the limitations anyone else tries to put on you.
- Along these same lines, don’t give up. Persevere. Many times the difference between somebody who succeeds and someone who doesn’t isn’t much besides their dedication and perseverance. With this in mind I often think of something someone told me one time- pick 3 things you are going to make important in your life, if you have more than that you won’t be good at any of them. For true dedication to a business or career, there are other things in your life that you may need to set aside to obtain that.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for what you think your product is worth. With the current economy so many businesses and products are selling so close to cost just trying to make a small margin of profit to get by. Steve Jobs proved that if you have a premium product you can sell it for a premium price and it doesn’t matter what kind of economy we have people will not only pay it but stand in line to pay it.
- Be a visionary. Think outside the box. Don’t let others in your same line of business dictate the boundaries you need to work within.
- To win big you have to be willing to gamble. Visionaries going where others have not been before you have to be willing to put themselves out there and take a risk. Be okay with making mistakes and learn from them.
