Life Stories by Steve Jobs

Story 1: Connecting the Dots

Dropped out of Reed College after 6 months, stayed for 18 months as a drop-in.
Biological mother put him up for adoption, wanted him to be adopted by college graduates.
Adoptive parents were less educated than expected; mother had never graduated from college, father never graduated from high school.
Despite this, he eventually went to college but struggled with its value and cost.
Decided to drop out to explore his interests freely.
Lived on friends' floors, returned Coke bottles for money, walked miles for meals.
Took a calligraphy class at Reed, learned about typography, which later influenced the design of the Macintosh.
Key takeaway: You can't connect the dots looking forward, only backward. Trust that the dots will connect in your future.

Founded Apple at age 20 in his parents' garage; grew it into a billion-dollar company.
Got fired from Apple at age 30 due to disagreements with a hired executive.
Felt like a failure and considered leaving the tech industry.
Realized he still loved what he did despite the setback, which allowed him to start fresh.
Launched new companies: NeXT and Pixar; Pixar created "Toy Story."
Eventually returned to Apple when it acquired NeXT, leading to a renaissance for the company.
Lesson: Finding what you love is essential; do not settle. Follow your heart and passions.

At 17, Jobs was influenced by a quote about living each day as if it were your last.
Asked himself every day if he would want to do what he was about to do if it was his last day.
Recognized the importance of remembering death as a motivator for decision-making.
External expectations, pride, and fear fall away in the face of death; focus on what truly matters.
Death is an opportunity for change and renewal; it clears the old for the new.
Encouragement to live authentically: Don't live someone else's life, follow your heart and intuition.
Closing thought: Stay hungry and stay foolish.