Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

In light of all the Jobs-related pandering that's floating around the news nowadays (if you missed it, Steve Jobs officially announced that he was going to step down from his position as CEO of Apple. He wrote a heartfelt letter that began: "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come." Tim Cook will replace Jobs as CEO, per his request in his resignation letter). It seems that in the wake of Jobs' announcement, everyone is quick to take to the internet and post either their complete devotion to Jobs or to "analyze" him to conclude that he was an innovator and a genius (Newsflash! Steve Jobs is a very successful person!).

All of this though, made me start to wonder what exactly has made Steve Jobs so successful. From my perspective, growing up in the situation I did, many people always assumed that I would become an alcoholic, do drugs, drop out of school or be a candidate for Teenage Mom- and that's a hard stereotype to dispel. (Let me also be explicit, I am none of those things.) Even more difficult is to accept that this stereotype is largely true- many of my friends who grew up in similar situations are only now beginning to adapt how to live as an adult after such a hard childhood.

A little known fact about Steve is that he was adopted and he dropped out of college. Because of this, I kind of see him as a brother in arms of dispelling nasty stereotypes, and I do look to him as a source of inspiration in this crazy world of ours. So, in an intersection of my dreams, I re-read a commencement speech that Steve Jobs gave at the Stanford GSB in 2005.
In his speech he talks about his life and how he grew up. How he dropped out of college and how he has taken those small risks that brought him to here he is today. His main message, at its core, is really about self-worth. He argues that you owe it to yourself to never settle, and to constantly work toward what you believe your dreams to be, even if it does takes a less than direct path. In the midst of all of the bschool re-apps, it really does make me feel hopeful about the future- for me and (in a bigger sense) my generation. I hope that I can follow his advice.