My daughter brought the following “metaphor poem” home to show my wife and I what she’s been working on at school. I think it’s worth sharing. I hope you agree.
Love is…
Love is lava. You never know when it will erupt. Sometimes it burns. Sometimes it warms the heart. It can smile or it can make you upset.
Love is a candle. It gives you warmth and comfort. It burns slowly and steadily. But it can go out in a blink of an eye.
Love is music. Sometimes it will be an upbeat happy song and other times it is a solemn and sad song. You never know if it will make you cry or make you smile. But it will always make you feel something.
Love is a pencil writing its story as it goes along. Love’s story could take you back two years ago or only two days ago. It could make you feel solemnly or giggly. But it never makes you only feel one way.
Samantha Shelton
(Samantha is a nine-year-old fourth grader and founder of Headbands for Hope.)
With what is sure to be millions of posts about the death and legacy of Steve Jobs (1955-2011), I contemplated whether I should even write on the topic. But, when I awoke this morning, it was clear to me what I felt I should share.
In recent memory, there is no single individual I can think of who has impacted “our way of life” the way Jobs has. His innovation and leadership at Apple have changed the way we listen to and buy music, the way we communicate. The technology and devices he invented are woven into the fabric of our culture.
No doubt, countless articles will be written about his technological contributions - Macintosh computers & GUI design, iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, etc. More still will point to his inspirational life story - a child of adoption, turned college drop-out, turned inventor, innovator and entrepreneur, turned CEO, turned unemployed, turned entrepreneur, turned resurgent leader, turned business juggernaut…
But, to me, the part of Jobs legacy that doesn’t seem to get much attention is the ripple effect he has had OUTSIDE of Apple.
No one questions the direct impact that Jobs’/Apple’s innovations have had. What often gets overlooked is the amount of innovation that has occurred as a direct result of other companies attempting to keep pace, to compete with what was coming out of Apple.
Jobs’ ability to think outside the box was second to none, and what that did was provide others the inspiration - and permission - to do the same; it’s akin to the story of Roger Bannister, the first person to run the mile in under 4 minutes.
Bannister eclipsed the 4-minute mark (3 min 59.4 sec.) on May 6, 1954. It took only 46 days for Australian John Landy to break his record (3 min 57.9 sec.). Bannister simply demonstrated what was possible, opening the door for others to share in that vision of possibility. That is exactly what Steve Jobs has done for technological innovation.
Additionally, his mere presence on the scene made competition inevitable. He was the Michael Jordan of the tech world - most considered him “the best,” which motivated everyone else to “improve their game” in an attempt to compete with and potentially score a victory over him. The competition he inspired has driven innovation across the board.
What’s more, Jobs understood the importance of people in every aspect of the innovative process. People are the source of inspiration and ideas, the target of the end-product, the key resource needed to turn dreams into reality. He was all about culture - in design, in execution, in daily interactions. Ultimately, that focus - I believe - is what made Jobs truly great.
Don’t believe me? Then explain why there is a segment of the population who readily identify themselves as “Mac people.” That’s not an accident - it’s a cultural phenomenon. It demonstrates Jobs’ success in bringing culture into the “core” (pun intended) of everything he ever did.
In his commencement address to Stanford graduates in 2005, Jobs offered these sage words:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Jobs was an amazing individual who has left a legacy far greater than any product, any company. He inspired others. He inspired innovation. He inspired greatness. He inspired people.
Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. And, thank you for your contributions to making the world a better place.
I admit it, I am a “talent show junkie” - American Idol, America’s Got Talent, X-Factor, you name it.
Last week, I was watching X-Factor and caught the audition of 16-year-old Jazzlyn Little. While the audition was inspiring, there is still part of me that hurts for this young girl.
Here’s why.
When you watch the lead-in to her audition, you see a girl who is riddled with nerves and insecurity. You can hear her talking to herself, reminding herself, “Relax. Relax. Relax.” She asks herself (audibly), “What if I mess up?”
You then see her talking to her mother, saying, “I don’t want to let you guys down.”
She continues, “There’s so much stress in real life. Peer pressure. Having to fit in. Being judged… singing’s an escape from reality. I can be anyone I want to be.”
Then the sentence that has been stuck in my head for almost a week…
“I don’t have to be me.”
She takes to the stage almost unable to speak because of her nerves.
Simon Cowell begins to question Jazzlyn and asks if she has posted any videos on YouTube. She says she uploaded one video, but admits that only about 500 people have watched it. Simon, wanting to know why so few people watched the video, asks her, “Do you think it was you or the song?”
She responded, “Me. I think.”
Then, she sings.
Jazzlyn received a standing ovation for her performance and incredible words of encouragement from the judges.
Yet, as she leaves the stage, she confides, “For the first time in my life, being on that stage and having everyone clap for me, I really did feel truly accepted.”
I hope truly hope Jazzlyn finds herself and her confidence through the process of the show, that she accepts herself above all else.
How about you? Are you constantly seeking the approval of others for validation? Do you fully embrace who you are? Which gifts are you withholding from the world because of fear?
I was watching Brian Solis interview Marcel LeBrun of Salesforce Radian6 about the Future of Social Media Monitoring (h/t Michelle Chmielewski) when two particular comments sparked thoughts I feel are important enough to share.
LeBrun, referring to Proctor & Gamble’s withdrawal from soap opera sponsorship after 77 years stated the reason to be, “The audience has moved…” to Facebook.
“It’s not really an audience anymore where you just kind of push your message out, it’s really, now, a conversation.”
However, it’s only a conversation when there is dialogue, a back-and-forth exchange. So many companies (and some individuals) miss this. Tweets and Facebook status updates alone are not “conversations.”
Later, LeBrun was talking about Dell and it’s launch of a Command Center, a “physical place that [Dell] can take their customers through and show how their investing in listening.”
That’s the other problem I see. Companies are quick to pat themselves on the back for investing in social media, in listening. But, the most important question is, “WHY are they doing it?”
It reminds me of the scene from the movie White Men Can’t Jump in which Woody Harrelson’s character is debating with Wesley Snipes’ character as they drive along in their top-down convertible:
Hey… what is this?
Jimi Hendrix.
I know. Why are you playing Jimi?
Because I like to listen to him.
That’s the problem. Y’all listen.
What am I supposed to do. eat it?
No. You’re supposed to hear it.
I said I like to listen to him.
There’s a difference between hearing and listening.
Exactly. Listening is only important if you’re willing to “hear” what is really being said - and to engage with and act upon that information, then “lead the conversation” as Solis suggests.
Are you listening… or hearing? Are you participating in “conversations?” Are you taking action? Leading?
I noticed this morning that Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) posted a link on Twitter to his first-ever Wine Library TV episode (Feb. 2006). Since he announced his “retirement” earlier this week, I decided to take a quick trip down Memory Lane.
I admit, I got a kick out of it. But, it also struck a chord with me. More on that in a minute.
To be honest, as soon as the video started to play, it triggered something in my brain that recalled the old Highlights Magazine activities I used to do as a kid - which one of these things is not like the other?
Here are the things I noticed immediately:
Episode 1 - February 2006
Episode 1,000 - March 2011
However, the progression from Episode 1 to Episode 1000 serves to illustrate why Gary has been so successful. The way I see it, the five biggest drivers of his success have been:
(affiliate link).I firmly believe that the development of these five traits will help anyone who wants to be successful in business - and life - get there. Which ones do you have nailed? Which ones do you need to work on? Are there any I missed?