Can Steve Jobs' Principles Drive You?

  

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Find yourself wanting to read and keep up but you can't find the time? My solution - I joined a business book summary service. As a result, I am exposed to a lot of great information in bites of time I can manage. Of course, if the book captivates me, I buy the book but that doesn't happen often. I have to be completely taken and rocked by the the content. And that's exactly what happened when I came about a book about one of the most outstanding human beings alive today, Steve Jobs! It is such a “mind opener” and “stretcher”, I could not resist recommending it. Awesome food for thought, especially if you are grappling with the reinvention of yourself or your brand in these choppy "New Economy" waters. Know anyone who isn’t? The book is titled, "The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success," written by Carmin Gallo.

Interestingly enough, it does not focus on Steve Jobs' accomplishments but rather on the principles that drove Steve Jobs' innovation and his extraordinary results. It is more like a modern day version of Napoleon Hill’s "Think and Grow Rich" (my favorite book of all time!). It outlines the seven principles that fuels Steve Jobs' passion and hence drives him.

In a nutshell, these are the Steve Jobs' seven principles:

1.    Do What You Love

2.    Put a Dent in the Universe

3.    Kick Start Your Brain

4.    Sell Dreams, Not Products

5.    Say No to 1,000 Things

6.    Create Insanely Great Experiences

7.    Master the Message

Personally, this book took me to the world of possibilities. Exploring all the different angles when connecting the dots.

My most compelling takeaways?

1. Outrageous success depends on contagious passion and a BIG vision.

You have to be brave. Brave enough, to publicly proclaim your vision and not allow others to deter you. A vision, according to Jobs, is about "how you can make the world a better place” and it fuels your passion. Innovation is impossible without passion.

2. Situations should not deter you, because it's not the events in life but the meaning you give them that make all the difference.

Therefore, you have the power to reinvent yourself and make things happen anywhere, anytime. When Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, he could have become bitter, depressed and very justifiably the victim. Instead, he took it to mean that it was time to take his vision and passion elsewhere. So, he went off and proceeded to make a dent in the universe by creating Pixar.

Don’t you think we could use an army of Steve Jobs? Since that technology isn’t here yet, should we consider embracing his seven principles instead?

I love using my imagination, do you? If not, can you humor me for a few moments? The baby boomer in me can’t help going a little bit John Lennon on you.

Here's my attempt:

Imagine… that his principles were actually steps in a program.

Imagine… our country going on a “7-Step Recovery Program” inspired by Steve Jobs but fueled by each and every one of us?

Imagine… all the people, innovating an incredible future and “making a dent in the universe?” It could be worth a try.

Any thoughts?

“Don’t let the noise of others drown out your own inner voice.”
                                   -Steve Jobs