In his 2005 Stanford commencement speech, Steve Jobs tells three simple stories entitled “Connecting the Dots”, “Love and Lost”, and “Death”. Each one has their own important message, but also a very kind-hearted purpose behind all of them. In “Connecting the Dots”, Steve discusses how college wasn’t the right path for him, so much so that he ended up dropping out. At the time, he thought there was no real reason to go. After all, what’s the point of going to college when you’re tight on cash and have no idea what you want to do with your life? That being said, I really do think Steve made the right move, especially under his circumstances. Similarly to him, I’ve questioned what I wanted to do with my life countless times. I still do. However, I think it’s a battle that’s definitely worth fighting for so I can end up doing what I truly love.
Speaking of love, Steve discusses what it’s like to finally find his passion in his second speech, “Love and Lost”. While he had a pretty nice start at Apple, he eventually met a point where he ended up separating paths with the very same company he started. He was fired. There’s no sugar coating that. Speechless and devastated, Steve had no idea what to do with his life. It wasn’t until he reflected and realized he still was in love, in love with his passion for computers and technology. Bump after bump, Steve never gave up doing what he loved and I think that’s one of the most important takeaways from his entire speech. Ever since I laid eyes on my dad’s Playstation 1, I loved video games. I loved playing them and I loved watching people play them. So, I thought making games would be the passion I should pursue. I was wrong. After taking a handful of classes in college, I realized that making games isn’t for me. However, I still have that same love of playing games, as well as watching other people play them. While I know it’s not an easy goal to accomplish, I’ve never given content creating (on YouTube/Twitch) a chance, but now I think I should at least attempt to put myself out there as it’s something I’m confidently passionate about similar to Steve.
The last story is as daunting as its title, “Death”. In his last talk, Steve discusses his diagnosis, how it affected his day-to-day, and what he thought were his final days on earth. Something that I really enjoyed about this story was how authentic it actually felt. Although it’s an old video, you can still feel the rawness of his emotions and I think that’s a valuable part to consider. The fact that he felt like he was about to die not only made me think about my life, but also made me think of ways on how I can live a better one. But how would I do that? I think it starts and ends with doing what makes me happy. Taking thesis now, I realize that flashy projects are great. But, they’re only great because people put their heart into them. Over the summer, I couldn’t come up with a thesis idea if I tried. And I did. However, after actually taking time to think about what I love, I feel like I currently have a solid grasp of what thesis is suppose to represent, which is what your genuinely passionate about. Playing video games and watching YouTube makes me want more. So, I think that’s where I should start. Beginning and ending with what makes me hungry.