5 Keys To Success From the Life of Steve Jobs

I'm sure you can easily recognize the Apple logo on the backs of iPhones and computers. And I'm sure most you would recognize a picture of Apple's founder, Steve Jobs, if we saw it. However, do you really know why Apple is the radically successful company it is today?

Steve Jobs, along with Steve Wozniak, founded Apple Inc. on April 1, 1976. Steve was the hard charging, visionary leader that pushed Apple to what it is today. Which is a company worth 604.54 billion dollars (as of this posting).

I'm sure you, along with the rest of the world, have taken notice of the new iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the soon to be released Apple Watch (I definitely want one!). All of the Apple chatter, along with 15 billion emails from stores telling me to pre-order and trade-in to get the iPhone 6, made me start thinking about why Apple is such an intriguing company.

There are certainly many successful tech companies in the world that make gadgets you and I find cool. So, why is Apple so different? Why do they seem to grab more headlines or out sell their competitors?

Well, this weekend I had the opportunity to watch Ashton Kutcher's portrayal of Steve Jobs in the recently released film. It started me thinking about all the different things that Jobs brought with him to Apple and life in general.

I found 5 keys to success from the life of Steve Jobs.

1. Passionately pursue excellence. Steve always wanted to do things better. He wanted a better product and a better world. Even when his own product was the best around he wanted to make it better.
2. Don't accept things the way they are. Steve constantly challenged the conventional. He pushed to make the computer what it is today by saying "no" to what existed and "yes" to finding a way to what he dreamed. They only way any serious advancement will come in your life will be from defying the critics. Even if you're the critic.
3. Create beauty. Steve didn't want Apple products to just function properly. He wanted them to inspire the people who bought them. Whatever you do, make it beautiful. No matter how small. Create something beautiful and make it work.
4. Cast vision. With every product development and launch, Steve talked about how it would change the future of the world. He talked about how placing a menu option in one place over another would make a person feel. You have to cast vision for your life and for the work you do. Otherwise, you'll wonder around and never really get somewhere. Vision will pull you towards a great future.
5. Create experience. Everything Apple does creates an experience. From the place they work to the store that sells their products. I wrote post a couple of weeks ago about the role experience plays in success and the points there are perfectly played out by Apple because Steve Jobs realized that the end-user experience was the most important piece of the puzzle. That is why you have people (like me) that are considered raving fans and are Apple evangelists that tell everyone they know about how great Apple is and why they should buy their products.

This certainly isn't all that Steve Jobs brought to his work and his life, but these are all deeply important. He changed the world of computers and technology with a focused determination that you and I have rarely ever seen or experienced. He was far from perfect, but he did something huge.

You and I are not perfect, but we have the potential to do something huge ourselves. The question is will we. This quote from Steve Jobs sums up a core belief that has to beat inside of you and me.

the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Question: Which of these keys to success challenges you the most? Why? Please leave your comment below.