“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, died on October 5th after a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. His legacy will live on. What family has not been affected by the personal computer, the iphone, ipod or itunes. Another part of his legacy  are some important messages to remember as we make critical life choices or encourage our children to discover and follow their dreams.

One of the most famous speeches given by Jobs was his commencement address at the 2005 Stanford graduation. In this sobering speech, he gave the students both inspiration and food for thought as he spoke publicly about some of the most difficult times of his life. It has been described as his meditation on birth, death and meaning, sharing what he learned along the way, particularly through his failures. “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life,” Jobs told the graduates. “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, heart and intuition.”