Reflection on Steve Jobs Speech

Having been an English-majored student for so many years, it is not the first inspiriting speech that I watched of course. Talks given by Randy Pausch and Bill Gates are also excellent and quite encouraging to people. However, sometimes I wonder why those who give up academic background or even drop out of school can still be invited to give a speech at the finest universities, such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. It seems quite ironic to me. I wonder how many people would be as successful as they are if we just follow our heart, and do whatever our minds tell us to do. I’m not rejecting Steve Jobs’ point, and I really admire his encourage to pursue his own dream, but everyone is different. In the process of pursing what you truly want, there are many factors involved which can influence the result. Following the heart is absolutely right, but I think we should settle our basic needs in advance. And then we have base to support our pursuit of dream. After all, I admire Steve’s courage to really follow his heart no matter how difficult the situation is. If I were him, I certainly wouldn’t dare to make such a bold decision.


I’m quite interested in Steve’s third story, death. When I think about death, the only word popping up in my head is fear. “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there” Steve said. It’s very hard to turn death into a positive thinking as Steve Jobs and Randy Pausch do, but I think it is a big lesson that we all should take and seriously face it. Since our time is limited, we need to treasure every day, every moment living our lives. Thankfully, Steve’s third story reminds me how precious the time I have is. Don’t waste time and make every day living worthy.


I will regard Steve’s talk as an important suggestion. I hope I can truly follow my heart when I really have ability to do whatever I want. But now, I think facing the reality and having a job is my primary as a graduate; everything else is secondary.