What if Apple was a country? Not the apple you are thinking of! I mean Apple inc.
Apple’s valuation is estimated at 2 trillion USD. If apple was a country then it has 8th largest economy.
What is the secret of Apple’s phenomenal success?
Today I will tell you Steve jobs’ magical mantra. Which still remain the fuel that apple’s engine runs on. And that word, that magical word is “NO”.
Whether you like Apple products or not, once you learn this secret, your life will definitely change.
Life lesson from Steve Jobs
1. What exactly has Apple invented?
They invented computers, mp3 players, smartphones, Actually, none of these! They found an effective way to deliver technology to the people.
For eg, a walkman was a way for people listen to music tapes. Which were supposed to be portable and easy to carry but weren’t actually as portable as advertised.
Steve had an idea. 1000 songs in your pocket. Apple found a way to bring songs from a computer to an mp3 player.
And this simple idea, Apple launched the first iPod in 2001.
When jobs saw the first prototype of iPod, engineers were proud that it was half the size of other music players. But jobs threw it in the fish tank. He saw air bubbles coming out of it. Then jobs said NO.
Because even that small device had a space for air to go in. Which meant there was scope for improvement. So the engineers pushed for more.
By saying NO to compromises. A bulky computer now fit in your bag.
Apple says YES to taking a bold step towards innovation that’s why Apple is not a follower but a trendsetter!
Multi touch, USB C for laptops, wireless charging, touch ID, All of this was possible because some smart people said NO to some not-so-smart things.
2. Attention to Detail
Steve Jobs was adopted but his parents always told him “You’re a special child” and you’ve come on earth to do some special work.
Steve Jobs was a dropout. But he said NO to wasting time! Instead, he invested his time in finding something that he was actually interested in.
The college he was studying in was known for calligraphy!
It not only taught them what are good fonts. But also focused on the impact of a font on a reader and Jobs got to learn all that.
What is the connection between beautiful handwriting and computers? But still, it was this skill that helped Jobs while designing the 1st McIntosh computer.
Today, the different beautiful computer fonts are used in design, animation, and print every day.
Perhaps we would not have had these on our screens if Jobs had ignored this tiny yet significant detail.
Knowledge never goes to waste. When our focus is on excellence, it makes everyone’s lives much better than before.
Once our college is over, out growths also stops somewhere. We end up settling for less as a result in a few areas.
The one thing I have learned from Steve Jobs’ life is this “To put a dent in the universe you need to do what you love, If you haven’t found it yet keep looking.”
Don’t settle! And that’s the message for you too. Don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve.
3. When Steve Jobs got fired
Steve Jobs also got to hear this NO we spoke about. Steve Jobs fired from the very company he founded.
But this rejection turned out to be profitable for both Steve and us. That was when Jobs bought an animation company Pixar.
The same studio that gave us movies like Coco, Up, Inside Out, and it all started with Toy Story.
Pixar was full of people with offbeat ideas! Who were ready to go to any extent to prove their capabilities.
No, Pixar didn’t pioneer animated movies but Pixar blurred the lines between realism and fantasy and created larger than life movies filled with emotions.
Even today, at the end of each Pixar movie Steve Jobs’ name come first in Special Mentions.
Getting fired from your own company is a failure but Steve Jobs didn’t stop his career then. His career pivoted at this point and took a new direction.
He said NO to giving up. In a few years, Apple called him back and made him CEO. And rest you know right.
Whatever you make, when your products inspire people, your customers promote your though word of mouth. Steve Jobs believed in this.
When Apple launches a new product it attracts people. People queue outside apple stores waiting to buy it.
Apple said NO to all the old strategies and accepted the new era.
There is a lot to learn from Steve Job’s story. So share this with your friends and family.
Because this one word, NO can bring a lot of positive changes in our day to day life.
People get into addictions because they can’t say NO to friends.
Youngsters end up missing a lot of upcoming opportunites because they can’t say NO to taking the easy and convenient path.
Many people end up taking undue advantage of others because people are YES men who can’t say NO to others.
Think, what if Jobs never said NO to his technician’s job?
The shield of saying NO to unwanted things becomes a sword that helps you say YES to necessary things.
And this was the magic mantra.
“I’m as proud of many of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to a thousand things”. ~ Steve Jobs
Thanks for reading and share.
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