Stay hungry, stay foolish — Steve Jobs often said four simple words in his public speeches. These words have become a famous motivational slogan for countless entrepreneurs and innovators today, who usually keep these words in their lockers.
Stay hungry, stay foolish — Steve Jobs often said four simple words in his public speeches. These words have become a famous motivational slogan for countless entrepreneurs and innovators today, who usually keep these words in their lockers.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of the quote, “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” It’s a motto that resonates with me because it reminds me to keep my imagination alive and to always think outside the box.
Jobs was onto something when he said these words. He knew that to be successful, and you must constantly learn and evolve. You can’t be afraid to take risks and must be willing to fail. It is all part of the journey to success.
Jobs through differently, and the thing is, we all do that. We’re all born with the seeds of innovation—some of us are better at cultivating them than others.
You’ve heard it before: “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” It’s easy to get comfortable in your routine and let yourself stagnate as you focus on what’s right in front of you instead of looking around for other possibilities. But if you want to be an innovator, that doesn’t work! In fact, innovators have to be able to look at things from different perspectives and think about ways they could be done better or differently.
That’s where curiosity comes in—it’s a key ingredient in innovation because it gets your mind fueled up and working on different kinds of problems than the ones you’re used to solving daily. And when you’re curious about something new, it makes all the world of a difference. It becomes easier for you to think about things differently and find new solutions to old problems.
1. Here’s To The Crazy Ones
The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.
And I’m not talking about people like Elon Musk or even Steve Jobs. I’m talking about you. You’re the one who’s willing to take risks and make mistakes. You’re crazy enough to try something new and different, even when everyone else tells you it won’t work. You’re the kind of person who will get up in front of a crowd and speak their mind, even though you know some might not like what you have to say.
That’s what it takes to change the world: being brave enough to be yourself, even if that means making mistakes along the way—and that’s why we need more people like you!
When you’re an entrepreneur, you have to be a little bit crazy. You must be willing to take risks, even when everyone else tells you it’s a bad idea. You have to be willing to put in the extra work, even when you’re tired and want to give up. And you have to be okay with making mistakes—because that’s how you learn and grow.
2. You’ve Got To Find What You Love.
You might think that you’ve got it all figured out. But the truth is, nobody knows what they want to do with their life until they’re in the thick of it. Even then, things change—and if anything, you probably won’t know what you want until you’re well into your forties or even fifties. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
When I was in high school (back when we used a phone book instead of Google), I knew exactly what I wanted to be: a comedian who went on to have a sitcom, like Brooklyn Nine-Nine(an excellent show). But then I grew up and started working in sales at Future SHop—and now I am writing this article for you! It turns out that being a comedian wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be (or maybe it was just me). But either way, It would have never interested me in personal growth.
The point is, you’ve got to find what you love. And sometimes, that means trying new things and taking risks. But it’s always worth it because it’ll never feel like work when you find something passionate about.
3. True Creativity Is The Art Of Successful Change
It’s not just about making something different; it’s about making something better.
We all know that the world is changing at an unprecedented rate, but I think we underestimate how much these changes affect our everyday lives. We’re experiencing more change than any generation before us, and with this kind of rapid-fire change comes a lot of confusion—so much so that we’re often left feeling like we’re drowning in it.
As a result, many people have begun to feel they need to stand still and hold onto what they already know: their job, family, and routine. But this isn’t a bad thing! Having these anchors in our lives is healthy because we can use them as stepping stones to do new things and explore the unknown parts of ourselves that might otherwise get lost in the chaos of constant change.
4. You Can’t Connect The Dots Looking Forward
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them by looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You must trust your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path everyone else is walking”.
Steve Jobs is saying that you can’t plan your life out perfectly. You can’t know what will happen, so you must trust that things will work out.
This is a truth I’ve come to understand over and over again. When I was younger, I always wanted to be famous and rich so that I could buy whatever I wanted and never worry about money again. And when I got older, I realized that those things wouldn’t make me happy, so what was holding me back? Fear of failure? Fear of being judged? Fear of being wrong? Fear of not knowing what would come next?
I think we all have our own way of dealing with these kinds of fears—but one thing’s for sure: if we don’t face them head-on and take risks along the way (even if it means taking small steps at first), then we’re never going to get anywhere at all.
5. Innovation Is About Saying No To 1,000 Things
Did you know that Thomas Edison had 1,000 unsuccessful attempts before he found his first successful light bulb?
Edison’s story is an excellent example of how innovation is about saying no to 1,000 things. He didn’t just sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. He kept working until he got it right, even though it took him 1,000 tries. That is admirable and a testament to what can be accomplished through grit and determination.
We often think that we need to have everything figured out before we can start moving forward, but that’s not the case. Sometimes it’s necessary to take a leap of faith and start doing something—anything—even if we’re not quite sure where it will lead us. Do you think this article just wrote itself? No way! I had to sit down and force myself to come up with these ideas and put them into words. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it.
6. Don’t Lose Faith
It’s hard to be a believer these days.
We live in a world where people always tell you that you can’t do something or that the thing you want to do is impossible. You can’t do it because other people have done it already, and they weren’t YOU. Or because someone else will always be better at it than you are. Or because you don’t have enough time. Or because there are just too many things on your plate right now, why bother starting something new?
But what if I told you that none of those reasons are valid? What if I told you anyone could accomplish anything they set their mind to?
You’d probably say, “yeah, right,” and then go back to scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, or whatever social media platform is popular these days. But I’m serious—it’s true! And here’s why:
Because everyone has the potential to be great at anything they put their mind to. You just need to believe in yourself! And being great at things isn’t about being unique or different from everyone else; it’s about giving yourself permission to take risks and try new things—even when those things seem scary or impossible at first glance!
7. We’re Here To Put A Dent In The Universe
Did you know that experts in 1950 said the human body was simply incapable of a 4-minute mile? They were wrong, though.
Did you know that experts in 1950 said the human body was simply incapable of a 4-minute mile?
They were wrong, of course.
In just under four minutes and three seconds, Sir Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. And then he did it again. And again. And again. And again—he ran that mile over and over for months! (You can watch his record-breaking time here.)
So why did I write this To bore you and mention you need to get more cardio in? Well, cardio is always good, but no!
I wrote it to remind you that we’re here to put a dent in the universe. To show the world that we’re capable of more than they ever thought possible. We’re here to challenge the status quo and push boundaries. To shake the ground, you walk on and show everyone What you are capable of.
So don’t be afraid to dream big—because you never know what you might achieve if you do; we think we can’t do something when experts say we can’t? Because experts are just people, and people make mistakes all the time. It’s up to us to listen to our instincts and sense what is possible and what is not—and sometimes, it’s up to us to ignore what other people say about what’s possible or impossible.
I think staying hungry is something that keeps all artists up at night, and I feel like the biggest thing for me is just to try to stay curious. I’m interested in the world, and I’m interested in people, so I’m always looking for more things to explore and more people to meet. There’s always so much to learn. Also, I don’t want to feel like I’ve gotten too far away from my creationist roots. Like it’s an unwritten rule that you’re only supposed to work with other people once you start getting successful as sorts…I think it’s good to mix it up, or else you may get stuck in a rut or in a career you don’t like only to find you are taking Zoom calls in pajamas.
I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane. As you can see, Steve Jobs was an incredible individual with many exciting things to say. What are some of your favorite quotes from him? Let me know in the comments below!
This has been “Seven life lessons from Steve Jobs.” Hopefully, they inspire you to challenge the status quo, take risks, and dream big! Because remember: anyone can accomplish anything they set their mind to—you just need to believe in yourself. So get out there and put a dent in the universe!
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