Here’s To The Crazy Ones

I’ve always loved this commercial – Richard Dreyfuss did the voiceover for the original commercial that aired, but just watching this version that Steve Jobs narrated back in 1997 (which never aired) makes the message even more powerful with his passing a few days ago.

The transcript for the video as follows;

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Steve Jobs was a crazy one, a visionary, a leader. He definitely saw things differently – from Pixar, to the iPod, iPhone, iPad and more – he changed multiple industries, created entirely new cultures, and revolutionized the technology and business landscape as we know it today.

He lead and inspired companies, industries, mac fans and the world to be better

By living his core purpose path, Steve inspired others around him to play a bigger game.

It reminds my of one of my favorite quotes by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.

Perhaps he didn’t know it when he recorded this commercial, but that as he read those words, he was describing his own future legacy.

When Steve Jobs recorded this back in 1997 – there was no iPod, iTunes, App store, iPhone, iPad, Macbook or OSX, and Apple certainly wasn’t the largest company in the world.

In 1997 Steve Jobs had just returned to Apple – after being forced to resign from Apple 12 years earlier – he had founded Pixar and NeXT during those years

He came back to a struggling Apple, and stepped in as CEO for a critical turnaround. His next 14 years serving as CEO – he would take Apple to dominate the world of technology, music, entertainment and publication to become the biggest company in the world by thinking and doing things differently.

He stated this to the audience at the 1997 MacWorld expo just a few months after returning to Apple:

“If we want to move forward and see Apple healthy and prospering again, we have to let go of a few things here. We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose. We have to embrace a notion that for Apple to win, Apple has to do a really good job. And if others are going to help us that’s great, because we need all the help we can get, and if we screw up and we don’t do a good job, it’s not somebody else’s fault, it’s our fault.“

Steve knew that success for Apple was not as much about comparing and competing, as it was about doing a really good job at being the best Apple they could be – and being accountable that it would not be someone else’s fault if they failed – it would be their own fault.

When it comes right down to it, each of us are not competing against anyone else – we are all living our soul purpose journey being the best we each can be in our own unique ways.

How are you changing things?

How are you thinking and doing things differently?

How are you creating your own path and making a difference?

How are you living your core purpose and leaving your legacy?

Leave your comments below!

Below is Steve Job’s “How to Live  Before You Die” Commencement Speech he made in 2005 at Stanford – great speech from a great man.