65.
The Steve Jobs Question
Steve Jobs is an interesting guy. How many people start a billion – dollar business in their garage in their
early twenties? How many people can lead the field in three separate industries? (Music – the iPod has
revolutionized the way music is delivered; movies – Pixar is one of the world’s most successful animation
studios; and computing – Apple’s devotion to sexy design and ease of use is legendary.) But what intrigues
me most about Steve Jobs is his philosophy.
Jobs asks himself an unforgettable question every time he is faced with a big choice: “What would I
do if this was the last night of my life?” Powerful idea behind that. He met his wife that way.
He was giving a university address a number of years back. She was sitting in the audience. He fell
for her and approached her after the event. She gave him her number. He wanted to take her out to dinner
that very night but had a business meeting on the books. Life’s like that. On his way back to his car, he
asked himself what I call the Steve Jobs Question: “What would I do if this was the last night of my life?”
You and I both know his answer. He ran back to the auditorium, found the woman and took her out.
They’ve been together ever since.
What would I do if this was the last night of my life?
Look, I know we all have to be practical I get that we can’t apply Job’s question to every situation.
But as I wrote in Who Will Cry When You Die?, connecting to your mortality is a great source of
wisdom. Reminding yourself that in the overall scheme of things you will not be her that long –
no matter how long you live – is an excellent way to drive passion, promote risk – taking and get
deeply into the game of life. Connecting with the end is a brilliant practice to keep you focused
on what’s most important. Before it’s too late.