The First Day and The Last Day

Source: isource.com

When we think of this phrase, I am sure a lot of people remembered the technology Unsung Hero, Mr Steve Jobs. Who is Steve Jobs? He was the founder of Apple Inc., the creator of the first Apple Macintosh. However, how do we link this phrase, “The first day and the last day” to him personally? Some of the readers might think that I am going to write the initiation of Apple Inc and his death on 5 October 2011? Definitely not!

Please think, what would happen to you if you have encountered with this experience. Some of us might feel angry with the unfair system and the cruelty of the business world. Some of us might think of ways and strategies on how to retaliate. Some of us might feel depressed and demotivated and even to some extreme extent, we might think of suicidal! Steve Jobs is an extraordinary person. He only permitted himself to feel depressed for a short period of time, but the emotional recovery rate was fast.

In 1989, Steve Jobs was invited as a lecturer for the MBA Series “View From the Top” at Stanford, a lady snuck to the front of the lecture and started a conversation with the man sitting next to her. He then stood up and introduced himself as the guest lecturer, Steve Jobs. They exchanged numbers. He would like to ask her for dinner. However, Steve Jobs remembered that he had an important business meeting on that night. Hence, he turned down his intention to date her for the dinner. The function ended. Steve walked to his car.

Do you know that Steve Job is the person who founded Apple Inc on 1 April 1976 at Cupertino, California, United States, but do you know that he was fired from his own company in 1985?

“I was out — and very publicly out,” he recalled in a commencement speech at Stanford University. “What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.” He added, “I was a very public failure.”

Steve Jobs tribute: the history of the life of Steve Jobs | jeremiahjw

When he was about to start his car, he looked at the reverse mirror and he remembered his statement that he would ask himself each morning, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”. Without hesitation, he ran back to the lecture hall to date the lady for dinner. That lady is her wife, Laurence Powell.

The statement “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” is the best statement to guide us in decision making. When we are going to die, I am sure we would not care about our prestige, prosperity, position in society. All worries such as poverty and failure would automatically disappear. We would only care for the most precious thing in our lives that needs to be done if we knew that it would be the last day of our lives.

Human beings come to this world naked and we leave this world without bringing a single thing with us. When we act according to the statement of Steve Jobs,

“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”

I am sure most of us would stay calm and stay cool to think carefully of what we would like to do.

How about the first day? Do you still remember your experience on your first day of school? Do you still remember how do you feel about your first dates? Could you still reminiscence your first day to work? Do you still remember your experience when you first got promoted in your job?

When we first entered a school or a college, we feel excited and we feel curious about the environment and the people around us. Similarly, you feel excited and look forward towards dating someone. At the same time, on the first day of work, we have humility and we have the interest to learn and know more about the work and the company.  Likewise, when you first got promoted, you have a lot of vision and you have the ambition to help the company to expand.

When we reflect on everything we do on our first day, we do it with full of energy and full of motivation. Why? We do not have any chance to reverse time but we can reverse the attitudes we have when we started to work.

If one day, I only have two days – The first day and the last day,

I would apply “the last day” for me to decide what my direction is and what I am going to do next.

I would apply “the first day” for me to do each of my work in my life full of energy and motivation so that I could achieve success in my life.