by Kevin G. Summers
A
s you've surely heard by now, Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, passed away on 5 October. At the time of his death, he was among the richest Americans and one of the most recognizable business leaders in the world. I don't want to go into a long history of Jobs' life here, nor do I intend to write yet another eulogy for the man. I know little about him on a personal level, but as a user of his techologies for more than a decade, I would like to say a few things that have come to mind since his death. There was a time when the leaders of industry were the most famous men (and occasionally women) in the world. When the Titanic sank, nearly 100 years ago, these were the celebrities whose names were passed from mouth to mouth on both sides of the Atlantic. Isidor Straus and John Jacob Astor were the rock stars of their day. I can only think of a handful
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of modern entrepeneurs whose names are internationally famous. Bill Gates. Donald Trump. Steve Jobs. The thing about Jobs that was special, the reason why were talking about him at all, is because he was able to harness his creativity and make something, actually many somethings, that people wanted to buy. The Macintosh computer, the iPod, the iPad, even the MacBook Pro upon which I'm writing this article... all of these are tangible items that have changed the world. Every one of them, from its function to its asthetics, began as an idea in the mind of Mr. Jobs.
or J.K. Rowling. But their ideas alone, incomplete, are completely without value. It is, of course, extremly difficult to execute an idea. Many creative people suffer from a lack of discipline. It is the discipline that allows them to turn their ideas into iPhones. Without discipline, Steve Jobs would have been just another dreamer, but because of his work ethic, he was able to throw a hammer through the TV screen of obscurity and set the bar for the rest of us "creative types."
Ideas are worthless. The only thing that matters is the execution of an idea. I talk to aspiring writers all the time, and many of them are filled to the brim with ideas that, if executed properly, could turn them into the next Stephen King
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