Steve Jobs – 1955-2011

The Apple home page today expresses the passing of Steve Jobs in the manner with which he was known – visionary, stylish, minimalist and respectful.

With Steve Jobs passing, the world has lost one of history's truly great men. While it is easy in the moment to heap the plaudits of exceptional people, it is clear that the vision and achievements of Steve Jobs will stand the test of time.

He has impacted so many people around the world, not only in the field of technology, but in areas of design, retail, self expression and a true mentor on the notion of following your dream. Even in the moments of doubt, Steve continued on to greater things.

We will miss his vision, passion and contribution but we are privileged that he lived within our lifetime and his products and achievements will continue in our lives and evolve to the benefit of humanity. For every person there are strong and weak points, good and bad – in the balance of that equation, Steve Jobs leaves a legacy that can only be called truly great.

Although he never graduated from college, I believe his speech in 2005 at Stanford University's 114th Commencement, where he urges graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life's setbacks – including death itself – truly reflects this amazing man.

The Art of the Quiet Achiever

There are many outcomes and desires we have in life and attaining success in our goals and achievements is one of the measures we use to guide us in determining just how accomplished we are and our life is.

Depending on who you are, your background and your value/belief structure, different areas of your life will be used to indicate success. For some this is money, for others it is to have travelled widely, yet others find great value in seeing a dream realised, while for many it is simply the connection to their family or community. We educate ourselves, make career decisions, follow journeys and embark upon adventures all with the underlying hope that they will succeed.

Life often has a different take on things and can very often play its hand to deliver challenges, obstacles and lessons which impact on our directions. These might change our original intentions and often play an important role in the outcome that is achieved.

The most important part, however, is not the destination but the journey. It is for this very journey we take through life that the notion of achieving our goals and successes with quiet resolve can prove extremely rewarding. To help with the, there are some tenets I've identified that can provide invaluable assistance to success.