Fergus Dyer-Smith

I was having dinner two days ago and the topic of conversation turned to life expectations. Shallow conversation I know but it passed an hour. I mentioned a recent video I found of Steve Job’s. Now I am not a huge Steve Jobs worshipper. He has had a huge impact on the world we know to day and there is no denying his achievements but for me I have just never gelled with his public persona. I say that because I don’t know him… all I know is what I read. What I read I have never had much time for. (I reserve the right though to meet him and have a completely different opinion of the man himself. They are so often two different things.)

All that said I do find this speech inspiring. It reflects many of my own beliefs and he actually uses a phrase that I often keep in my own head. Its key themes are below they make in my mind the essence of great entrepreneurship. Keep them at the forefront and you won’t go far wrong

1. Go with your heart but go with gusto – Steve famously dropped out and in the video he describes how he then dropped back in “You have to trust in something–your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever–because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference.”

2. Never settle –  “the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it, and like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don’t settle.”

And this is my favourite. Perhaps the hardest to follow but certainly a mantra I have spouted before

3. Remember you will be dead soon – “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. “

Anyway here is the full video

If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.