Readings

I got done with Steve Jobs Biography a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved the book. I used to think it was a bunch of BS that Apple wouldn't be able to survive without him, but after reading that I'm convinced that they are going to have a lot of trouble replacing him. He was such a hands-on CEO and was responsible for so many of the things that make Apple great, especially their innovative culture. He made big decisions in two seconds that other companies would have taken two months to make after analyzing market research and financial data. He was also a firm believer in not asking customers what they want because "they don't know what they want, you have to show them what they want." A quote I liked from the book in relation to that topic was from Henry Ford about the rise of the automobile: "Before the automobile was invented, if you would've asked people what they wanted they would have said a faster horse."

Jobs was also intent on making everything incredibly simple for the user. One article I read put it this way, "we are all a bunch of technology pilgrims, the first generations to have technology truly effect and run our day to day lives. We need simplicity." Jobs was also so confident in himself (to a point that he was undoubtedly narcissistic) that he didn't care what anyone else thought of him. I definitely wish I had a little more of that quality in myself. I think caring too much about what people think can really hinder you, and if you don't believe in yourself, how can you expect others to believe in you? I think so much of what happens in your life can be attributed to confidence and optimism. It seems like if you are confident going into a situation you are so much more likely to succeed at it. You make your own luck. Steve Jobs bio really furthered this belief with me.

I'm probably a little biased towards Steve Jobs because I'm such an enthusiastic Apple user, but I think its really unfortunate that he died so young. He really did dictate how we interact with consumer electronics in the 21st century. I think Apple will still do pretty well in the future, and the company's recent success can't all be attributed to Jobs, but he definitely be dearly missed.

Once I got done with Steve Jobs bio I started reading "An Unfinished Life," a biography about JFK. I'm only about 200 pages in right now, but I really like it so far. I love biographies because they give you such an insight into people's lives that you can't get just by watching them on TV. Also, the more you read about successful people the more you can learn from them and hopefully apply some of those principles and lessons to your own life.

Joe Kennedy, JFK's dad, really didn't mess around when it came to raising his kids. Before they were even born he had big plans for all of his children. Although the Kennedy family has had their share of problems and misfortunes, he definitely succeeded in his goal of getting his children into the American limelight.