The first computer that I played around with was my dad’s Apple. I was very young, and I didn’t even know there was such differences between a Windows PC or a Mac (called a Macintosh back in the day). All I knew was that it was a box that could bring my creativity to life. It was revolutionary, and that was all that mattered to me.

Yesterday I was on campus at San Francisco State University from 8:30am until 10:30pm. The sad thing is, that’s how most days are for me – with some days far worse. I’m a full time college student, I work for myself and run my own business, and I’m pledging for a professional business fraternity which in itself takes up an extraordinary amount of time, but an investment worth having if it means I’m to become a more polished and better leader.

Simply put, my life is not easy. Nor do I choose for it to be easy. In fact, I believe to reach our full potential, we have to push ourselves past our limits, past our comfort zone. Only then, can we see what we are capable of, and only then can we see how much further we can go.

This is what Steve Jobs did. I read a biography of his life, titled iCon, back in high school. I’ve been a die hard fan ever since. He and Woz were relentless in the pursuit of their dreams. They’d work late into the night — wake up, code, eat, knock out, repeat. Sleep wasn’t an option. Failure didn’t exist. And obstacles were ran over. This kind of work ethic, this kind of passion, truly inspired me, and put my own drive  in perspective. Whenever I thought my life was hard, I’d think how easy it was compared to Steve Jobs. By now you all know who the man is, what he has accomplished, and why his life is so monumental.

Thanks Steve for being an inspiration to not only me, but for countless others. Your story was an extraordinary one, and you proved that from one vision, an empire can be fostered and the world could be changed.

Stay hungry, stay foolish.

- John