13 A Reading Reflection 1

For my reflection I read "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson. I was surprised to learn so much about, debatably, one of the greatest and most influential entrepreneurs of our time.

1)

• What surprised me the most about Steve Jobs was his ability to get things done. After looking at what he's accomplished, the list is so incredibly large that it makes you gasp. He founded his own company, which he started in his garage, and built it into an empire. Then he was kicked out of his company, went and helped found Pixar, another billion dollar company, which afterwards he went back to Apple and created even more innovative and groundbreaking products. 
• I most admire Steve Job's creativity. He was such a free spirit, and the reason nowadays that Apple isn't thinking "as differently" then they were is because they lost their shining star. 
• I least admire Steve Job's reluctance of family. He had a family but was so encapsulated with his projects that he spent little time with them. I personally feel like if I was an entrepreneur, family would have to be one of my most important aspects.
• Steve Jobs encountered tons of adversity. He was born an orphan (didn't know his biological family), then he was an outcast at school, only interested in playing with computers. Later on he started a company with nothing (major adversity) only to later get kicked from it. He may be one of the most gritty people of all time.

2) Steve Jobs was lucky in that he had three main, awesome competencies that are essential for entrepreneurship. One was his ability to learn (things he was passionate about). He understood computers on a deep level, and when talking about them, knew exactly how they worked and was always learning about them. Second was his creativity, his ability to drive away from the norm and develop new things that he knew were groundbreaking. And third was his ability to lead and inspire. No way would he have so many people by his side if he didn't inspire them everyday with the mission of Apple- to provide products that think differently.

3) One part of the reading is the beginning, where for a good section Steve was not a good school kid. I always thought that this was one of his key skills, but I guess it also outlines the fact that Steve was too smart for school- gravitating more towards his passions then what the institution wanted him to do.

4) First question: There are so many more entrepreneurs nowadays that think they'll make "the next big thing". Why do you think you were so successful, and what life skills should young entrepreneurs learn to replicate it? (I want to be a big entrepreneur and I think this would answer a lot of questions for me)

Second question: What does "thinking differently" mean to you? And how can more people do it? 

(This was Apple's big thing, so I'd like to see how he'd react to this question)

5) I think hard work to Steve Jobs wasn't a time frame. I think it was a mission. Hard work was whatever amount of work it took to make his dreams a reality. I think if I could work as hard as Steve at anything I'm passionate about, I could make it happen.