It’s unfortunate that someone has to die for us to see the light on particular life enhancing issues. Our society is wired to pay attention when something bad happens. I certainly cannot exclude myself from this habit either. Even though I knew Steve Jobs was the CEO of Apple and was instrumental in creating the user-friendly technology that much of our culture revolves around, it took news of his death for me to stop and see what this man was all about.

We often attribute greatness to a person for what he does or creates. But truly the greatness we see in the creations is just a reflection of the individual’s greatness for simply being who he is. By staying true to ourselves – by honoring who we are as we are –there is no limit to the significant impact we can make. This was the message I received while listening to Mr. Jobs’ Commencement Address to the 2005 Stanford University graduating class.

So, even though Steve Jobs has passed on, he leaves behind a great message on how we can live fully and be fulfilled.

Here are my tips for enjoying every day fulfillment, as inspired by Steve Jobs.

1) Get clear on what YOU want and make room for it in your life

Steve said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

Too often we lack excitement and that feeling of being alive because we’ve been living someone else’s life. We’ve been living the life we were told we should or could live. It’s not what lights you up though. So, instead, start by asking yourself, “What do I want? What makes my heart open up and sing?” Follow this voice and make more space for it in your day to day life.

2) Spend more time pursuing what sparks you vs. worrying about what others think of you

Steve said, “… almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”

We can spend so much energy and time worrying about what other people think of us that we hold ourselves back from pursuing what really enlivens us. Sure it’s possible that you might be embarrassed or be perceived as a failure by some people. But, so what! Aren’t your dreams more important? By following your heart, you’re poised to gain so much more than what you originally feared you will lose. By investing energy into your dreams, you’ll activate the inspiration – that spark within you- that makes you feel fulfilled.

3) Trust that it will all work out.

Steve said, “…you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

Sometimes how we’re living now isn’t ideal. We’re not happy for whatever reason. But we stop ourselves from moving forward because where we are now is more comfortable than stepping out into the unknown. So we stay put. What we’ve done is put more value on our fear than on our dreams. It keeps us feeling stuck.

Yes, the unknown can be scary if we focus on the negative possibilities. But, the unknown can be incredibly exciting too because you never know what good things you will experience.

So, let go of needing to have all the steps laid out. Follow your heart and you’ll always know in what direction to go. You’ll also feel at peace with where you are now which is a  fulfilling place to be.

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Here is Steve Jobs’ Commencement Address to the 2005 Stanford University graduating class

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