Steve Jobs, the Ultimate Stage Six Role Model

Steve Jobs, the Ultimate Stage Six Role Model

In the last week, we’ve all been hearing a lot about Steve Jobs, and how passionately he pursued everything he did. Although I have several Apple products, I never thought much about Steve jobs, until recently, although I wish I had, because he was a far more fascinating character than I had ever realized. He teaches us many things, but most importantly how to instinctually run your engine on passion and how to let your unique passions take you to the place where you can accomplish great things.

He wasn’t passionate about college, so rather than stay because he “should” (Stage Three) or to please his parents (Stage Four), he dropped out and pursued a “crazy idea” he had that eventually led all of us to have a computer (Stage Six), not to mention an IPod and/or I pad, and everything else you may need to take your entire music library anyplace you go.

I’ll leave it to others to write about how the passion-fueled path to his highest potential led him to revolutionize several industries. He couldn’t always control the outcome—none of us can—but he knew he could control the effort he put out and the commitment he brought to whatever he set out to accomplish. The good news is that there’s a Steve Jobs in every one of us. Making an iron clad commitment to discover and live out that natural part of yourself is what Stage Climbing is all about.

According to Gallup, up to 80% of us don’t like what we do career wise. (I was there once, myself in my first career when I was an accountant, but more about that another time.) You owe it to yourself to love what you do and be deeply and firmly committed to it, as Steve Jobs was. In my long career as a psychologist who has worked with many people, including some of our highest achievers, I have yet to find a person who could not find and live in that zone, if only they persisted.

Steve Jobs mission was far from complete when his life ended. Had he lived, he would have seen to it that more world changing innovations came our way. Then we would have heard more about his Stage Seven contributions to the world. We lost a giant last week! And we would all do well by honoring him and following his example