Steve Jobs' Rule For Life
A Difficult Life Can Still Be a Good Life
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“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times, the legendary Bruce Lee once said. Bruce Lee’s philosophy of “being so good they can’t ignore you” focused on refining and mastering the fundamentals to an unparalleled level.
The way to master life and career is to make Steve Jobs’ quote a mantra for almost everything you do. “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected,” he said. When Jobs said, ‘I want to put a ding in the universe,’ he was challenging not just himself but all of us. Jobs knew that by setting the bar high, he could inspire others to reach for greatness, just like he did at Apple. Becoming a yardstick of quality means a commitment to excellence in everything we do.
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor,” says American Football coach Vince Lombardi. People who are committed to quality habits hold themselves accountable for every outcome. They ensure they deliver nothing less than excellence in all areas of their lives.
Extraordinary is an attainable target. Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 21, but he went on to become one of the most renowned physicists of our time. They have dared to think differently and made significant contributions to the world. “I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary,’ Elon Musk once said.
He’s shown that by pushing the boundaries in the aerospace and electric car industries. Musk, much like Jobs, isn’t just an entrepreneur; he’s a visionary who sets the bar high for an entire industry.
They both challenge others to rise above mediocrity. Embracing the “yardstick of quality” mindset is about consistently demanding the best from yourself. You set a personal example of excellence, just like Steve Jobs. It means you’re not just aiming for success; you’re unapologetically demanding it from yourself.
It’s not a fleeting commitment; it’s a life philosophy.
You don’t merely aim for greatness; you make it an inherent part of your identity. And encourage others to do the same with your words and, more importantly, your actions. “Quality is not an act; it is a habit,” Aristotle said. Making quality a habit is not just about talking about your high standards; it’s about living them every day. And giving your absolute best in everything you do to achieve personal greatness.
Albert Einstein once said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Even the greatest minds among us are not born with special abilities.
Rather, they achieve greatness through a deep passion for learning and discovery. You can build a great life on an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and growth. You demonstrate an unwavering commitment to your life or career goals, making it clear that greatness is an achievable goal for anyone determined to reach it.
You become the architect of your greatness.
You set the bar for the kind of life you want to lead and, in doing so, motivate yourself to meet and exceed those standards. You don’t just wait for life to happen; you actively shape it according to your vision of greatness. People who hold themselves to high standards expect a lot from themselves. They are personally invested in the pursuit of quality in life and career.
Top performers are relentless in pursuit of excellence. Mozart’s work reflects not just notes on paper but a deep connection to his music.
He famously declared, “People err who think my art comes easily to me. I assure you, dear friend, nobody has devoted so much time and thought to compositions as I. There is not a famous master whose music I have not industriously studied through many times.” He was committed to personal excellence is an understatement. Pablo Picasso was a great artist. His creative iterations grew with time. It took him thousands of iterations to find his genius. “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child,” he said.
Picasso’s artistic evolution throughout his career showcases a commitment to pushing the boundaries of creativity. Simone Biles is an artistic gymnast widely regarded as the greatest gymnast ever. She has won a record 32 Olympic and World Championship medals, including seven Olympic gold medals. Biles is known for her brilliance and hard work from an early age. “If they said, ‘Do five pull-ups,’ I would always want to do 10,” she says.
“We strive for greatness,” Biles once said.
For top performers, becoming a yardstick of quality is not a sporadic effort; it’s a way of life. Excellence defines their pursuits. In life, it’s about making the same choice: to be extraordinary. You must take ownership of your pursuit of excellence, realizing it’s a continuous process, not a one-time achievement.
As Henry Ford once said, “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” That means your commitment to excellence should be ingrained in your character, not just a performance for others.
It’s a lifetime commitment.
It’s a journey that begins with you, and it’s only when you’re relentless in your pursuit that you truly achieve greatness. Excellence should define your daily pursuits, setting the bar higher each day. Whether in your work, home life, or personal ethics, hold yourself to the highest expectations and consistently meet or exceed them. “Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well,” says former US Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare John W. Gardner.
“Be a yardstick of quality,” is a practical rule for life.
It’s not just an aspiration; it’s a consistent standard that drives greatness. When you become a benchmark for quality, you not only inspire yourself but everyone around you. Becoming a yardstick of quality is an unwavering commitment to high standards. It’s not merely a goal; it’s the path to a life of significance.
Your future self depends on it.
Free post on Medium
>A Difficult Life Can Still Be a Good Life
“Ring the bells that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack, a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen
Morgan Housel on rules
There’s a sweet spot where you grasp the important stuff but you’re not smart enough to be bored with it.
The line between bold and reckless is thin and often only visible with hindsight, so be careful who you admire and what you admire them for.
People who are exceptionally good at one thing tend to be exceptionally bad at other things, but if you’re good at one thing people will try to emulate everything you do.
“It’s very common to be utterly brilliant and still think you’re way smarter than you actually are.” – Charlie Munger
You’re not a machine, so don’t expect to always be rational. Aiming to be reasonable is the best anyone can do.
Book of the week
In Designing Your Life, Burnett and Evans argue there are multiple paths to career and life happiness—learning how to recognize and evaluate these paths increases your chances of experiencing satisfaction.
Shortform summary highlight:
3 questions worth pondering
What single habit, if implemented consistently for the rest of this year, would transform your life the most?
When you wake up, do you expect today to have many joys or many frustrations?
If you had 10x the agency you have, what would you do?
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Until Next Week,
Be Well.
Thomas
“The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile.” — Plato
Postanly Weekly is a reader-supported newsletter. To support my work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for $9 per month or $60 for an entire year. Or use this special link for 50% off forever. Plus free access to The Thinking Edge: 27 (with future updates) thinking tools, models, principles for life and career. Inspired by the wisdom of brilliant minds.
I love your newsletter, and I'm grateful for your effort and your insight over the past few years. You've helped me tremendously.
That said, you missed the mark this time. Steve Jobs is absolutely NOT a role model that anyone should respect or emulate - unless one values the most extreme capitalist ethic of destroying others to benefit oneself. There's more than ample evidence that Steve was in the top 10 list of high-functioning sociopaths in America during his reign, joining the elite ranks of those such as Bill Gates and Jack Welch. He was merciless, cruel, amoral, and hypocritical. People revere him as a tech icon, but that's just hype. His true strength was as a salesman, selling propaganda disguised as beautiful visions to geeky, clueless worshipers everywhere.
Whatever good he preached was stolen from others, and was greatly outweighed by his faults and misdeeds. And the monstrous extent of his ego can be summed up in the stubborn personal rejection of reality that led to his death. He truly believed that his reality distortion field would beat pancreatic cancer.
Reminds me of ignorant and stubborn COVID patients who refused proven treatments and whose last words were "It's not COVID".
Not exactly a role model for the rest of us.