Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005 – YouTube ► 14:34► 14:34 www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA Steve Jobs delivering his commencement speech to the graduates of Stanford ..

Over the obstacle course of my life, I’ve found that I have a tendency to make presumptions about my audience, and I’ve learned that if I don’t explain things properly, I can come across as crazy.

That’s not a problem because I know I’m crazy.

However, what in the heck does that have to do with Steve Jobs, a commencement speech, and pictures of the upper and lower halves of an outfit?

EVERYTHING.

See, I’m writing today, yet again after taking a super long break, which unfortunately had a lot to do with a marathon WWF Wrestlemania match with depression. I couldn’t really bring myself to write. I squandered my energy working a job I had to suffer through-as a necessity-but due to the grace of God, the pain of the experience was being used to push me toward a new life. I now realize those chronic agitations were signals of something within my solar system, and I needed hop on the first thing smokin’ from Tattooine.

I had to take that next step, but I was complacent. I was fearful. Worried. It takes effort to change ships, and I was effortless. Every day was like waking up, realizing you are in the bottom of a deep hole, but you see a bright light up above; if only only there were a way to scale the walls, maybe I could climb out and show Bane who’s boss. I felt trapped.

Enter Steve Jobs. I was walking around Trader Joe’s, after yet another draining work day, and I was listening to his speech enclosed in the link I’ve attached to this post. As, I listened to it, I felt myself moving upward. I was starting to climb.

The words resonated with me, and although I didn’t memorize anything, his words were so sharp and proved effective in piercing the walls I had built-walls that I thought were protecting me, preserving my imprisonment. He advised me that you shouldn’t waste any of your life in a job that makes you miserable and doesn’t involve following your dreams and vision. At that time, I could definitely confirm the miserable part of the equation, but I was still formulating a vision. Things were beginning to emerge more clearly, but it all still seemed a little blurry. However, I could tell something had changed.

A seed had been planted.

A year passed on my journey since that day at Trader Joe’s, and the fight to climb towards the light has continued. A close friend of mine said, at the end of a conversation one day-consisting of a metric shit-ton of bitching-that I just needed to get a different job. I took this as the final confirmation, and I gradually began to tear the walls down. I began to look for opportunities and new ways I could build. This helped, not because I actually found the solution all by my own doing, but because it made me open to what was going to happen.

A hand reached down into the pit I was in. Use your imagination here. Picture the arm of your best friend reaching down, maybe even your father and mother. Well, that is what this was like. A recruiter contacted me, I took their hand, and I’m now on my way, nearly out, and I can feel what it’s like to have the sun on my skin again.

The past few days have reminded me of what it’s like to NOT feel miserable for no reason at all. To appreciate the priceless value of having a body that functions. The gift of being able to walk around, taste coffee, look at the sky, and feel the 115 degrees of Arizona valley summer heat.

Yes, even the ridiculous cauldron of heat right now. Hahahaha. 🙂

I can also start to enjoy the things that i used to enjoy. For me, that involves a lot of music and art.

The shirt in this picture is by A.P.C. Jeans are selvedge denim and made by PRPS. Wingtip boots are by John Varvatos. I mark occasions like today by what I’m wearing. Tiger is wearing red today. Michael Jordan has his hoop earring in. I’m back and I feel like winning for a change.