Dr Paul Allen

Image via Wikipedia Is Steve Jobs Dying for Us All? Like Thomas Edison or Henry Ford , the name Steve Jobs conjures the image of an era more than a product. After battling pancreatic cancer, the Apple co-founder has finally resigned from the company and has resigned himself to one thing over which he has no control: death. In a penetrating essay in  Esquire  today, Tom Junod explores the life, lessons, and legacy of one of our era’s greatest inventors. The title itself is telling:  “Steve Jobs is Dying for Us All.” Back in January 2010, Junod contributed another piece for  Esquire  titled,  “Steve Jobs and the Portal to the Invisible” . Both are worth the read. Prominent in both articles are the emphases on Jobs as an artist, a creative genius who “makes the invisible visible” and fits an even “messianic” profile. In last year’s feature, Junod observed, There are several things that Steve Jobs isn’t. He isn’t, for one thing, democratic. “He isn’t utopian...

What separates successful leaders from average ones? What is the secret behind the accomplishments of high achievers? While there are many things that can contribute to success, there is one thing that is sure to prevent it every single time. What is it?  The absence of trying. Sound overly simplistic? It may seem that way, but there is pure genius in this principle that is so obvious, yet often overlooked. Every successful author, leader, inventor, and artist have at least one thing in common: they tried. They attempted something. The great hockey legend Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” His point was that  nothing great ever happens without effort.  No author has accidentally written and published a great book. No artist has accidentally painted a masterpiece. It took effort. It took  trying. So what prevents us from trying and accomplishing great things? Lack of confidence.  Fear of failure paralyzes us. If you’r...