I have never met Steve Jobs, nor worked with him, nor ever interacted with him remotely. But his products touched a chord and I have followed his life journey as closely as the new product launches every year. Maybe more so, simply because almost two decades back I shared the same dream i.e.  Touch lives with Technology and make it so seamless that anyone anywhere can use it. Today a three-year old kid uses the technology intuitively and a 70-year old grandpa no longer fears the machine.

For years, I have lived with my dream. Steve had the passion to follow through.  That is the difference.

I learnt from Steve that dreams simply give you a false sense of illusion – it’s how you translate that dream into a goal that sets you apart.

I learnt that an Idea is not enough – an idea is just the beginning, the real work starts after that. I learnt that it is enough to start with a broad vision, and let the details evolve.  I learnt that the difference lies in how strongly you believe in the idea and (more importantly) what commitment you make to take it forward.

The 5 biggest lessons from Steve Jobs that I learnt and would like to emulate:

Lesson #1:  The Passion to make a Difference – The desire to touch lives and the inspiration to make a lasting impact.

Lesson #2:  The Perseverance and Courage to Pursue – To keep going despite all odds & contradictions. To always look for alternatives even when the full picture is not clear yet.

Lesson #3:  The Self-belief and Conviction to be Different – The foresight to challenge conventional wisdom. The ability to manage inertia and overcome resistance.

Lesson #4:  The Focus on Simplicity – The goal to constantly improve usability and drive the experience. The acceptance of using Technology as a means and not as a goal.

Lesson #5:  The Pursuit of Perfection – The willingness to admit mistakes and change course even late in the game. Striving always for the best possible.

Most importantly I learnt that achievement is not built around creativity or innovation, but realized through painstaking execution.

I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.

Steve Jobs, Interview, 1995

Today’s post is written by Arti Khanna. Arti combines more than 25 years of technology and business experience in communications to look at emerging trends and incubate new initiatives in communications and applied verticals. Connecting the dots between market dynamics and strategy is her specialty.

What other lessons have you taken away from Steve Job’s life? Have you ever moved an idea to execution? Do you plan to? How do you translate your ideas into plans for action? We would love to hear back from you.