Of Jobs and dreams

In a 2005 Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs said: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” Those words are heady and inspirational. It is a philosophy about work life that merits deep contemplation. On the other hand, it comes from a man ― a Silicon Valley Alexander ― who has been a multi-millionaire since his 20s. From that comfortable pedestal, it's easy to say "don't settle" for anything less than matching your dreams with a job that will fulfill them. Jobs' early financial windfall freed him to follow his dreams. Most folks have to eat and pay the bills. Bloomberg's Virginia Postrel agrees. In a thoughtful piece, she says Jobs' clarion for the "promise of greatness and self-fulfillment" is compelling. But it could also lead to "perpetual dissatisfaction. If business isn’t just about making money, if it is about finding a version of true love and leaving a cultural mark, the stakes are much higher. Your work becomes your identity." Also worth bearing in mind, Postrel noted, is why Jobs really kept working after he became richer than God. “It’s a neat way to play,” she said, quoting Intel exec Dave House (who's also a gazillionaire). Clearly, there are no easy solutions for how best to pursue our dreams. We do the best we can with the cards we're dealt. And hope.