It is not often that a truly great man comes along and inspires a generation, much less a man who provides such inspiration across multiple generations. More so than the contributions he made with pushing technology forward, Steve was a man of the people. His vision for Apple was that it was a company that oriented toward the consumer. He truly wanted people to experience the same joy he had in creating computers in their unique user experience. Sure Apple is one of the most profitable companies in the world now, but that was not it’s goal. Profit was secondary to customer satisfaction, which is the secret to Apple’s success, and this is evident in his relentless pursuit for the actual product to be in line with his vision. If a product did not meet up to Steve’s vision, it was not released, bottom line. If it wasn’t perfect for him, it was not perfect for everybody else. This is true Universal Consciousness, and likely emanates from his Buddhist background. Steve Jobs was also a rugged individualist as well, and his own philosophy of life is an example to follow:

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Thank you Steve Jobs. Thank you for being a living example of how to ‘Think Different’ in a world that discourages us to do so through fear. Thank you for being a Great Man.