Life Lessons from a Dying Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer. 

He was 56 years old and had amassed a fortune of $7-billion. 

These are statements attributed to him as his "last words".

At this moment, lying on the bed, sick and remembering my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth I have is meaningless in the face of imminent death.

You can hire someone to drive your car, earn money for you—but you can't hire someone to carry the illness for you.

As we get older we get smarter, and we slowly realize that whether the watch is worth $30 or $300 – both show exactly the same time.

He was also given credit for offering these "five undeniable facts" as he faced the end of his life:

1. Do not educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy. So when they grow up they will know the value of things and not their price.
   
   
2. Eat your food as medicine, otherwise you will have to eat your medicine as food.
   
   
3. The one who loves you will never leave you, even if he has 100 reasons to give up. He will always find one reason to hold on.
   
   
4. There is a big difference between being human and being humane.
   
   
5. If you want to go fast - go alone! But if you want to go far - go together.

Wealth, like life is fleeting, do your best with what you have.

Jobs didn't say that. I just did. And, although it has been said before, it's still a phrase to consider whether your bank account is substantial or your coffers are empty.

On a side note, as someone who has experienced both robust and anemic bank balances, it's easier to contemplate such thoughts when you have the former. In the words of Sidney Sheldon, "Being poor is only romantic in books".

 

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NOTE: The fact that Jobs might not have said these things on his deathbed doesn't make them any less worthy of consideration. According to The Guardian: Jobs, who once memorably described death as "very likely the single best invention of life", departed this world with a lingering look at his family and the simple, if mysterious, observation: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow."

Forty Words to Breathe Life into Your Copy

These words that can help capture attention and emotion when used in hooks (to grab attention), in body content (to hold attention) and in CTAs (to drive action):

Amplify

Authentic

Beyond

Breathtaking

Boost

Discover

Effortless

Elite

Empower

Essential

Exclusive

Exhilarating

Explosive

Fascinating

Fearless

Forbidden

Heartwarming

Hidden

Hilarious

Imagine

Incredible

Insider

Instant

Limited

Miracle

Proven

Remarkable

Revealed

Revolutionary

Secret

Sensational

Shock

Simple

Thrilling

Ultimate

Unbelievable

Unforgettable

Unleash

Urgent

Vital

Remember, the key to effective copywriting is to use these words strategically and in alignment with your target audience and the product or service you're promoting.

Be aware that some of these words might be overused in your niche or industry. If that’s the case, don’t use ‘em or instead of making your copy stand out, they'll make your copy blend in.

 

View from a sidewalk café. Amsterdam. (Part 4)

 People walking with determination. A purpose. Somewhere to be.

I’ve reached my destination. My only purpose to be where I am.

Three generations. Taller as they get younger. The matriarch, whose hair is losing the battle against grey, presents as tired but calm. The other bookend, the younger generation. Her eyes darting back and forth to take in every detail or to find something of interest. In the middle, daughter and mother. Her expression remote, thinking about what she’d be doing if she weren’t walking towards Dam Square.

The seagull eyes the piece of discarded pastry claimed by a furiously pecking pigeon. The pigeon puffs up. The seagull lunges. The pigeon swallows its pride, choosing flight over fight. The seagull swallows its prize.

She’s startled by the sound of the can she inadvertently kicked across the cobblestones. She kicks at it again. This time on purpose. Misses. Shrugs. Moves on.

A large Adidas logo shin tattoo is repeated on the calf. Thick lines circle the leg above and below the logos. The foot that belongs to this leg is securely tied into a Nike shoe.

The teenager carrying the plant in protective hard plastic displays none of the enthusiasm of the plant’s bright violet flowers. He plods forward. Blank stare. Maybe counting his steps has his little sister offers an unrelenting monologue in machine gun Spanish.

The hair on his upper lip is long and has been coiffed into giant curls extending both left and right from his cheeks. It must inhibit eating, drinking, and maneuvering through narrow spaces. Mask mandates must’ve been his worst nightmare.

Two comfortably lethargic huskies stroll by unaccompanied. A few steps behind appears a man holding unattached leashes. Following him another huskie. A pack of sorts.

In all likelihood, the Mickey Mouse rolling a joint T-shirt is not Disney approved.

The illustrated woman stops for a smoke. Her balaclava of tattoos leaves her face the only undecorated skin on her shaved head.

The delicate white parchment skin of the old man’s face topped with jet black hair gives the impression of a vampire using a walker.

Stopping abruptly, he pats his pockets. Chest. Side. Back. Slight panic. Chest. Side. Back. Relaxes when the sunglasses are discovered on his head.

The curly-haired dog seems quite relaxed in the baby carrier strapped to the stocky woman’s chest. The pup is bigger than the typical “carry around K9". The woman turns her round, yellow-lensed sunglasses towards me, smiles, and says, “Hi.” She smiles and says, Hi” to everyone she passes. The dog is uninterested in greeting people and just pants contentedly.

A window washer addresses each 15-foot-high display window with expertise clothed in calm efficiency. One day I’ll write the way he cleans glass.

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View from a sidewalk cafe. Amsterdam

Part 1

View from a sidewalk cafe. Amsterdam
Part 2

View from a sidewalk cafe. Amsterdam
Part 3

Red Cons

 As I drag the razor over my stubble, I think about Tommy Perta.

Tommy's dead. Has been for over 30 years.

But I still think about him.

Tom Perta

In high school, a bunch of us were staying at a friend's house on Cape Cod.

Tommy walked into the bathroom as I was dabbing shaving cream on my face and said, "Mr. Frothingham! Were you never taught to shave properly?"

"Um ..."

"Let me show you."

And he did.

And I still follow his instructions. 

I wish I'd known him better then.

I wish he were around to get to know now. 

I remember him as kind. And funny. And creative. And gentle. And sensitive. A good soul. 

I remember his endearing childlike attitude.

He was a unique individual then and can't imagine him different today. Just older and wiser. I don't think the world could've beaten those qualities into submission.

I'm sure I could learn a lot from him now ... like some of the stuff he taught me then (aside from how to shave properly):

• Red Converse Chuck Taylors are an appropriate footwear choice for any occasion.
  
  
• If it looks like it could stay in place for a few seconds, put it on your head and assume the world accepts it as a hat.
  
  
• Exaggerated fake shock is always a funny way to react to off-color or controversial statements.
  
  
• If there's a banana in reach, hold it to your face like a phone and say, "Hello?"

These might sound buffoonish, but in Tommy's hands they were delightfully natural and honest. Without pretense. Just his way of letting out his inner child ... and coaxing out other inner children to come out and play. 

Not many people could pull that off.

Tommy did.