Steve Jobs had an innovative mind that was beyond his time. Not only did he create technology that many people cannot live or function without, but he departed from this world leaving behind many important words of wisdom. In these days, when everyone has the same store-bought clothes and manufactured phones, a person’s inner voice, and how they express it, may be the only unique thing about them. Steve Jobs knew what it meant to go against the grain and to follow one’s inner voice, or dream. When he dropped out of Reed College to become the very successful founder of Apple, he was living up to his own words.
The first part of Jobs’ quote, “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your inner voice,” is something that is integral to a person’s success. It can be hard to for a person to listen to themselves when other people’s opinions are constantly buzzing in their ear. There will always be people out there who have a contrary opinion or who are just always judging. Many people have this innate desire to conform to society and the norms that the generation defines them with because they are afraid of being different. However, it is the people who are outspoken and have the strength to listen to themselves and their own opinions who are the most successful. Also, the people who go against societal rules and standards are the ones that are making the real changes. For example, the late, great Martin Luther King Jr. lived during segregation. During this time, the erroneous opinions and belief that African Americans and other minorities were inferior to the “superior race” was the societal opinion, but still, he let his inner voice prevail. The most compelling evidence of this is his iconic and historic “I Have a Dream” speech. It can be hard for a person to listen to their inner voice. If everyone is always telling someone that they are wrong, how can they ever know they are right? Therefore, people need to be brave and have courage, which brings me to the second part of Jobs’ quote.
In the second part of the quote, Jobs said, “And more important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” Words without actions are just words, and in this case, having an inner voice is useless if you don’t actively pursue it. There are so many people in the world who are stuck in a job that they hate or a bad relationship but because they don’t have the courage to listen to their heart’s desire, they live the rest of their life unhappily. It is one thing to accept your opinion and another thing to execute it to your fullest desire. Everyone has dreams whether they are big or small. It can be scary to take your ideas and run with them when there are so many risks involved. Nonetheless, not enough people have the boldness that they need to follow their heart. So many people keep things bottled up inside and they stop themselves from reaching their full potential because they don’t reach this next step.
Going back to my example of Martin Luther King Jr., he had many opinions about segregation and racism during his time but without the courage he possessed to follow his heart the world may have been different now. His march on Washington was a manifestation of his daring to follow his heart and paired with his “I Have a Dream” speech, was successful in changing the America for the better.
Personally, there have been many times where I felt compelled to do what others said or expected me to do. I used to suppress my inner voice and dreams to appease everyone around me. However, I realized that I was letting the opinions of others get to me and it was having a very negative impact on my life. Now, I feel like I have the power to have my own voice and follow my own heart and dreams. This is the reason why I am writing this essay. I decided that I enjoy writing and am now taking the steps I need to pursue my dream.Steve Jobs’ quote, “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your inner voice. And more importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” He was telling the world something that everyone should follow. The only way that people can be the best they could be is to allow their opinions to matter most to themselves and for them to have the mettle to follow their heart. We can all be who we are meant to be if we just believe in ourselves and follow our hearts desire.
Always believe in yourself and dreams. listen to their inner voice and also Listen to people advise to perfect your dream but never let your dream go