喬布斯英語演講稿

喬布斯英語演講稿第一篇：小喬布斯thomas_suarez英語演講稿ted第二篇：從喬布斯演講看如何寫作英語演講稿第三篇：小喬布斯thomassuarez英語演講稿ted第四篇：喬布斯演講稿第五篇：喬布斯演講稿更多相關(guān)范文小喬布斯thomassuarez英語演講稿tedhelloeveryone，mynameisthomassuarez.i'vealwayshadafascinationforputersandtechnology,andimadeafewappsfortheiphone,ipodtouchandipad.i’dliketoshareacouplewithyoutoday;myfirststepwasauniquefortuneterrorcalledearthfortune,thatexplaindifferentcodesofearthdependingonwhatyourfortunewas,myfavoriteandmostsuessfulappisbustinjieber,whichisthejustinbieberwacmore,icreateditbecausealotofpeopleatschooldislikejustinbieberalittlebit,soidecidedtomaketheapp,soiwenttoworkprogrammingitandireallysuggestforholidaysinxx.大家好，我叫托馬斯·斯沃斯，我一直以來對計算機技術(shù)著迷。我就給iphone、ipodtouch、ipad做了一些應(yīng)用程序，今天我就來給大家展示幾個。第一個應(yīng)用叫做地球算命，它根據(jù)你的運勢來改變地球的顏色。我最有名、最成功的應(yīng)用程序是比斯汀.賈伯，它是一個惡搞賈斯汀·比伯程序。這是因為在我的學(xué)校里，許多人有點不喜歡賈斯汀·比伯。所以我就開始做了這個應(yīng)用了，開始編程，并在xx年的暑假推出了我的作品。alotofpeopleaskedme:howdidimake(請關(guān)注)this,alotoftimejustbecausethepersonyouaskaquestionwantstomakeanappalso,alotofkidsthesedaysliketoplaygames,butnowtheywanttomakethemandit’sdifficult.becausenotmanykidsknowwheretogotofindouthowtomakeaprogram.imeanforsoeryoucouldgotoasoerteam,forviolinyoucouldgetlessonsforviolin,butwhatifyouwanttomakeanappandkid’sparentsmighthavedonethesethingswhentheywereyoung,butnotmanyparentsmadeapps.wherewouldyougotofindouthowtomakeanapp,whilethisishowiapproached,thisiswhatidid.許多人問我，我是怎么做出這些東西來的？大多數(shù)情況下，問我這個問題的人也想做一個應(yīng)用程序試試?，F(xiàn)在有許多孩子曾喜歡玩游戲，現(xiàn)在他們可以自己創(chuàng)作游戲了，這很難，因為大多數(shù)孩子不知道去哪里學(xué)編程。我是說，如果你想學(xué)足球，你可以加入一個足球隊，如果學(xué)拉小提琴，你可以去興趣班。如果想做應(yīng)用程序，你該怎么辦呢？父母一般叫孩子們做一些事，但是有多少父母會編程呢？你去哪里可以學(xué)到編程呢？以下就是我怎么做到的，這就是我做的。firstofall,i’vebeenprogramminginmultipleotherprogramsjustgetthebasicsdown,suchaspython,c,javaetc.andthenapplereleasedtheiphoneandwiththeiphonesoftdeveloping,andsoftwaredevelopmentkitisaswifttoolforcreatingandprogramminganiphoneapp.thisopenedupawholenewworldpossibilitiesforme,andafterplayingwiththesoftdevelopingalittlebitimadeacoupleappsandmadesometestapps,oneofthemhappentobeearthfortunewasreadytoputfortuneontheappstore,andsoipersuadedmyparentstopaythe99-dollar-feetobeabletoputmyappontheappstock.theyagreedandnowmyappsareontheappstore.首先，我先學(xué)了另外的編程，作為基礎(chǔ)，比方python、c語言、java編程。不久蘋果公司推出了iphone和iphone軟件開發(fā)工具包。iphone軟件開發(fā)工具包是一個給iphone編寫應(yīng)用程序的很好的工具。這給我?guī)砹税l(fā)現(xiàn)新世界一般的可能性，我在小小地玩了一下iphone軟件開發(fā)工具包之后，我就做了幾個應(yīng)用，并作了測試，其中之一就是地球算命。我很想把我的地球算命放上蘋果的應(yīng)用商店，我就說服我父母去支付進入蘋果應(yīng)用超市所需的99美元。結(jié)果他們同意了，我的應(yīng)用上線了。i’vegotalotinterestingencouragementformyfamilyfriendsteachersandevenpeopleoftheappstore,that’sbeenahugechapforme,i’vegotalotofinspirationfromstevejobs,asstartedtheappclubattheschoolandateachermyschooliskindlysponsoringmyappclub,anystudentsonmyschoolcaneanddesign,learnhowtodesignanapp.thisisallicansharemyexperiencewithothers.我得到了我的家庭、朋友、老師，甚至是蘋果應(yīng)用超市的工作人員的鼓勵，他們對我有了很大的影響。我從喬布斯身上得到了許多靈感，我在學(xué)校里組建了蘋果俱樂部。老師對我的俱樂部做出了積極地響應(yīng)。在我的學(xué)校里，每個人都可以來我的俱樂部里學(xué)習(xí)如何編寫應(yīng)用程序。這就是我與他人提供經(jīng)驗的方式。therearetheseprogramscalledtheipadpallidprogram,andsomedistrictshavethem.i’mfortunatetobepartofone;abigchallengeishowshouldtheipadbeusedonwhatappsshallweputontheipads.sowe’regettingfeedbackfromteachersatthisschooltoseewhatkindofappstheylikewhenwedesigntheappandwesellit,itwouldbefreetolocaldistrictsandotherdistrictswesellto.allthemoneyfromthatgoestolocalfoundations,thesedaysstudentsusuallyknowalittlebitmorethanteacherswiththetechnology,so,sorry,thisistheresourceoftheteachersandeducatorsshouldrecognizethisresourceandmakegooduseofit.有一種叫ipad平板電腦編程的組織，有些區(qū)里有這類的組織，我有幸成為他們當(dāng)中的一員。我最大的挑戰(zhàn)是怎么利用ipad，我們應(yīng)該給ipad做什么樣的程序。我們在學(xué)校里向老師做了反應(yīng)信息調(diào)查，看看他們喜歡什么樣的應(yīng)用程序。在我們設(shè)計好后，我們出售那些應(yīng)用。本地區(qū)的用戶可以獲得，別的地區(qū)的用戶收費。從中的利潤會投入到當(dāng)?shù)鼗饡小，F(xiàn)在，學(xué)生們，在技術(shù)方面，通常會比老師們懂得多。如此看來...對不起，這是老師們的資源，教育工作者應(yīng)該好好認識并利用它。i’dliketofinishupbysayingwhatiliketodointhefuture.firstofalli’dliketocreatemoreapps,moregames.i’mworkingwithathirdpartypanytomakeanapp.i’dliketogetintoandroidprogramminganddevelopment,andi’dliketocontinuemyappclubandfindotherwaysforstudentstoshareknowledgewithothers.thankyou.ted演講是由ted從每年1000人的俱樂部變成了一個每天10萬人流量的社區(qū)。為了繼續(xù)擴大網(wǎng)站的影響力，ted還加入了社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)的功能，以連接一切“有志改變世界的人”。從xx年起，ted演講的視頻被上傳到網(wǎng)上。截至xx年4月，ted官方網(wǎng)站上收錄的ted演講視頻已達650個，有逾五千萬的網(wǎng)民觀看了ted演講的視頻。ted是一下三個英文單詞的首字母大寫【t】technology技術(shù)【e】entertainment娛樂【d】design設(shè)計它是美國的一家私有非盈利機構(gòu)，該機構(gòu)以它組織的ted大會著稱。thethemeoftheted：ideasworthspreading.ambulance救護車——俺不能死；ponderous肥胖的——胖的要死；pest害蟲——拍死它；ambition雄心——俺必勝；admire羨慕——額的媽呀從喬布斯演講看如何寫作英語演講稿無論在學(xué)習(xí)還是工作中，我們都會接觸或用到各類英語演講，小到課堂作業(yè)和工作匯報，大到會議發(fā)言和職位競選。那么如何才能打造一篇精彩的英語演講稿呢？下面蘇州英語培訓(xùn)的沃爾得就以喬布斯xx年斯坦福大學(xué)畢業(yè)演講稿為范本來具體剖析一下英語演講稿的寫作要點，幫助大家了解其基本寫作要領(lǐng)。結(jié)構(gòu)清楚，邏輯清晰由于公共演講的聽眾一般有數(shù)十人甚至數(shù)百、數(shù)千人，再加上演講環(huán)境的不確定性（比方觀眾的歡呼或者抱怨），演講者最好在進入主題之后馬上給出所講內(nèi)容的框架結(jié)構(gòu)，使聽眾能跟隨演講者的思路，更好地預(yù)判整個演講內(nèi)容，以到達良好的演講效果。比方，喬布斯在xx年斯坦福大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮上的演講中，開篇稍微寒暄之后就進入正題：“todayiwanttotellyouthreestoriesfrommylife.that’sit.nobigdeal.justthreestories.”聽眾馬上能對演講內(nèi)容做出預(yù)判——今天會聽到喬布斯談三點，然后他們會關(guān)注具體是哪三點。這種演講就具備了“以觀眾為中心”的特質(zhì)。喬布斯在隨后的演講中分別提到，“thefirststoryisaboutconnectingthedots.”“mysecondstoryisaboutloveandloss.”“mythirdstoryisaboutdeath.”由于演講思路非常明晰，聽眾在聽完之后也會記憶猶新。當(dāng)然，演講稿在結(jié)構(gòu)方面的邏輯順序有許多種，喬布斯的這篇演講是按照話題順序和時間順序來安排的。除此之外，還有空間順序，“提出問題——分析問題——解決問題”的順序等。大家可以根據(jù)不同演講內(nèi)容的需要來安排自己演講稿的邏輯順序和整體結(jié)構(gòu)。開篇出彩，吸引聽眾演講稿的開篇往往需要花費大量的功夫去設(shè)計。在寫作開篇時，演講者需要結(jié)合聽眾特點、演講場合和演講主題等因素，爭取在一開始就緊緊抓住聽眾的注意力和興趣。下面蘇州英語培訓(xùn)的沃爾得就介紹一下基本的演講開篇模式，供大家以后寫作演講稿參考。演講稿開篇的目的是吸引聽眾。喬布斯在他的演講稿開篇使用的是“關(guān)聯(lián)話題與聽眾”的方式。這是一種比擬有效的方法，因為人們一般對自己的事情都很關(guān)注，和自己相關(guān)的事情也會格外留意。喬布斯在演講開篇說道：“iamhonoredtobewithyoutodayforyourmencementfromoneofthefinestuniversitiesintheworld.truthbetold,inevergraduatedfromcollege.andthisistheclosesti’veevergottentoacollegegraduation.”高度贊美斯坦福大學(xué)——這就是在與聽眾發(fā)生關(guān)聯(lián)。喬布斯就是通過這種方式讓聽眾一開始就對自己產(chǎn)生好感或?qū)ψ约旱难葜v內(nèi)容產(chǎn)生興趣。當(dāng)然，喬布斯還用了適當(dāng)?shù)挠哪玫厝谇⒘伺c聽眾的關(guān)系。除了喬布斯的這種開篇方式外，我們還需要了解和掌握其他一些開篇方式：①指出演講話題的重要性。比方要做一場關(guān)于“英語演講的藝術(shù)”的演講，演講者在一開始就可以指出該演講對于聽眾今后的學(xué)習(xí)、工作將會有很大幫助，甚至可以給出一些數(shù)據(jù)和實例，讓聽眾明白不聽這個演講將會是一個損失，這樣聽眾就會樂于認真聽演講了。②使聽眾感到震驚。例如要做一場關(guān)于“生活方式與疾病”的演講，開篇就可以給出一組極具沖擊力的數(shù)據(jù)，讓聽眾看到生活方式不健康將會產(chǎn)生多么可怕的后果，這樣的震驚能夠使聽眾快速調(diào)整狀態(tài)，投入到聽演講中去。③引起聽眾的好奇心。演講者可以在開篇指出一種特別的現(xiàn)象，聽眾出于好奇就會認真聽演講，想知道演講者如何分析或解釋。④向觀眾提問。演講者可以在開篇提出一個問題，這樣可以引發(fā)聽眾的思考，也會引導(dǎo)他們?nèi)ヂ犙葜v者如何解答問題。此外，也可以在開篇引用一段名言，或是講述一個故事等，這些基本的開篇方式被無數(shù)的演講證明是實用而且有效的。觀點明確，支撐有效macintosh—ayearearlier,andi’djustturned30.”數(shù)據(jù)很直觀，能讓聽眾更直接地認識和理解演講內(nèi)容。結(jié)尾有“道”，畫龍點睛演講的結(jié)尾往往需要起到“畫龍點睛”的作用，要盡量做到意味深長、啟發(fā)思考。開篇和正文再好，如果結(jié)尾過于平淡，整個演講的精彩程度也會大打折扣。那么如何做到結(jié)尾有“道”呢？首先我們來看看喬布斯的這篇演講稿，他的結(jié)尾比開篇更加出彩，采用的是“引文結(jié)尾”的方式，到達了引人深思的效果。他在結(jié)尾說道：“stewartandhisteamputoutseveralissuesofthewholeearthcatalog,andthenwhenithadrunitscourse,theyputoutafinalissue.itwasthemid-1970s,andiwasyourage.onthebackcoveroftheirfinalissuewasaphotographofanearlymorningcountryroad,thekindyoumightfindyourselfhitchhikingonifyouweresoadventurous.beneathitwerethewords‘stayhungry.stayfoolish.’itwastheirfarewellmessageastheysignedoff.stayhungry.stayfoolish.andihavealwayswishedthatformyself.andnow,asyougraduatetobeginanew,iwishthatforyou.stayhungry.stayfoolish.”喬布斯不僅在演講結(jié)尾引用了這句“stayhungry.stayfoolish”（求知假設(shè)渴，虛懷假設(shè)谷），而且重復(fù)三遍，強化了聽眾的印象。這句話后來也被廣泛傳播，被譽為該篇演講的精髓。除了喬布斯這種“引文結(jié)尾”的方式，常見的演講結(jié)尾方式還有如下幾種：①總結(jié)演講。對演講中的各個論點或要點進行簡單總結(jié)和梳理，加深聽眾的印象。②強有力的陳述。這種方式不同于引用他人之言，往往是演講者自己的總結(jié)和心聲。一個非常經(jīng)典的例子是patrickhenry的演講“l(fā)ibertyordeath”。他在結(jié)尾時說道：“islifesodear,orpeacesosweet,astobepurchasedatthepriceofchainsandslavery?forbidit,almightygod!iknownotwhatcourseothersmaytake;butasforme,givemeliberty,orgivemedeath!”③首尾呼應(yīng)。在演講結(jié)尾對開篇提到的主題和重點進行重新闡述，這是表達演講內(nèi)在統(tǒng)一性的經(jīng)典形式，值得借鑒。為了更加有效地掌握文中講到的寫作演講稿的要點，作為蘇州商務(wù)英語培訓(xùn)的沃爾得建議大家做到以下三點：①多看。多看一些演講素材，比方名人演講、演講比賽優(yōu)秀選手的演講等，積累大量的一手素材；也有必要閱讀一些關(guān)于英語公共演講的書籍，筆者在此推薦stephene.lucas的《演講的藝術(shù)》（theartofpublicspeaking）一書。②多想。學(xué)會分析這些演講之所以精彩的原因，可以從筆者上面講的幾點入手分析。③多練。在有了一定的積累之后，要大量練習(xí)寫作演講稿，話題可以從日常學(xué)習(xí)和工作中選取，這樣練習(xí)起來會更有興趣和成就感。小喬布斯thomassuarez英語演講稿tedhelloeveryone，mynameisthomassuarez.iafascinationforputersandtechnology,andimadeafewappsfortheiphone,ipadtouchandipad.i’dliketoshareacouplewithyoutoday;myfirststepwasauniquefortuneterrorcalledearthfortune,thatexplaindifferentcodesofearthdependingonwhatyourfortunewas,myfavoriteandmostsuessfulappisbustinjieber,whichisthejustinbieberwacmore,icreateditbecausealotofpeopleatschooldislikejustinbieberalittlebit,soidecidedtomaketheapp,soiwenttoworkprogrammingitandireallysuggestforholidaysinxx.alotofpeopleaskedme:howdidimakethis,alotoftimejustbecausethepersonyouaskaquestionwantstomakeanappalso,alotofkidsthesedaysliketoplaygames,butnowtheywanttomakethemandit’sdifficult.becausenotmanykidsknowwheretogotofindouthowtomakeaprogram.imeanforsoeryoucouldgotoasoerteam,forviolinyoucouldgetlessonsforviolin,butwhatifyouwanttomakeanappandkid’sparentsmighthavedonethesethingswhentheywereyoung,butnotmanyparentsmadeapps.wherewouldyougotogotofindouthowtomakeanapp,whilethisishowiperched,thisiswhatidid,firstofall,i’vebeenprogramminginmultipleotherprogramsjustgetthebasicsdown,suchasthepiesoundseejobetc.andthenapplereleasedtheiphoneandwiththeiphonesoftdevelming,andisasweetoftoolsforcreatingandprogramminganiphoneapp.thisopenedupawholenewworldpossibilitiesforme,andafterplayingwiththesoftdivelmingalittlebitimadeacoupleappsandmadesometestapps,oneofthemhappentobeearthfortunewasreadytoputfortuneontheappsstore,andsoipersuadedmyparentstopaythe99-dollar-feetobeabletoputmyappintotheappstock.theyagreedandnowiontheappstock.i’vegotalotinterestingencouragementformyfamilyfriendsteachersandevenpeopleoftheappstore,that’sbeenahugechaptome,i’vegotalotofinspirationfromstevejobs,asstartedtheappclubatschoolandateachermyschooliskindlysponsarymyappclub,anystudentsonmyschoolcaneanddesign,learnhowtodesignanapp.thisisallicansharemyexperiencewithothers.thereistheprogramcalledtheipadpallidprogram,andsomedistrictshavethem.i’mfortunatetobepartofone;abigchallengeishowshouldtheipadbeusedonwhatappsshallweputontheipads.sowe’regettingfeedbackfromteachersatthisschooltoseewhatkindofappstheylikewhenwedesigntheappandwesellit,itwouldbefreetolocaldistrictsandotherdistrictsthatweselltoorthemoneyfromthatlocalfoundations,thesedaysstudentsusuallyknowalittlebitmorethanteacherswiththetechnology,so,sorry,thisistheresourceoftheteachersandeducatorsshouldrecognizetheseresourcesandmadegooduseofit.i’dliketofinishupbysayingwhatiliketodointhefuture.firstofalli’dliketocreatemoreapps,moregames.i’mworkingwiththethirdpartypanytomakeanapp.i’dliketogetintoandroidprogramminganddevelopment,andi’dliketocontinuemyappclubandfindotherwaysforstudentstoshareknowledgewithothers.thankyounoonewantstodie.evenpeoplewhowanttogotoheavendon'twanttodietogetthere.andyetdeathisthedestinationweallshare.noonehaseverescapedit.andthatisasitshouldbe,becausedeathisverylikelythesinglebestinventionoflife.itislife'schangeagent.itclearsouttheoldtomakewayforthenew.rightnowthenewisyou,butsomedaynottoolongfromnow,youwillgraduallybeetheoldandbeclearedaway.sorrytobesodramatic,butitisquitetrue.沒有人愿意死,即使人們想上天堂,人們也不會為了去那里而死。但是死亡是我們每個人共同的終點。從來沒有人能夠逃脫它。也應(yīng)該如此。因為死亡就是生命中最好的一個創(chuàng)造。它將舊的清除以便給新的讓路。你們現(xiàn)在是新的,但是從現(xiàn)在開始不久以后,你們將會逐漸的變成舊的然后被清除。我很抱歉這很戲劇性,但是這十分的真實。yourtimeislimited,sodon'twasteitlivingsomeoneelse'slife.don'tbetrappedbydogma-whichislivingwiththeresultsofotherpeople'sthinking.don'tletthenoiseofother'sopinionsdrownoutyourowninnervoice.andmostimportant,havethecouragetofollowyourheartandintuition.theysomehowalreadyknowwhatyoutrulywanttobee.everythingelseissecondary.你們的時間很有限,所以不要將他們浪費在重復(fù)其他人的生活上。不要被教條束縛,那意味著你和其他人思考的結(jié)果一起生活。不要被其他人喧囂的觀點掩蓋你真正的內(nèi)心的聲音。還有最重要的是,你要有勇氣去聽從你直覺和心靈的指示——它們在某種程度上知道你想要成為什么樣子，所有其他的事情都是次要的。wheniwasyoung,therewasanamazingpublicationcalledthewholeearthcatalog,whichwasoneofthebiblesofmygeneration.itwascreatedbyafellownamedstewartbrandnotfarfromhereinmenlopark,andhebroughtittolifewithhispoetictouch.thiswasinthelate1960's,beforepersonalputersanddesktoppublishing,soitwasallmadewithtypewriters,scissors,andpolaroidcameras.itwassortoflikegoogleinpaperbackform,35yearsbeforegooglecamealong:itwasidealistic,andoverflowingwithneattoolsandgreatnotions.當(dāng)我年輕的時候,有一本叫做“整個地球的目錄”振聾發(fā)聵的雜志，它是我們那一代人的圣經(jīng)之一。它是一個叫stewartbrand的家伙在離這里不遠的menlopark書寫的,他象詩一般神奇地將這本書帶到了這個世界。那是六十年代后期,在個人電腦出現(xiàn)之前,所以這本書全部是用打字機,、剪刀還有偏光鏡制造的。有點像用軟皮包裝的google,在google出現(xiàn)三十五年之前：這是理想主義的，其中有許多靈巧的工具和偉大的想法。stewartandhisteamputoutseveralissuesofthewholeearthcatalog,andthenwhenithadrunitscourse,theyputoutafinalissue.itwasthemid-1970s,andiwasyourage.onthebackcoveroftheirfinalissuewasaphotographofanearlymorningcountryroad,thekindyoumightfindyourselfhitchhikingonifyouweresoadventurous.beneathitwerethewords:"stayhungry.stayfoolish."itwastheirfarewellmessageastheysignedoff.stayhungry.stayfoolish.andihavealwayswishedthatformyself.andnow,asyougraduatetobeginanew,iwishthatforyou.stewart和他的伙伴出版了幾期的“整個地球的目錄”,當(dāng)它完成了自己使命的時候,他們做出了最后一期的目錄。那是在七十年代的中期,你們的時代。在最后一期的封底上是清晨鄉(xiāng)村公路的照片（如果你有冒險精神的話，你可以自己找到這條路的），在照片之下有這樣一段話：“保持饑餓,保持愚蠢。”這是他們停止了發(fā)刊的告別語?！氨３逐囸I,保持愚蠢?！蔽铱偸窍Ｍ约耗軌蚰菢?現(xiàn)在,在你們即將畢業(yè)，開始新的旅程的時候,我也希望你們能這樣：stayhungry.stayfoolish.保持饑餓，保持愚蠢。thankyouallverymuch.非常感謝你們。thisprogramisbroughttoyoubystanfordonitunesuatstanforduniversity,pleasevisitusatitunes.stanford.stevejobsceo,appleandpixaranimationthankyou.i’mhonoredtobewithyoutodayforyourmencementfromoneofthefinestuniversityintheworld.truthtotold,inevergraduatedfromcollege,andthisistheclosesti’veevergottentoacollegegraduation.today,iwanttotellyouthreestoriesfrommylife.that’sit.nobigdeal.justthreestories.thefirststoryisaboutconnectingthedots.idroppedoutofreedcollegeafterthefirstsixmonths,butthenstayaroundasadrop-inforanothereighteenmonthsalsobeforeireallyquit.sowhydididropout?itstartedbeforeiwasborn.mybiologicalmotherwasayoungunwedgraduatestudentandshedecidedtoputmeupforadoption.shefeltverystronglythatishouldbeadoptedbycollegegraduates,soeverythingwasallsetformetobeadoptedatbirthbyalawyerandhiswife,exceptwhenipoppedouttheydecidedatthelastminutethattheyreallywantedagirl.somyparents,whowereonawaitinglistgotacallinthemiddleofthenightasking,“we’vegotanunexpectedbabyboy.doyouwanthim?”theysaid,“ofcourse.”mybiologicalmotherfoundoutlaterthatmymotherhadnevergraduatedfromcollegeandmyfatherhadnevergraduatedfromhighschool.sherefusedtosignthefinaladoptionpapers.sheonlyrelentedafewmonthslaterwhenmyparentspromisedthatiwouldgotocollege.thiswasthestartinmylife.andseventeenyearslater,ididgotocollege,butinaivelychoseacollegethatwasalmostasexpensiveasstanfordandallofmyworking-classparent’ssavingswerebeingspentonmycollegetuition.aftersixmonthsicouldn’tseethevalueinit.ihavenoideawhatiwanttodowithmylifeandnoideahowcollegewasgoingtohelpmefigureitout.andhereiwasspendingallofthemoneymyparentshadsavedtheirentirelife,soidecidedtodropoutandtrustthatitwouldallworkoutok.itwasprettyscaryatthetime,butlookingback,itwasoneofthebestdecisionsievermade.theminuteidroppedouticouldstoptakingtherequiredclassesthatdidn’tinterestmeandbegindroppinginontheonesthatlookedfarmoreinteresting.itwasn’tallromantic,ididn’thaveadormroom,soisleptonthefloorinfriends’rooms.ireturnedcokebottlesforthefive-centdepositstobuyfoodwithandiwouldworkthesevenmilesacrossthetowneverysundaynighttogetonegoodmealaweekattheharekrishnatemple.ilovedit.andmuchofwhatistumbledintobyfollowingmycuriosityandintuitionturnedouttobepricelesslateron.letmegiveyouoneexample.reedcollegeatthattimeofferedperhapsthebestcalligraphyinstructioninthecountry.throughoutthecampuseverypostereverylabeloneverydrawerwasbeautifulhandcalligraphed.becauseihavedroppedoutanddidn’thavetotakethenormalclasses.idecidedtotakeacalligraphyclasstolearnhowtodothis.ilearnedaboutserifandsan-seriftypefacesaboutvaryingtheamountofspacebetweendifferentletterbinations,aboutwhatmakesgreattypographygreat.itwasbeautiful,historical,artisticallysubtleinawaythatsciencecan’tcapture,andifounditfascinating.noneofthishadevenahopeofanypracticalapplicationinmylife.buttenyearslater,whenweweredesigningthefirstmacintoshputer,itallcamebacktome,andwedesigneditallintothemac.itwasthefirstputerwithbeautifultypography.ifihadneverdroppedinonthatsinglecourseincollege,themacwouldhaveneverhadmultipletypefacesorproportionallyspacefonts,andsincewindowscopiedthemac,it’slikelythatnopersonalputerwouldhavethem.ifihadneverdroppedout,iwouldneverdroppedinonthatcalligraphyclassandpersonalsputermightnothavethewonderfultypographythattheydo.ofcourse,itwasimpossibletoconnectthedotslookingforwardwheniwasincollege,butitwasveryveryclearlookingbackwards10yearslater.again,youcan’tconnectthedotslookingforward,youcanonlyconnectthemlookingbackwards.soyouhavetotrustthatthedotswillsomehowconnectinyourfuture.youhavetotrustinsomething,yougut,destiny,life,karma,whatever,becausebelievingthatthedotswillconnectdowntheroad,willgiveyoutheconfidencetofollowyourheart,evenwhenitleadsyouoffthewellwornpath.andthatwouldmakeallthedifference.mythirdstoryisaboutdeath.wheniwasseventeen,ireadaquotethatwentsomethinglike“ifyouliveeachdayasifitwasyourlast,somedayyou’llmostcertainlyberight.”itmadeanimpressiononme,andsincethen,forthepast33years,ihavelookedinthemirroreverymorningandaskedmyself“iftodaywerethelastdayofmylife,wouldiwanttodowhatiamabouttodotoday?”andwhenevertheanswerhasbeen“no”fortoomanydaysinarow,iknowineedtochangesomething.rememberingthati’llbedeadsoonisthemostimportantthingi’veeverencounteredtohelpmemakethebigchoicesinlife.becausealmosteverything,allexternalexpectation,allpride,allfearofembarrassmentoffailure,thesethingsjustfallawayinthefaceofdeath,leavingonlywhatistrulyimportant.rememberingwhatyouaregoingtodieisthebestwayiknowtoavoidthetrapofthinkingyouhavesomethingtolose.youarealreadynaked.thereisnoreasonnottofollowyourheart.aboutayearago,iwasdiagnosedwithcancer,ihadascanat7:30inthemorning,anditclearlyshoweratumormypancreas,ididn’tevenknowwhatapancreaswas,thedoctorstoldmethiswasalmostcertainlyatypeofcancerthatisincurable,andthatishouldexpecttolivenolongerthanthreetosixmonths.mydoctoradvisedmetogohomeandgetmyaffairsinorder,whichisdoctors’codefor“preparetodie”.itmeanstotryandtellyourkidseverythingyouthoughtyou’dhavethenexttenyearstotelltheminjustafewmonths.itmeanstomakesurethateverythingisbuttonedup,sothatitwillbeaseasyaspossibleforyourfamily.itmeanstosayyourgoodbyes.ilivedwiththatdiagnosisallday.laterthateveningihadabiopsy,wheretheystuckonendoscopedownmythroat,throughmystomachintomyintestines,putaneedleintomypancreasandgotafewcellsfromthetumor.iwassedated,butmywife,whowasthere,toldmethattheyviewedthecellsunderamicroscope,thedoctorstartedcrying,becauseitturnedouttobeaveryrareformofpancreaticcancer,thatiscurablewithsurgery,ihadthesurgeryand,thankfully,iamfin