Steve Jobs

It started from one morning Allison asked me "Why did you choose Daddy as a husband? How did you know it's him?"

She just turned 6, and she already come up with this question. About choice.

And I have no idea what to tell her in a proper and easy way.

Later the day, the news and the facebook were overwhelmed by reaction to Steve Jobs’s death. His most loved public appearance, the commencement speech given at Stanford University, which has inspired me a lot back in year 2005, went viral. When I read it again 6 years later, as a mother of two, it kicks me even more in between the lines.

Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. 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. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

A crazy idea popped up on my mind, that I can't wait to have Allison read it, even though she's only 6. The speech could somehow explain some of her questions along the way.

Luckily she seemed to like it. It encouraged me to go further.

Every Thursday afternoon I volunteer at Allison's class for reading session. I spent hours summarizing his speech into a letter size paper with font size 16, letters are big enough, content is concentrate enough, and concept to be delivered completely. I decided to read it to the kids, at their age of 6. I was not worried how many of them could understand, or what idea they can grab from it.

To read this speech, it's never too early, never too late. The teacher, Mrs. Schneider agreed with excitement.

The special topic at the class turned out great. Some kids got “never give up your dreams no matter what”; some got “don’t be frustrated with something you can’t achieve at this moment”; some got “practice makes perfection”. Things like that, at their age, meet their needs. Mrs. Schneider and I was amazed by how the speech have done on the 6-ish kids.

Thanks to Steve Jobs, for sharing the fantastic life ideas with me, and my kids.