Veronica Stenberg: blog

I sometimes order books and pile them up in front of me on my desk as a treat for myself. Once I reach one of my progress points or goals, I get to treat myself to one of the inspirational books I’ve piled up on my desk. This was one of them – and I had Steve’s stern eyes gazing down at me as I wrote my own book during this summer.Quite scary and motivating in the same time

So here is what I thought of the book in short – it’s a slow starter, but a inspirational read for anyone that is interested in his life but also the story behind Apple. (Yes I am an Apple geekess, but my judgement of a book is not clouded by that )

Here are my 5 comforting points that I took with me from this read:

1. Simplify, simplify and yes, simplify – remove the clutter and streamline your work and offering. Do a few things expectational well!

2. Eat clean for optimal mental performance and clarity of mind - there is a reason people go on juice or water fasts. First you go weak, then you get energized and  euphoric almost. Often people get great ideas during this state. I’m yet myself to experience a juice fast, however I eat a clean vegan diet, consisting of 50-80% raw food. I’m very sensitive to what I put in to myself and if I eat pasta or breads, I feel how this effects my body and mind. There is a difference in people who eat clean food – there is no “4 a clock slump” and you have a clear and focused mind. So yes – what you fuel you stuff in your mouth ultimately effects your brain

3. Believe in yourself and your idea – no matter what. Hold on to your idea, develop it, nurture it and do not deviate from believing in your idea and yourself.

4. I rather have a reality distortion field then a really pessimistic view of the world – I can understand that people get pissed of with Steve’s “crazy view of reality” sometimes (or often). However, it pushed people to get things done even if they didn’t believe in it or themselves at the time. I rather wear “rosetinted glasses” and view the world from the perspective that all can be done and magic can be achieved – then not to.

5. Single-task – focus your full attention to the task at hand or your current project. That’s how you achieve and produce quality and greatness.

You might wonder why I use the word “comforting”. Well that’s because I find it comforting to read this book and notice these 5 points above.  It resonates with me. And what I believe in. Steve Jobs was a great man, making reality of his visions and it’s comforting to read the book about this human who achieved all this – and what beliefs and ideas he had during this process. From a garage to a multimillion company.