Article February 27, 2012 Issue

Live success day by day

By Barbara Vining

Every now and then an individual with extraordinary vision comes along. And through unflagging focus, courage, and persistence, that person leaves humanity with totally new and improved ways of doing things. Think of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and in our time, Steve Jobs.

We read biographies about such individuals because we are curious about how they succeeded, and we want to learn from them. I find it helpful when reading a biography to identify exceptional talents and qualities as evidence of God working in the individual, rather than to focus on the person’s human personality. Even exceptionally talented individuals often have flawed personalities, and Steve Jobs was no exception, as is abundantly clear throughout Walter Isaacson’s biography titled Steve Jobs.

Consider, though, what Jobs’s adoring wife of 20 years told Isaacson: “Like many great men whose gifts are extraordinary, he’s not extraordinary in every realm. He doesn’t have social graces, such as putting himself in other people’s shoes, but he cares deeply about empowering humankind, the advancement of humankind, and putting the right tools in their hands.” How wonderfully he succeeded at that! As for overcoming his flaws, shortly before his passing, Jobs surprised Ann Bowers, a 1980s colleague, by asking her what he was like when he was young. She replied, “You were very impetuous and very difficult . . . but your vision was compelling. You told us, ‘The journey is the reward.’ ” He replied, “Yes, I did learn some things along the way . . . I really did.” And so can we.