Pursue Progress

I'm completely addicted to apple products. My love for apple started years ago but my addiction started with the first generation iPhone. I've owned just about every generation of iPhone that has been released. The amount of money that I have spent on the iPhone makes me sick.  The first step to recovery from any addiction is admitting that you have a problem and I have a BIG APPLE problem!

Apple sold 6.1 million 1st generation iPhone units over five quarters after it was first released on June 29, 2007. The launch of the iPhone was a tremendous success by anyone's standards.  This success wasn't good enough for Steve Jobs.  My love for Apple has a lot to do with my admiration for Steve Jobs. I love how Steve never settled for anything but his best. Once Steve achieved a goal, he would set a new one that was twice as unlikely to achieve. Steve has taught me that success is a pursuit rather then a destination. Goals are checkpoints not finish lines. Each new release of the iPhone represents Apple's pursuit to always raise the bar just a litter higher.

Earlier this year I spent a few weeks on the east coast for business. I had the chance to get to know a few of my colleagues a bit better. One night while driving home from a long day of work a colleague informed me that he runs an Ironman each year. If you don't know what an Ironman is, it's PURE INSANITY! The Ironman Triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile (3.9-kilometer) swim, a 112-mile (180-kilometer) bike ride and a 26.2-mile (42.1-kilometer) run. My mind was blown when I heard this guy talk about the kind of training he does to be able to complete in an Ironman. When I asked my colleague how he got started competing in Ironman Triathlons he responded "You start by running one city block". The point he was trying to make is that once you are able to run one city block, challenge yourself to run 3. Once you can run 3 city blocks challenge yourself to a few more.

So if you are building a mobile phone, build the best mobile phone ever. Once you have built the best mobile phone ever, BUILD A BETTER ONE. If you're able to run a city block, RUN A FEW MORE. Pretty soon you will be competing in an Ironman. Goals are checkpoints not finish lines. Success is a pursuit rather then a destination. Work harder on yourself then anything else you have ever worked on in your entire life. Never stop your pursuit for progress. If you stop improving yourself then your skills and talents will become obsolete.

Winston Churchill said it best;

"Success is not final, Failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts!"