Last week marked the 3rd anniversary of the passing of Steve Jobs. Something Jobs once said, had a huge positive impact on the way I work. Today, I’m going to share it with you, along with how you can use it to build a better business.
It was simply this:
“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?”
A lifetime of work, but no dent
When you think about it, most business owners don’t make a dent in the universe, in any meaningful way. They work hard. They have highs and they have lows. Then they retire. Hopefully, they make enough money to live in comfort for their remaining years.
But commercially, that’s it. No dent in the universe. Nothing that lives on when they retire. Nothing that’s bigger then them.
3 Keys to making a dent
I believe there are 3 keys to making your dent in the universe.
- Doing something remarkable.
- Persistence.
- Having a major goal or vision.
I’ve already written a great deal on the importance of being remarkable. So, I’m not going to repeat myself here. If you want to know about being remarkable, read this.
Persistence
Persistence is the second key to putting your dent in the universe. Most people work hard on a thousand and one different things. However, they seldom focus like a laser on one important thing. They make lots of random prods or pokes, but these are spread too thinly. Instead of focusing on the dent in the world, which they want to make, they dilute their efforts.
A well known example of this is the so-called serial entrepreneur. This title is most often associated with people, who lack the persistence or perseverance to build something out to its full potential. They like the start-up phase, then lose faith and interest as the tricky work kicks in. So, they jump onto the next shiny thing.
Lots of singular pokes, but no dents.
Having a major goal or vision
Making your dent in the universe starts with deciding what your major commercial goal is. Then, committing to work in a way that is consistent with achieving that goal. This is what focuses your efforts in a unified direction, allowing you to create your very own dent.
Here’s an example from my own personal experience: When I started Jim’s Marketing Blog I had a major goal, which I have stuck with for over 6 years. That goal has influenced all my business decisions ever since. It has allowed me to focus my efforts in a unified direction. My goal is to help as many small business owners as I can, to be as successful as they can be.
As a result, each piece of work I do becomes part of a greater mass of work. All connected. All consistent with my major goal. All compounding to help me make my dent in the universe. Every day, with every new person I am able to help, my dent becomes a little bigger.
Jobs’ goal was to create beautiful things. As we all know, he took it to exceptional levels! That singular goal or vision influenced all his decisions. It allowed him to move forward with clarity. With confidence. It allowed him to identify the right people to connect with. The first Apple computer, the Mac, the iPod, iPhone and iPad were different products, decades apart – but all part of a singular vision, which allowed Jobs to make a massive dent in the universe.
In short: Decide what you want to create – what kind of dent you want to make in the universe. Then make that the focus of your efforts and the cornerstone of your decisions. Then persist. Doggedly. Because random pokes won’t work.