Tag Archives: Gapingvoid

Hugh MacLeod — In Memoriam of Steve Jobs

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I remember when the first time I saw the TV ad, back when it first came out.

It changed my life.

It was the first commercial I’d ever seen in my life, that actually spoke to me, my true self, and not just to, like pretty much EVERY SINGLE OTHER COMMERCIAL out there, whatever short-term, trivial needs I had going on that day.

It was then I knew that I wasn’t just one of the crazy ones, but that it was also IMPERATIVE to actually be one of the crazy ones. That my life and soul demanded it.

It’s not what Steve Jobs created in his his brief but incandescent life- the computers, iPods, iPhones etc etc- that isn’t the big story.

And what we created with his his products, that isn’t the big story, either.

The big story is what Steve helped us believe about ourselves. By putting his balls on the line, again and again, he made it easier for us to do the same.

And so we did.

Thank you, Steve. You will be missed. Of course you frickin’ will…


[YouTubeUlar] <— 1,622,043

Hugh MacLeod – Not Everybody’s Red

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“At a point in life – some people come to the realization that they march to the beat of their own drum. Normal doesn’t quite describe these folks who often try desperately to fit in, but like the little red man in today’s cartoon, fail miserably.

There comes a time when we are forced to embrace the self-realization that breaking away from normal is actually a good thing.

Success is not defined by how well we fit in with “the crowd”, but actually how we inspire those around us. I like to think this cartoon sends that message to recruiters: “Ok, so you don’t do “Normal”…we get that. And we’re glad.”

Hugh MacLeod – Transform

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“I visualized this cartoon as a poster to hang on the wall.

Though most of my friends are happy enough with their lot in life, it’s funny how there’s invariably some element of it that they years to transform entirely. Their job, their financial situation, their love life, whatever.

This need to UTTERLY transform oneself, I don’t think it’s vanity or the delusion of youth. I think it’s a fundamental human drive. It’s what got us out of our caveman lifestyles and got us launching rockets to the moon and painting Sistine Chapels.

You know that itch you cannot scratch? Michelangelo and Neil Armstrong had one too. So you’re in good company. Exactly.”

Hugh MacLeod – More To Life

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To paraphrase Seneca, the tragedy isn’t that life is short, the tragedy is that we waste so much of it.

The other types of tragedy, the more violent kind, never worry me too much, thankfully. I never lost much sleep, worrying about wars or serial killers or whatever.

But getting to the end of my life and realizing that I had wasted most of it, that idea froze my blood.

As it should…

TOTD – 200 MPH

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“The coffee mug is full, it’s 10:30 pm, but it feels like 10:30 am. You are experiencing the rush of being “in flow”.

You’re furiously typing your ‘big idea’, and you know the hair-brained scheme you just dreamt up is going to be a winner. A big winner.

You’re at 200 MPH, and you just know you can push the needle further.

You do.”

I’m doing this right now…  only still adventuring at the same time. Look for a Kickstarter Blackbox release tomorrow.  Thanks for defining how my brain works Hugh MacLeod.

Hugh MacLeod – Complete Agreement

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There are a couple reasons why I have never applied myself in the corporate world. This is one of them…

“Back in my early corporate days, this came as quite a shock to me: that people sitting around the table didn’t always say what they were REALLY thinking! Shock! Horror!

But why would anyone lie? Aren’t we all meant to be on the same team?

But after a while, you get used to it. After a while, it’s normal. After a while, you learn to laugh at it.

And that’s when the cartoon appears…”

Interestingly enough… you can apply this concept directly to relationships too.
Thanks Hugh.

TOTD – Rock Stars!

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Hugh MacLeod Rock Stars

Straight from Hugh…

“To paraphrase Graham Weston, the Chairman of one my clients, Rackspace, “Everybody wants to play on a winning team, doing something that matters.”

In other words, everybody wants to be a rock star, doing rock star stuff with other rock star people.

So I drew a rock star cartoon on the subject.

And so there y’are…”

Whose winning team are you playing on?

TOTD – Life Without Love

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“This is really about ‘making-up’. When you are just at the edge of the ‘it’s too hard’ precipice, look down and think about life without love.

It’s easy to be cynical about love. But when loves leaves your life, you realize that everything is better with it. The Friendship, Partnership, Warmth, Connectedness, Support – it all makes life just a bit more worth living.

Don’t be cynical, don’t be flippant, try your heart out, you don’t have to settle – strong back, open heart – it’s worth it.”

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