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Wednesday, October 5, 2011 the world bid farewell to one of its innovating leaders, Steve Jobs. Whether you are a “Mac person” or not, it is hard to step outside the rays f light cast by Steve and his amazing innovations. Calling him simply an “Apple co-founder” or “CEO of Pixar Animation” does no justice to the impact he has made on our lives. To collect a list of the innovations he birthed in his 56 years of life on Earth would be a travesty to the impact he made on countless people who never held an iPod or iPhone in their hands.

Steve Jobs was much more than a leader of the tech world, he was a leader of the real world. He was much more than a man with a Vision, he was a Visionary. There will never be another Steve Jobs in the world, ever. But the kind of genius he exuded, the Vision he developed and shared with the world and the passion he had for a life well-lived exists in all of us. Right now.

Below, I embedded a video of the commencement speech he gave at Stanford University. I first saw it in 2008 when I was going through a particularly tough time in life. To me, his message was–and still is–so powerful because he nails down the TRUE essence of life. It’s not about making money, accumulating “stuff” or having hordes adoring fans, it is about happiness.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. Everything else is secondary.”
~ Steve Jobs

Thank you, Steve. While you are already dearly missed, your legacy and influence live on for eternity.

When I left the US Navy in September of 2008, I walked away from a childhood dream.

Ever since I was a kid, all I wanted to was to fly in the Blue Angels. At the age of 16, I was at an air show in Boise, Idaho and I was invited to go “backstage” with the Blues after one of their demonstrations. The lead pilot, Commander Gil Rud, made it a point to come straight up to me and thank me for being at his show.

He thanked me.

Why would he thank me? After all, I was the kid that grew up hearing from seemingly every person in my life that I was “not cut out for flying”, that my dream of becoming a Naval Aviator was a fantasy, and that I should be “more realistic” in my desires for my life.

But Commander Rud changed that. For four minutes, he talked directly to me. Didn’t look way for one second. Listened to me, soaked in my enthusiasm, and told me that one day I’d wear the Wings of Gold that only Naval Aviators earn.

And he was right.

I tell you this story because that short conversation was more than just a “pump up” speech. It was more than an autograph session and a way to get closer to a hero. It provided so much more.

It provided hope. It provided inspiration. It set the example.

When I flew to air shows, or even stopped to pump gas after a long day of flying, I would sometimes get asked by mothers and fathers if I would say hello to their sons or daughters. Those kids, they’d say, “dream of growing up to fly just like you do”. It was the best part of my job.

Today, I take my message of mission accomplishment and use it as a vehicle to help people feel like I felt that spring afternoon of my 16th year. My mission these days is to turn four minutes into millions. Not just in money; but in dreams. And I don’t mean dreams in some sort of “woo-woo” sense. I mean your TRUE calling–your mission.

I hope you take the opportunities in life to be inspired by people you look to for such energy. I hope that you take the opportunities to inspire others. You have that ability every single day just by deciding to be excellent in all you do. And when you do, you set the tone for the future of not only the people you touch, but also the tone you set for yourself.

Inspire someone or be inspired by someone today. The four minutes you spend doing so can turn into millions.

~JT

December 20, 2010 was a day that many of us will remember if we took the time to experience an amazing phenomenon. Not only was it the Winter Solstice, but there was a total lunar eclipse; the last time a total lunar eclipse happened on the Winter Solstice was 1638…372 years ago! If you love looking at the night sky like I do, you’ll appreciate the footage I shot with my not-so-high-tech video camera. Staying up late to take this event in reminded me of the importance of taking time out of a bust life to enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime moments that slip past us almost undetected. Enjoy!

~JT

Last night, my “baby” sister Kim (she’s 27 but younger than me!) had her first baby, a handsome little boy. He came into the world healthy, weighing in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces. Kim and her husband, Lance, have not yet decided on a name for him, but he’s magnificent either way.

I texted one of my brothers, who lives out of state, to tell him the great news. Unbeknownst  to me his number changed and had been reassigned to someone else. I had inadvertently sent my text message to a total stranger! Here’s how the exchange went:

Me: “Hey, bro! Kimber had the baby! 8lbs 9oz…”

The response: “U must have the wrong number. Don’t know a kimber. Sorry bout that. But congrats”

Me (embarrassed and a little confused): “Sorry!”

At this point, you might assume the conversation ended. And for all intents and purposes it should have. But after a slight delay, and a bit of surprise on my end, here was the next text to come to my phone:

“Np. Congrats on the baby”

For some reason, that response struck chord with me. Not sure why, but it felt like genuine congratulations coming from the stranger on the other end of the line. It wasn’t so much what he or she said, but how the message was received.

I went on to explain my confusion, how I assumed he or she had the former cell number of my brother, and that we were celebrating the birth of our sister’s first baby. Rather than responding with “buzz off” or nothing at all, the final response was:

“Cool”

Now, I tell you this story because often in life, we overlook or underestimate the impact we have on others. We rarely consider the influence our words, or even something as simple as a brief response, can have on another person.

Too often in our busy lives we lose sight of just how important a simple gesture like holding the door open for someone, or saying “thank you”, or a pleasant smile can alter the other person’s day.

My electronic pen pal probably never will know how he or she lifted my already-high spirits. Or  how by simply responding to let me know I had the wrong number made it possible to share the beautiful news of our family joy with my brother. It was, after all, Monday night; there was a football game on and other things far more important than responding to an errant text message.

But not to my mysterious pen pal.

He or she took the time to respond. Took the time to have a simple, seemingly unimportant conversation with me. And perhaps as you read this, you may think, “big deal!”. But to me it IS a big deal. Because I appreciate how hectic the pace of life can be, and how the seemingly never-ending gush of emails and text messages can intrude at times when you just want to relax and unplug.

I also appreciate how a simple ‘congrats’ on the other end of a wayward text message can feel pretty good.

Thank you, whoever you are. I appreciate your simple gesture of kindness.

And welcome to the world, my handsome little nephew!
~JT

Sometimes in business, life…and mountain biking, we have to make adjustments to get to the top of the hill. Entrepreneurs, leaders, and high-achievers know what I’m talking about. Making small adjustment–gradual tweaks–can make a huge difference in your performance. Check out this video to learn the 3 things that help me get to the top of any hill.