The North Star has always been the same, which for us, is about making insanely great products that really change the world in some way - enrich people's lives.
Tim CookRead
Work takes on new meaning when you feel you are pointed in the right direction. Otherwise, it's just a job, and life is too short for that.
Interpretation
Finding purpose in your work transforms it from a mere job into a meaningful pursuit.
This quote by Tim Cook emphasizes the importance of having a sense of direction and purpose in your work. When you feel aligned with your values and goals, work becomes more fulfilling, whereas without that direction, it can feel empty and like just a means to an end. Life is too short to spend it on activities that don't resonate with your deeper aspirations.
In practice
During a motivational speech at a corporate event, you could emphasize the importance of finding purpose in work using this quote.
The North Star has always been the same, which for us, is about making insanely great products that really change the world in some way - enrich people's lives.
There have been people that suggest that we should have a back door. But the reality is if you put a back door in, that back door's for everybody - for good guys and bad guys.
I don't subscribe to the view some people have in the industry that you should purposefully design products that do not last that long. I don't think it is good for anyone.
When technological advancement can go up so exponentially, I do think there's a risk of losing sight of the fact that tech should serve humanity, not the other way around.
That has always been the objective of Apple: to do things that really enrich people's lives. That you look back on and you wonder, 'How did I live without this?'
I think each person, if you're a CEO, the most important thing is to have - to me, is to pick people around you that aren't like you, that complement you. Because you want to build a puzzle; you don't want to stack Chiclets up and have everyone be the same. And so I believe in diversity with a capital D.
If you hesitate to map out your future, to make a big plan or to set a goal, you've just gone ahead and mapped your future anyway.
Now is the time when your action is practice.
Mentality is where the success is. I will teach the kids how to think in a positive way.
The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else.
We thought I was going to be a great athlete, and we were wrong, and I thought I was going to be a great entertainer, and that wasn't it either. I'm going to be an American Citizen. First class.
Everyone wants to win, but not everyone is willing to prepare to win.
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