The leaves have started to turn here in Louisville. This, along with the death of Steve Jobs and his 2005 Commencement Speech at Stanford, prompted me to visit Cave Hill Cemetery.
From part of that speech:
"If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life."
"Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."
"Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new."
"Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away."
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."
"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. They somehow already know what you truly want to become." - Steve Jobs