"The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything."
At the time Steve Jobs had been very publicly pushed out of Apple (AAPL), it caused him to question everything he had done to that point. He even wondered if he was washed up at 30.
That's the context of his above statement, where his unsurety about everything caused that feeling of being a beginner to lead him into possibly the most creative period of his life; the fruits of which we're seeing now.
The thing to keep in mind, is at the time, Jobs says he definitely didn't see that reality at the time everything was happening to him, that understanding came later. He has went on to say that being fired from Apple was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
When we are in the middle of going through anything difficult in our lives, understanding of the event or events isn't comprehended until later. It simply takes time for the stress, disbelief and shock to wear off.
What this did was strip Jobs of his confidence, and caused him to question everything again; something young people do all the time while they're learning and growing up.
Many of us may think of this as a position of weakness, but I would disagree, it's a position of strength in that we are recreating our youth and not being sure about things. This releases a tremendous amount of creativity and experimentation that those sure of themselves aren't willing to engage, simply because they think they've got it.
We could use a lot of doses of less surety and thinking ourselves as beginners in our businesses. It could be the key to developing all sorts of new products and services that delight our customers.
Other Steve Jobs Resources:
You've got to find what you love
Steve Jobs, Business Personality
Steve Jobs' Greatest Presentation
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