Everyone needs some inspiration and motivation, especially after making big decisions – like quitting your job to find a career that makes you happy… You need some confirmation that you made the right choice.

Back in June, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, spoke at the graduation ceremony at Stanford University. I know it was a while back and bloggers have already posted many comments about the speech, but it’s good enough to talk about again, Follow the link above to see the entire speech. I have excerpted pieces that were most inspirational to me:

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

“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. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.”

And my favorite: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.”

For this time in my life – a time of re-invention, of pursuing my dreams, of actually taking action to make those dreams reality – these words have been confirmation and an inspiration to me. I guess I’m trusting that Decision 2 was the right decision to make.

So in the words of Steve Jobs, “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”