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On Monday, I had the pleasure of sharing ideas about making life a work of art with more than 75 students at Florida SouthWestern State College. In fact, my remarks were broadcast live to an equal number of students at FSW’s Charlotte, Hendry/Glades and Collier campuses. And one of the messages I wanted to convey was that each of us has the responsibility to create our own reality and the power to change the world. And so I shared with them a message from Apple Computers that I read while travelling on a plane. Here it is:

• Here's to the crazy ones.
• The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers.
• The round pegs in the square holes.
• The ones who see things differently.
• They're not fond of rules.
• And they have no respect for the status quo.
• You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
• About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
• Because they change things.
• They push the human race forward.
• And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
• Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

 

This actually goes back to an ad that Apple ran in 1997! The man behind that ad was Ken Segall, the guy who named the iMac and wrote “Think Different.” Here’s what he said was behind the ad:

“The ability to think creatively is one of the great catalysts of civilization. So the logic seemed natural: why not show what kind of company Apple is by celebrating the people Apple admires? Let's acknowledge the most remarkable people — past and present — who change things’ and ‘push the human race forward.’"

 

And so I challenged the students at FSW Monday night to approach life with creativity. To think out of the box about who they are, what they’re doing and how to market themselves and the art and products they eventually make to the world.

That’s been my approach.

I hope you’ll make it yours.