David Feldt Proud father. Entrepreneur. Builder. Catalyst. Accelerator. Guide.

Return

UPDATE: I wrote the post below earlier today before hearing of the tragic news of Steve Jobs' passing. Steve was a mentor that I never met.

My first Apple product was an Apple II and I remember the wonder of creating my first computer program in BASIC. Since then I have owned the following Apple products that have enhanced my (technology) experiences:- Macintosh, Powerbook, Macbook, Macbook Pro, iMac, iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone, Mac Mini, Apple TV.

Here is one of Steve's famous quotes that says it all:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. 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. Everything else is secondary.”

This blog post is in your honor Steve as you return to the Creator. You will be missed. Your vision and contribution to the World was incredible. You are the DaVinci of our time.

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During the buildup to the High Holidays, there are several core themes to help us reboot ourselves and the world around us.

One theme that resonates most strongly with me this year is that of "return", especially during the period between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

What do I mean by "return"? I'm not referring to "return on investment" but rather to a more fundamental personal return.

It's a time to return to one's individual essence and to reconnect with the universal source of life.

It's a time for self-reflection and self-analysis.

It's a time to look back on the past, recognize the errors one has made and commit to changing oneself for the future.

It's a time for forgiveness.

Most importantly for me, it's an opportunity to reconnect to one's true essence, to be re-energized and to ensure that one is on the correct path. In computer vernacular, it's the opportunity to reboot the system, remove the viruses and restart.

It's important to return before once again running forward on the journey of life.

I can't believe it's been two years since I founded JazLabs - I am so happy and lucky to be doing what I do every day at JazLabs.

It would be so easy during this current time frame, that is so filled with uncertainty and market volatility, to simply focus on survival and self-preservation.

At JazLabs, we're focused on the exact opposite ...

Growing and building a company from the ground up has allowed me the opportunity to create an entity that integrates my personal beliefs and values with my business culture and leadership style.

This has attracted customers, clients, partners and employees who share these beliefs, values and culture to collaborate together to build and grow some wonderfully innovative products and services.

We've certainly experienced the entrepreneurial cycle of ecstasy and despair during the past  two years and continue to learn, pivot and iterate every day to push forward. That experience has been so fulfilling and I'm looking forward to the next 20 years!