The UNIFINE Corporation

Free software: UtiliPack

2006-10-12T11:24:00.000-07:00

It's "UtiliPack" a handy software 6-pack.

Get it HERE, so you don't get signed up to a duplicate subscription to my newsletter!

www.digitalbizshop.com/d/uPACK1.zip

Free gift: A Life On Fire

2006-10-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

It's a collection of interviews with some of the most successful people on the planet.

They share some of their most powerful experiences with you.

Click the following link to go to the download area: http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?85H.tYKnberY3cHf_jUT4g

F.r.e.e. Daily Meditations E-Course Reveals Long Lost Secrets of Health and Happiness

2006-10-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

You will discover:

** Greater connection with your true self
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** New perspectives on problems and blocks
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Free e-book: How to meditate

2006-10-10T03:56:00.000-07:00

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Free e-gift: Big Fat Lies

2006-10-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

Here's the web page where you can download your copy of BIG FAT LIES.

www.burnthefat.com/?doc=freedownload

You'll also find two additional gifts, "The Truth about the Atkins diet," and "Muscle Recipes".

Free e-book: Abs to die For

2006-10-07T05:03:00.000-07:00

Let our dedicated personal trainers guide you to your fitness goals. At NutriFitness you'll receive customized workout programs that fit your schedule, personalized meal plans to help you lose weight, and your very own personal trainer to keep you motivated.

Here is link to download your free 'Abs to Die For' E-Book:
www.georgettepann.com/jv/abstodieforgp.pdf

Free gift: BANABU Financial Foundation Finder

2006-10-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

The first thing you need to do is find your foundation. You can't build anything (financial freedom included) without a starting point and a strong foundation.

That doesn't mean it is hopeless if you have a weak foundation right now. There are certainly ways to strengthen it very quickly.

But you have to start somewhere. The thing about starting stuff is that when you start you don't have what you are trying to get!

That is the entire reason you started to begin with. So you have to understand that you are starting only with what you have today, right now.

One of the biggest distinctions I have made in the world of financial freedom is this. There is a huge difference in being rich and getting rich. (I will go into depth on this later) Right now we are focusing on what it takes to get rich, not be rich, and there are certain things that every rich person did to get rich.

Please continue

A Billionaire's Success Story

2006-10-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

I spend a lot of time learning from other successful entrepreneurs. I suggest it's something all of us do.

I recently bought a DVD of an interview with a billionaire entrepreneur. He's been on the Forbes 400 list for a bunch of years.

On the audio link below I share with you a little bit of this entrepreneur's story and what we can use to improve our own lives.

Learning from other entrepreneurs ups and downs is so important. It can save us time and help us shortcut our road to success.
www.mikelitman.com/todaysezine9-30.html

Speak soon.

Mike

SelfGrowth.com

2006-10-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

For your self improvement and personal growth, please click here.

Free gift: Hypnotic Instant Profits

2006-10-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

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Free gift: The Science of Getting Rich

2006-10-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

To download your copy please visit this link:
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We hope that you enjoy this complimentary copy as we have put a lot of time and effort into the formatting and presentation. Please take a moment to tell your friends about our site.

To download free copies of other ebooks on success and wealth creation please visit this link:
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Best wishes,

Brian
The Million Dollar Bookshelf

'Notes From a Friend' free e-gifts

2006-10-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

Please go to this page to get your bonus Tony Robbins Powertalk audio:
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Free 'The Da Vinci Method' e-gifts

2006-10-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

The Da Vinci Method

Think and Grow Rich

Game of Life

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FREE E-Book "What I Didn't Learn At School But Wish I Had"

2006-10-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

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GREAT SPEAKING ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE

2006-10-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

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Free Goals Report

2006-10-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

For your free goals report, click here.

Mentors In Motion

2006-10-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a recording that You can Listen to online.

Just turn up your computer speakers and take notes.

www.MentorMindset.com/audio.html

Don't forget to download your Free copy of the Best Selling Success EBook, "Think And Grow Rich"

You'll Discover what All Successful people truly have in common

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Great Public Speaking free resources

2006-10-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

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Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

2006-10-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

Millionaire Mind Notes - Part 1

What you focus on expands
Stay as far away from complainers as possible
The Law of Attraction = Like Attracts Like
What do people get out of being a victim? Attention
There's no such thing as a rich victim
The #1 reason why most people don't get what they want is that they don't know what they want
If you want to be rich you have to be adding value to other people's lives
The happiest people are those who use their natural talents to the utmost
Entrepreneur: person who solves problems for people at a profit - a problem solver
The more people you help, the richer you become
It's time to start sharing your gifts instead of hoarding them or pretending they don't exist
Poor people make choices based on fear
Rich people believe that if worst comes to worst they can always make their money back
Rich people take educated risks
Poor people claim to be preparing for an opportunity - instead they are stalling. Meanwhile the rich guy got in
Rich people expect to succeed
Rich people focus on what they want
If you want to get rich: focus on making, keeping and investing your money
If you want to be poor, focus on spending your money

jvsummersizzler's freebies

2006-10-06T02:45:00.000-07:00

Please get your gifts here:

www.million-marketers.us/ebooks/3ebooks/JustDoIt.pdf
www.million-marketers.us/ebooks/3ebooks/Playground.pdf
www.million-marketers.us/ebooks/3ebooks/Projects.pdf

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind - Part 3

2006-10-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

Millionaire Mind Notes - Part 3

Never have a ceiling on your income
The majority of millionaires became rich by being in their own business
When you own a business, you can save a small fortune in taxes by writing off portions of your expenses for car, travel, education, home, etc
Selling is one of the world's highest paid professions
You'll never get rich working on a straight salary for someone else
Rich people live in a world of abundance
You can be kind, loving, caring, generous and spiritual person - and be rich
The true measure of wealth is your net worth, NOT your income
The four net worth factors are:
1. Income
2. Savings
3. Investments
4. Simplification
Rich people take the time and energy to learn about investing and investments
Simplification = consciously creating a lifestyle in which you need less money to live on
Expenses will always rise in direct proportion to income
Know your net worth
To master money you must manage money
Rich people are good at managing their money
Start properly handling the money that you already have
You must acquire skills and habits of managing a small amount of money before you can have a large amount
When you begin to manage your money, you'll have plenty of it

'LandOnYourFeet' ezine

2006-10-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

For recent archives, please click here.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

2006-10-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

The finest software-based goal-setting system available

2006-10-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

Please click here.

Metamorphosis - October 25th, 2005

2006-10-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

Tools for Transformation's weekly newsletter

CONTENTS

Touchstones of Character
Connecting to the Web of Life
The Unthinkable Lies Ahead
A Question of Time and Memory
Men, Women and Emotions
Depression - My Story
Intelligence Development in Young Children
Autism and Nutritional Supplements

Metamorphosis - November 8th

2006-10-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

Tools for Transformation's weekly newsletter

CONTENTS

The Three Master Keys To Wealth
Empowerment By Design
Free Will
Three Basics of Manifesting Your Desires
Intelligent Optimism Wins In Today's World
Balance Work and Life Like a Pro
Make Peace With The Past And Create A New Future
Parents Provide the Biggest Role in Their Child's Success
Free Coaching Teleseminars

Free 'Think Like The Rich' Course

2006-10-05T06:56:00.000-07:00

To access your course, please surf here:

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Free e-book: Inspiration Back Issues

2006-10-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

Please download your e-book here.

'Mentor Monthly™' Newsletter archives

2006-10-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

To surf your newsletters of business tips, please click here.

'50 Power Questions to Take Control of Your Life'

2006-10-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

For your free download, please click here.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind - Part 2

2006-10-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

Millionaire Mind Notes - Part 2

Get in the game with whatever you've got
Focus on what you have, NOT what you don't have
The fastest and easiest ways to create wealth is to learn exactly how rich people, who are masters of money, play the game
Find as many financial mentors as possible
Most people earn within 20% of the average income of their closest friends
Make it a point to only associate with successful, positive people (and remember, use your definition of success)
Rich people hang around winners
If you don't toot your own horn, it's possible nobody else will
Rich people are excellent promoters
Rich people are skilled at packaging their value in a way that's extremely attractive
To be a leader, you must inherently have followers and supporters, which means that you have to be adept at selling, inspiring and motivating people to buy into your vision
Leaders earn more money than followers
If you really believe in your value then how could it be appropriate to hide it from others?
Grow yourself so that you are bigger than any problem
If you become a master at handling problems and overcoming any obstacle, nothing can stop you from success
If you are not willing to receive, then you are 'ripping off' those who want to give to you
Money will only make you more of what you already are
Get rich by helping others
Get rich and then you can help MORE PEOPLE

Life Coaching Business

2006-10-05T06:20:00.000-07:00

In order to get big results for business and life, click here.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

2006-10-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

THINK RICH TO GET RICH Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth

Harv makes some big claims:- "People on the verge of bankruptcy have bounced back and skyrocketed to success."- "People struggling to make a decent living have multiplied their net worth tenfold."- "Business owners with dwindling client bases suddenly have more work than they can handle."But the information seems solid, his name keeps popping up everywhere, and I note Jack Canfield has endorsed him which carries some weight with me.

So snag a copy of his book here:
www.secretsofthemillionairemind.com/a/sb

Your Motivation - WIth Small Business Success

2006-10-05T05:59:00.000-07:00

One of the big challenges when doing anything is to stay motivated, and the secret to staying motivated is to continually check in with yourself and clarify where you are.

This week I have a number of questions you can ask yourself in order to keep motivated.

For the article go to www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz/articleoftheweek.htm

Success Stories membership

2006-10-05T04:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome! And congrats for being a member of http://internet-business-success-stories.com

This will just be a short email to update you on the access details: www.internet-business-success-stories.com/members

The resale rights package can be downloaded once you have logged in. Enjoy!

And remember, if you want to read the success story of anyone at all, just let me know how to contact them and I'll try to get it done.... no promises they'll agree but I'll try my best!

Regards,

Melvin Ng

Welcome To The Instant Home Wealth Newsletter

2006-10-05T03:59:00.000-07:00

I would like to wish you a very warm welcome to the Instant Home Wealth newsletter!

First, as a thank-you for signing up to the newsletter I would like to give you some very valuable gifts:
1. The Money From Home Package - To see everything that this package offers visit the home page:
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You can download the package here:
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I hope you thoroughly enjoy these packages.

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You will also receive a lot of additional information showing you how to create income streams from home. You will receive new products, resale rights, tutorials and more just for subscribing.

Until next time - wishing you online wealth & prosperity,

Zubs Engineer
CEO
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Your New Financial Goal

2006-10-04T05:52:00.000-07:00

Click this link to see the video: http://WednesdayMinute.com/vol043

Today's topic is "Your New Financial Goal" Rick has a simple "Universal Formula" for finding the right financial goal for you, and he'll even help you take the first steps you need to achieve it.

Click here for this week's business insight: http://WednesdayMinute.com/vol043

Rick Raddatzp,

See past episodes here...

http://WednesdayMinute.com/vol042
http://WednesdayMinute.com/vol041

On Wal-Mart

2006-09-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), an American public corporation, founded by Sam Walton in 1962, first incorporated on October 31, 1969, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. It is the largest retailer in the world and the second largest corporation in the world, behind Exxon Mobil, based on revenue as of 2006.[1] For the fiscal year ending January 31, 2006, Wal-Mart reported net income of $11.2 billion on $316 billion of sales revenue (3.5% profit margin).[2] It is the largest private employer in the United States and Mexico.[3]

Please continue here.

Websites:

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart Stores

Wal-Mart Watch

Wal-Mart Foundation

Wal-Mart Music Downloads

Videos:

WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Prices

Warren Buffett's secret to success, from Mike Liteman

2006-09-27T02:41:00.000-07:00

This a link to an audio that shares with you one of Warren's major keys to success and how you can use it to get results faster.

On the flip side, if you're not doing this, you'll have to work harder and harder to reach your goals.

Buffett is CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and being the greatest Investor of all times, he is also the World's second richest.

Please click here.

Mike Liteman's Great Nation motivation free articles

2006-09-27T02:38:00.000-07:00

A BIG Secret Of Successful People
I want to share with you a 'secret' of mine that has helped me live my dreams at 30 years old.

For other amazing success articles, please click here.

Mike Liteman's Great Nation motivation free e-zines

2006-09-27T02:33:00.000-07:00

“I Want To Help You Unleash Your Greatness, Make More Money, And Provide You With The Information You Need To Do That Quickly."

Mike Liteman

Please get your e-zines here.

Millionaire Gift

2006-09-25T02:20:00.000-07:00

Learn strategies of millionaires in creating unlimited wealth here.

Sam Walton

2006-09-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

Samuel Moore Walton (March 29, 1918 – April 6, 1992) was the founder of two American retailers, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. He was the patriarch of the Walton family, the richest family in the world.

Please continue here.

Websites:

Walmart Group

Sam M. Walton College of Business

TIME 100

Business Biography

About

Sam Walton's 10 Rules for Success

2006-09-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

Rule #1
Commit to your business. Believe in it more than anything else. If you love your work, you’ll be out there every day trying to do the best you can, and pretty soon everybody around will catch the passion from you - like a fever.

Rule #2
Share your profits with all your associates, and treat them as partners. In turn, they will treat you as a partner, and together you will all perform beyond your wildest expectations.

Rule #3
Motivate your partners. Money and ownership aren’t enough. Set high goals, encourage competition and then keep score. Make bets with outrageous payoffs.

Rule #4
Communicate everything you possibly can to your partners. The more they know, the more they’ll understand. The more they understand, the more they’ll care. Once they care, there’s no stopping them. Information is power, and the gain you get from empowering your associates more than offsets the risk of informing your competitors.

Rule #5
Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.

Rule #6
Celebrate your success and find humour in your failures. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Loosen up and everyone around you will loosen up. Have fun and always show enthusiasm. When all else fails put on a costume and sing a silly song.

Rule #7
Listen to everyone in your company, and figure out ways to get them talking. The folks on the front line - the ones who actually talk to customers - are the only ones who really know what’s going on out there. You’d better find out what they know.

Rule #8
Exceed your customer’s expectations. If you do they’ll come back over and over. Give them what they want - and a little more. Let them know you appreciate them. Make good on all your mistakes, and don't make excuses - apologize. Stand behind everything you do. ‘Satisfaction guaranteed’ will make all the difference.

Rule #9
Control your expenses better than your competition. This is where you can always find the competitive advantage. You can make a lot of mistakes and still recover if you run an efficient operation. Or you can be brilliant and still go out of business if you’re too inefficient.

Rule #10
Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everybody is doing it one way, there’s a good chance you can find your niche by going exactly in the opposite direction.

Free financial education e-book, from Fast Track UK

2006-09-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Please get your copy here.

Introducing 'Think and Grow Rich', by Ahmad Mokhzani Abdullah

2006-09-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

We have here free copy of the classic 'Think and Grow Rich' authored by Napoleon Hill for our visitors.

The book was written under inspiration of a well known early 20th. century American steel entrepreneur, Andrew Carnegie who amassed millions as a consequence of following certain success principles followed by other ultrarich people.

Those success principles were studied by the author for a period of around 25 years, by interviewing around 500 men of success in diverse fields, especially business.

'Think and Grow Rich' is your first step towards becoming millionaires or even multicapitalists, and authorities in other vital fields.

Please make your first step here.

Fast Track UK Financial Resources

2006-09-04T04:09:00.000-07:00

[ Accumulate Money ] [ Achieve Millionaire Status ] [ Big Spending ] [ Brief History of Money ] [ Budget your Personal Finances ] [ Bull Bear Markets ] [ Downloadable Free Ebooks ] [ Earn Money ] [ Finance Planning ] [ Financial Advice ] [ Financial Advisor ] [ Financially Free ] [ Great Money Ideas ] [ Great Mutual Funds ] [ How to Make Money Online ] [ Making Money Online ] [ Money Managing ] [ Mutual Funds ] [ Opportunities of How to Make Money ] [ Organise Your Finances ] [ Plan your Personal Finances ] [ Portfolio Income ] [ Save Money ] [ Save Money Tips ] [ Stock Market Advice ] [ Stocks and a Trading Program ] [ Success and Motivation ] [ Thrift Save Plan ] [ What it Takes to be a Millionaire ]

Resources

Complete Biography of Steve Jobs

2006-08-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

Early years

Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco, California [3] to an American woman and a Syrian man—Joanne Carole Schieble and Abdulfattah John Jandali, a graduate student who later became a political science professor.[4] One week after birth, Jobs was put up for adoption by his unmarried mother, who was also in graduate school. He was adopted by Paul and Clara (née Hagopian) Jobs of Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California.[5] They gave him the name Steven Paul Jobs. His biological parents later married and gave birth to Jobs' sister, the novelist Mona Simpson, whom Jobs did not meet until they were adults. The marriage of his biological parents ended in divorce years later. Jobs dislikes hearing the "adoptive parents" appellation applied to Paul and Clara Jobs and refers to them as his only parents.
Jobs attended Cupertino Middle School and Homestead High School in Cupertino, California,[6] and frequented after-school lectures at the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California. He was soon hired there and worked with Steve Wozniak as a summer employee.[7] In 1972, Jobs graduated from high school and enrolled in Reed College in Portland, Oregon, but he dropped out after only one semester.[8] When speaking at the Stanford University graduation ceremony in 2005, Jobs ironically said to the new college graduates that, after dropping out, he remained at Reed auditing classes, including one in calligraphy. "If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts," he said.[9]
In the autumn of 1974, Jobs returned to California and began attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club with Steve Wozniak.[10] He took a job as a technician at Atari, a manufacturer of popular video games, with the primary intent of saving money for a spiritual retreat to India. During this time, it was discovered that a slightly modified toy whistle included in every box of Cap'n Crunch breakfast cereal was able to reproduce the 2600 Hz supervision tone used by the AT&T long distance telephone system. Jobs and Wozniak went into business briefly in 1974 to build "blue boxes" that allowed free long distance calls.
Jobs then backpacked around India with a Reed College friend (and, later, first Apple employee), Daniel Kottke, in search of philosophical enlightenment. He came back with his head shaved and wearing traditional Indian clothing. He returned to his previous job at Atari, and was given the task of creating a circuit board for the game Breakout. According to Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell, Atari had offered $100 for each chip that was reduced in the machine. Jobs had little interest or knowledge in circuit board design, and made a deal with Wozniak to split the bonus evenly between them if Wozniak could minimize the number of chips. Much to the amazement of Atari, Wozniak reduced the number of chips by 50, a design so tight that it was impossible to reproduce on an assembly line. At the time, Jobs told Wozniak that Atari had only given them $700 (instead of the actual $5000), and that Wozniak's share was thus $350.[11]
[edit]

Beginnings of Apple Computer

The original Apple logo featuring Isaac Newton under the fabled apple tree, designed by cofounder Ron Wayne.
See also: History of Apple Computer
When the then twenty-one-year-old Jobs saw a computer that Wozniak had designed for his own use, he convinced Wozniak to assist him and started a company to market the computer. Apple Computer Co. was founded as a partnership on April 1, 1976. Though their initial plan was to sell just printed circuit boards, Jobs and Wozniak ended up creating a batch of completely assembled computers, and entered the personal computer business. The first personal computer Jobs and Wozniak introduced was called the Apple I. It sold for $666.66 (in reference to the phone number of Wozniak's Dial-a-joke).[citation needed] Its successor, the Apple II, was introduced the following year and became a huge success, turning Apple into an important player in the nascent personal computer industry. In May of 1980, Apple Computer released the Apple III, which met with less than stellar success, but in December of that year, with a successful IPO, Apple Computer became a publicly traded corporation, further boosting Jobs' stature.
As Apple continued to grow, the company began looking for an experienced executive to help manage its expansion. In 1983, Jobs lured John Sculley away from Pepsi-Cola, to serve as Apple's CEO, challenging him, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want to change the world?" That same year, Apple also released the technologically advanced but commercially unsuccessful Lisa.[12]
January 24, 1984 saw the introduction of the Macintosh, the first commercially successful computer with a graphical user interface influenced by Xerox PARC. This product was introduced with one of the most famous Super Bowl commercials that played off the book 1984. The development of the Mac was started by Jef Raskin, and eventually taken over lock, stock, and pirate flag, by Jobs. The success of the Macintosh product line eventually led Apple to abandon the Apple II. However the Macintosh never really lived up to the hype and its initial success.
Even though he was the founder and the inspiration behind the original company, Steve Jobs was gradually pushed out of Apple Computer Co. for his aggressive and underhand tactics.
[edit]

Exile and founding of NeXT

Jobs founded NeXT Computer shortly after leaving Apple.
While Jobs was a persuasive and charismatic evangelist for Apple, some of his employees from that time have described him as an erratic and tempestuous manager. In 1985, following an internal power struggle, Jobs was stripped of his duties by the board of directors. Jobs resigned in protest, but remained the chairman of Apple Computer for some time. He was upset at being sidelined in the company he had founded and sold all but one of his shares in Apple.
After leaving Apple, Jobs founded another computer company, NeXT Computer. Like Apple's Lisa, the NeXT workstation was technologically advanced, but was never able to break into the mainstream mainly owing to its high cost. Among those who could afford it, however, the NeXT workstation garnered a strong following because of its technical strengths, chief among them its object-oriented software development system. Jobs marketed NeXT products to the scientific and academic fields because of the innovative, experimental new technologies it incorporated (such as the Mach kernel, the DSP chip, and the built-in Ethernet port).
The NeXT Cube was described by Jobs as an "interpersonal" computer, which he believed was the next step after "personal" computing. That is, if computers could allow people to communicate and collaborate together in an easy way, it would solve a lot of the problems that "personal" computing had come up against. Jobs had been criticized for not including built-in networking features on the original Macintosh (calling it an "umbilical cord to the company"), and he was determined not to repeat the mistake. During a time when e-mail for most people was plain text, Jobs loved to demo the NeXT's e-mail system, NeXTMail, as an example of his "interpersonal" philosophy. NeXTMail was one of the first to support universally visible, clickable embedded graphics and audio within e-mail.
Jobs ran NeXT with an obsession for aesthetic perfection, as evidenced such things as the NeXT Cube's magnesium case. This put considerable strain on NeXT's hardware division, and in 1993, after having sold only 50,000 machines, NeXT transitioned fully to software development in 1993 with the release of NeXTSTEP/Intel. During this time, NeXT and Sun Microsystems started working on the OpenStep specification, which would lead to the next release of NeXTSTEP called OPENSTEP, and later on also a Solaris port of the environment.
NeXT technology played a large role in catalyzing two unrelated events:
The World Wide Web. Tim Berners-Lee developed the original World Wide Web system at CERN on a NeXT workstation. Jobs' insistence that average people should be able to write custom "mission-critical" applications formed the basis of Interface Builder, which Berners-Lee utilized to do just that — write a program entitled "WorldWideWeb 1.0".
The Return of Apple Computer. Apple's reliance on ancient software and internal mismanagement, particularly its inability to release a major operating system upgrade, had brought it near bankruptcy in the early-to-mid 1990s. Jobs' progressive stance on Unix underpinnings was considered overly ambitious and somewhat backward in the 1980s, but his choice ultimately became an expandable, solid foundation for an operating system. Apple would later acquire this software and, under Jobs' leadership, experience a renaissance.
NeXT's technologies also helped the advancement of technologies such as object-oriented programming, Display PostScript, and magneto-optical devices.
[edit]

Return to Apple

In 1998, Jobs introduced the iMac in an attempt to bring Apple back into profitability.
See also: “1998 to 2005: New beginnings” in Apple Computer
In 1996, Apple bought NeXT for $402 million, bringing Jobs back to the company he founded.[12] In 1997 he became Apple's interim CEO after the directors lost confidence in and ousted then-CEO Gil Amelio in a boardroom coup. In March of 1998, in order to concentrate Apple's efforts on returning to profitability, Jobs immediately terminated a number of projects such as Newton, Cyberdog, and OpenDoc. In the coming months, many employees developed a fear of encountering Jobs while riding in the elevator, "afraid that they might not have a job when the doors opened. The reality was that Steve's summary executions were rare, but a handful of victims is enough to terrorize a whole company."[13] This practice became known as "getting Steved."
With the purchase of NeXT, much of the company's technology found its way into Apple products, notably NeXTSTEP, which evolved into Mac OS X. Under Jobs' guidance the company increased sales significantly with the introduction of the iMac. Since then, appealing designs and powerful branding have worked well for Apple. Being Apple's interim CEO along with the introduction of the iMac led Jobs to use the title iCEO.
In recent years, the company has branched out. With the introduction of the iPod portable music player, iTunes digital music software and the iTunes Music Store, the company is making forays into consumer electronics and music distribution. While stimulating innovation, Jobs also reminds his employees that "real artists ship,"[1] by which he means that delivering working products on time is as important as innovation and killer design.
Jobs worked at Apple for several years with an annual salary of $1, and this earned him a listing in Guinness World Records as the "Lowest Paid Chief Executive Officer". At the 2000 keynote speech of Macworld Expo in San Francisco, the company dropped the "interim" from his title. His current salary at Apple officially remains $1 per year, although he has traditionally been the recipient of a number of lucrative "executive gifts" from the board, including a $90 million jet in 1999, and just under 30 million shares of restricted stock in 2000-2002. As such, Jobs is well compensated for his efforts at Apple despite the nominal one-dollar salary. This effectively reduces his tax liability, because under current U.S. tax law, salary income is taxed at a top rate of 35%, whereas capital gains tax, which applies to stock grants, maxes out at 15% for profits derived from long-term capital gains. Obtaining remuneration through stock instead of income is a common tax minimization strategy for many upper-echelon U.S. executives.
Jobs is both admired and criticized for his consummate skills of persuasion and salesmanship, which has been dubbed the "reality distortion field" and is particularly evident during his keynote speeches at Macworld Expos. The "RDF" is an encapsulating term, also referring to Apple's sometimes non-competitive market pricing, the overly expensive Power Mac G4 Cube being a case in point, or making decisions contrary to the desires of the marketplace, such as the elimination of Macintosh clones. One oft-cited example of a poor business decision is Apple's marketing efforts in the 1980s, which, while excellent from a technical standpoint, were alienating to corporate buyers. Corporate buyers consequently turned to IBM, resulting in a precipitous drop in market share.
In 2005, Jobs responded to criticism of Apple's poor recycling programs for e-waste in the U.S. by lashing out at environmental and other advocates at Apple's Annual Meeting in Cupertino in April. When asked by a representative of a socially responsible investment fund why Apple's programs lagged behind Dell's and HP's, Jobs wound up his critic by calling the advocates' complaints "bullshit." However, a few weeks later, Apple announced it would take back iPods for free at its retail stores. The Computer TakeBack Campaign responded by flying a banner from a plane over the Stanford University graduation at which Jobs was the keynote speaker. The banner read "Steve - Don't be a mini-player recycle all e-waste." In 2006 he further expanded Apple's recycling programs to any customer who buys a new Mac. This program includes shipping and "environmentally friendly disposal" of their old systems.[14]
And on August 5, 2006, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that "Shares of Apple Computer Inc. fell nearly 2 percent Friday over fears that a widening stock-options probe might ensnare chief executive Steve Jobs."
[edit]

Pixar and Disney

Pixar is best known for its Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and The Incredibles animation films.
In 1986, Steve Jobs bought Lucasfilm's computer graphics division from George Lucas for $10 million and named the new computer animation studio Pixar.[15] The new company, which was originally based in Point Richmond, California but has since relocated to Emeryville, California, contracted with Disney to produce a number of computer-animated feature films, which Disney would co-finance and distribute.
The first film produced by the partnership, Toy Story, brought fame and critical acclaim to the studio when it was released in 1995. Over the next ten years, under Pixar's creative chief John Lasseter, the company would produce the box-office hits A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), and The Incredibles (2004). Both Finding Nemo and The Incredibles received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, an award introduced in 2001.
In the years 2003 and 2004, as Pixar's contract with Disney was running out, Jobs and Disney chief executive Michael Eisner tried but failed to negotiate a new partnership, and in early 2004 Jobs announced that Pixar would seek a new partner to distribute its films once its contract with Disney expired. Personal animosity between the two executives was largely blamed for the companies' failure to renew their partnership.
In October 2005, Bob Iger replaced Eisner at Disney, and Iger quickly worked to patch up relations with Jobs and Pixar. On January 24, 2006, Jobs and Iger announced that Disney had agreed to purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. Once the deal closed, Jobs became The Walt Disney Company's largest single shareholder with approximately 7 percent of the company's stock.[16] Jobs' holding in Disney will far outpace those of Eisner, who holds 1.7 percent, and Disney Director Emeritus Roy E. Disney, who holds about one percent of the company's stock and whose criticisms of Eisner included the soured Pixar relationship and accelerated his ousting. A Disney press release[17] stated that Jobs would join its Board of Directors upon completion of the deal.

Wikinews has news related to:
Disney buys Pixar
Jobs will also help oversee Disney and Pixar's combined animation businesses with a seat on a special six-man steering committee. One of their first decisions was to discontinue the production of so-called "cheapquels" (cheap direct-to-video sequels). Many also expect Jobs to become a valuable advisor to Iger and Disney on technology matters. Pixar's latest film, Cars, was released June 9, 2006.
[edit]

Managerial style

Much has been made of Steve Jobs’s aggressive and demanding personality. Commentaries on his temperamental style can be found in Mike Moritz’s The Little Kingdom, one of the few authorized biographies of Jobs; Jeffrey S. Young’s unauthorized Steve Jobs: The Journey Is the Reward; the aforementioned The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman; and iCon: Steve Jobs, by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon.
In iCon: Steve Jobs the authors point out that Paul Jobs, his father by adoption, was also known for his aggressive side: "Paul was soon hired as a kind of strongarm man by a finance company that sought help collecting on auto loans—an early repo man. Both his bulk and his aggressive personality were well suited to this somewhat dangerous pursuit, and his mechanical bent enabled him to pick the locks of the cars he had to repossess and hot-wire them if necessary."
In the documentary Triumph of the Nerds, the reaction to Jobs' famous firing from Apple Computer by CEO John Sculley and the Apple Board of Directors was talked about by various people:
Chris Espinosa: "The grandiose plans of what Macintosh was gonna be was just so far out of whack with the truth of what the product was doing. And the truth of what the product was doing was not horrible, it was salvageable. But the gap between the two was just so unthinkable that somebody had to do something, and that somebody was John Sculley."
John Sculley: "The board had to make a choice and I said look, it's Steve's company, I was brought in here to help. If you want him to run it, that's fine by me. But we gotta at least decide what we're gonna do and everybody's got to get behind it ... and ultimately after the board talked with Steve and talked with me, the decision was that we would go forward with my plans and Steve left."
Steve Jobs: "What can I say? I hired the wrong guy. He destroyed everything I spent 10 years working for; starting with me, but that wasn't the saddest part. I would have gladly left Apple if Apple would have turned out like I wanted it to."
Larry Tesler: "People in the company had very mixed feelings about it, everyone had been terrorized by Steve Jobs at some point or another, and so there was a certain relief that the terrorist would be gone. And on the other hand I think there was incredible respect for Steve Jobs by the very same people, and we were all very worried what would happen to this company without the visionary, without the founder, without the charisma."
Andy Hertzfeld: "He took it as a personal attack, started attacking Sculley, in which, you know, backed himself into a corner. Because he was sure that the board would support him and not Sculley ... Apple never recovered from losing Steve; Steve was the heart and soul and driving force; it would be quite a different place today; they lost their soul."
In Apple’s early days, wishing to surround himself with people of a similar mindset, Jobs would often ask job applicants about their sexual histories and how many times they had taken LSD.[18]
[edit]

Personal life

Steve Jobs speaking at Stanford University in 2005.
Jobs married Laurene Powell, nine years his junior, on March 18, 1991 and has had three children with her.[5] He also had a daughter named Lisa Brennan-Jobs with Chrisann Brennan, whom he did not marry.
In the unauthorized biography, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs author Alan Deutschman reports that Jobs once dated Joan Baez. Deutschman quotes Elizabeth Holmes, a friend of Jobs from his time at Reed College, as saying she "believed that Steve became the lover of Joan Baez in large measure because Baez had been the lover of Bob Dylan."
In the unauthorized biography, iCon: Steve Jobs by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon, the authors suggest that Jobs might have married Baez, but her age at the time (41) meant it was unlikely the couple could have children. Baez included a mention of Jobs in the acknowledgements of her 1987 memoir And A Voice To Sing With.
Jobs is not a vegetarian or vegan as is often claimed. Although he does not eat mammalian meat, he reportedly eats fish from time to time. This is known as pescetarianism.
In 1982, Jobs bought an apartment in The San Remo, an apartment building with a politically progressive reputation, where Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of Rita Hayworth, also had an apartment. With the help of I.M. Pei, Jobs spent years renovating his apartment in the top two floors of the building's north tower, only to sell it almost two decades later to U2 frontman Bono. Jobs had never moved in.
In 1984, Jobs purchased a 17,000 square foot, 14 bedroom Spanish Colonial mansion, designed by George Washington Smith in Woodside, California, also known as Jackling House. Although Jobs lived in the mansion for ten years, reportedly in an almost unfurnished state, and let Bill Clinton use it in 1998 while his daughter was studying at nearby Stanford University, the mansion was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. Planning to demolish the house and build a smaller home on the property, he met complaints from local preservationists over his plans. In June 2004, the Woodside Town Council gave Jobs approval to demolish the mansion, on the condition that he advertise the property for a year to see if someone would move it to another location and restore it. A number of people expressed interest, including several with experience restoring old property, but no agreements to that effect were reached. Later that same year, a local preservationist group began seeking legal action to prevent demolition of the property. Litigation has been ongoing since September of 2005.[19]
In 2005, Steve Jobs banned all books published by John Wiley & Sons from the Apple retail stores in response to their publishing an unauthorized biography, iCon: Steve Jobs.
In an interview in the book What the Dormouse Said: How the 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry, Steve Jobs talks about how taking LSD was "one of the two or three most important things he has done in his life".
[edit]

Health concerns

In mid-2004, Jobs announced to his employees that he had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his pancreas.[20] The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is usually very grim; Jobs, however, stated that he had a rare, far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor.[20] On July 31, 2004, Jobs successfully underwent surgery to remove the tumor, which did not require chemotherapy or radiation therapy.[20] During his absence, Timothy D. Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations at Apple, ran the company.[20]
In early August 2006, Jobs delivered the keynote for Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. His “thin, almost gaunt” appearance and unusually “listless” delivery,[21][22] together with his choice to delegate significant portions of his keynote to other presenters, inspired a flurry of media and internet speculation about his health.[23] According to an Ars Technica journal report, WWDC attendees who saw Jobs in person said he “looked fine.”[24]
Following the Keynote an Apple spokesperson said that "Steve's health is robust."[25]
[edit]

In popular culture

Jobs was prominently featured in two films about the history of the personal computing industry.
In the anime Eureka 7 there are two members of Gekko State called Jobs and Woz, both engineers/software specialists. Their names are homages to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Pirates of Silicon Valley — a 1999 docudrama which chronicles the rise of Apple Computer and Microsoft.
Triumph of the Nerds— a 1996 three-part documentary for PBS, about the rise of the home computer/personal computer.
Nerds 2.0.1— a 1998 three-part documentary for PBS, (and sequel to Triumph of the Nerds) which chronicles the development of the Internet.
[edit]

Notes

^ Billionaires list - Steven Jobs, Forbes.com
^ http://www.pixar.com/companyinfo/history/1986.html
^ Excerpts from an Oral History Interview with Steve Jobs, Founder, NeXT Computer. Smithsonian Oral and Video Histories. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved on 2006-03-25.
^ Behrendt, Andy, "Apple Computer mogul's roots tied to Green Bay", Green Bay Press-Gazette, 2005-12-05. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
^ a b Smith, David, "The non-stop revolutionary", Guardian Unlimited, 2006-01-29. Retrieved on 2006-03-31.
^ Cringely, Robert X., "Steve Jobs – Apple Computer, Pixar", Inc.: America's 25 Most Fascinating Entrepreneurs, April 2004. Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
^ Biography: Steve Jobs. The Apple Museum. Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
^ Campbell, Duncan, "The Guardian Profile: Steve Jobs", Guardian Unlimited, 2004-06-08. Retrieved on 2006-03-31.
^ "'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says", Stanford Report, 2005-06-14. Retrieved on 2006-03-31.
^ Seyfer, Jessie, "New can-do club wants to build better cell phone", The Mercury News, 2006-05-10. Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
^ Letters - General Questions Answered, Woz.org
^ a b
^ The once and future Steve Jobs
^ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1952356,00.asp
^ Wolf, Gary, February 1996. Steve Jobs: The Next Insanely Great Thing, Wired.com
^ January 25, 2006 Disney buys Pixar for $7.4 bn, rediff.com
^ http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/corporate/2006/2006_0124_pixar.html
^ Hertzfeld, Andy. "Gobble, Gobble, Gobble", Folklore.org.
^ Friends of the Jackling House
^ a b c d Evangelista, Benny, "Apple’s Jobs has cancerous tumor removed", San Francisco Chronicle, 2004-08-02, p. A1. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.
^ “Looking very thin, almost gaunt”: Kahney, Leander. Has Steve Jobs Lost His Magic?. Cult of Mac. Wired News. Retrieved on 2006-08-08.
^ “they were uninspired (and concerned) by Jobs' relatively listless delivery”: Meyers, Michelle, "Jobs speech wasn’t very Jobs-like", BLOGMA, CNET News.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-08.
^ Saracevic, Al, "Where's Jobs' Mojo?", San Francisco Chronicle, 2006-08-09, p. C1. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.
^ Cheng, Jacqui. What happened to The Steve we know and love?. Infinite Loop. Ars Technica. Retrieved on 2006-08-08.
^ Mac Rumors: Steve Jobs in Good Health. Infinite Loop. MacRumors.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-08.
[edit]

References

Caddes, Carolyn (1986). Portraits of Success: Impressions of Silicon Valley Pioneers. Tioga Publishing Co.. ISBN --.
Cringely, Robert X (1996). Accidental Empires. HarperBusiness. ISBN 0-887-308554.
Denning, Peter J. & Frenkel, Karen A. (1989). A Conversation with Steve Jobs. Comm. ACM. Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 437-443.
Deutschman, Alan (2001). The Second Coming of Steve Jobs. Broadway. ISBN 0-767-904338.
Freiberger, Paul & Swaine, Michael (1999). Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer. McGraw-Hill Trade. ISBN 0-071-358927.
Hertzfeld, Andy (2004). Revolution in the Valley. O'Reilly Books. ISBN 0-596-007191.
Kahney, Leander (2004). The Cult of Mac. No Starch Press. ISBN 1-886-411832.
Levy, Steven (1984). Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. Anchor Press, Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-191952.
Levy, Steven (1994). Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer that Changed Everything. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-670-852449.
Malone, Michael S. (1999). Infinite Loop. Aurum Press. ISBN 1-854-106384. Bantam Doubleday Dell. ISBN 0-385-486847.
Markoff, John (2005). What the Dormouse Said: How the 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry. ISBN 0-670-033820.
Simon, William L. & Young, Jeffrey S. (2005). iCon: Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-720836.
Semkiw, Walter (2003). Return of the Revolutionaries. Hampton Roads Publishing Company. ISBN 1-57174-342-1.
Stross, Randall E. (1993). Steve Jobs and The NeXT Big Thing. Atheneum Books. ISBN 0-689-121350.
Slater, Robert (1987). Portraits in Silicon. MIT Press. ISBN --. Chapter 28
Young, Jeffrey S. (1988). Steve Jobs: The Journey is the Reward. Scott, Foresman & Co.. ISBN --.
[edit]

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Steve Jobs
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs' Executive Profile at Apple
All about Steve extensive & short biographies, pictures, movies & interviews of or related to Steve Jobs.
Anecdotes from Steve Jobs' early days in Apple as reported by Andy Hertzfeld.
Creating Jobs: Apple's Founder Goes Home Again The New York Times Magazine, Sunday January 12, 1997.
Steve Paul Jobs by Lee Angelelli
Text of Jobs' commencement address at Stanford University, June 12, 2005.

Interviews

Smithsonian Institution Oral History Interview (PDF) — April 20, 1995
Rolling Stone, Steve Jobs: The Rolling Stone Interview - December 3, 2003
BusinessWeek, The Seed of Apple's Innovation — October 12, 2004
Fortune, How Big Can Apple Get? — February 21, 2005

Pictures

Official Steve Jobs press release image
Steve Jobs magazine cover pictures from 1982 to present day
Steve Jobs' Keynote at Apple Expo Paris, September 16, 2003

Interview with Buffett and Gates

2006-08-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

The interview was held between Charlie Rose and the World's richest men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, both are Chairman of Microsoft Corporation and Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway respectively.

Resources on Warren Buffett can be researched at The Warren Buffett Compilation. He is considered the World's most successful investor ever.

Watching the interview will help us grasp the mindset of the ultrarich, and how we can use wealth for the benefit of other humans, not merely hoarding it.

The Prophet Muhammad stated that 'wealth does not decrease with charity', on the contrary it increases as proven by the charitable nature of the generous ultrarich throughout ages like Prophet Solomon, Abu Bakr, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

Readers can watch the interview here.

Business Book Summaries

2006-08-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

We have here summaries of best selling business books for those venturing into the Business world:

The Automatic Millionaire

Who Moved My Cheese?

Nickel and Dimed

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Raving Fans

First, Break All the Rules

The E-Myth Revisited

Purple Cow: Transform your Business by being remarkable

Good to Great

Bill Gates Corner

2006-08-27T03:24:00.000-07:00

Bill Gates, the World's richest man is sharing his thought here:

His writing

His speeches

Gates is Chairman and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft Corporation, the Globe's largest software corporation and also an ardent philanthropist, donating billions of dollars annually for the poor and the sick. He is an example to us all.

Links:

Complete biography
Biography of Bill Gates at Microsoft.com
Time Magazine Profile
Bill Gates before Microsoft
Entrepreneurs and American Economic Growth: William H. Gates
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Interview with Bill Moyers
BBC: Bill Gates profile
Bill Gates House Pictures
Bill Gates speaks with Peter Jennings of ABC
BBC Interview with Bill Gates
Biography of Bill Gates
Forbes: World's Richest People
Salary & Compensation of Bill Gates
Bill Gates Net Worth Page
Bill Gates Net Worth, Photos & Quotations

MSN Money Advice

2006-08-27T03:11:00.000-07:00

The 10 worst places to spend your money
When you should say no to your bank
This week's best rates on savings accounts
Where did that £83 billion go?
Seven ways we all waste money

The Richest Malay Malaysian Speaks (Text in the Malay Language)

2006-08-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Orang Melayu boleh berjaya asal tekun berusaha serta sabar diuji masa -- Atasi sikap malu dan malas

Jarum jam sudah menjangkau tengah malam ketika dua wartawan Mingguan Malaysia rancak menemu bual Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, tokoh korporat Melayu yang latar hidupnya tidak begitu banyak diketahui. Isu yang dibincangkan hanya satu - tentang sikap sesetengah korporat Melayu berjaya yang keberatan turun ke bawah membantu anak bangsa. Isu itu dibangkitkan pada Perhimpunan Agung UMNO baru-baru ini."Saya pun naik semangat bercakap tentang hal orang Melayu ini walaupun tadi ada rasa mengantuk sedikit,'' katanya kepada para wartawan di sebuah hotel terkemuka di Kuala Lumpur, tengah malam Rabu lalu. Syed Mokhtar adalah salah seorang daripada orang Melayu berjaya yang diketahui umum banyak menyumbang kepada pengembangan anak bangsa. Beliau menubuhkan Yayasan Al-Bukhary yang antara projek utamanya ialah memberi peluang pendidikan kepada anak-anak pintar yang kurang berkemampuan."Saya dulu tidak ada peluang. Setelah ada rezeki ini kenapa saya tidak boleh tolong orang miskin yang boleh pergi jauh,'' katanya yang bersekolah setakat tingkatan lima.

Dalam wawancara ini, Syed Mokhtar juga ditanya tentang tanggapan umum terhadapnya yang dilihat sebagai seorang ahli perniagaan yang kerjanya mengambil alih kepentingan demi kepentingan pelbagai syarikat. "Ada sebab kenapa saya bekerja seperti tidak ada esok,'' katanya. Agenda sosial dan kerja-kerja kemasyarakatan itulah antara sebabnya. Syed Mokhtar mengakui bahawa semua itu bukan untuk dirinya sendiri sebaliknya beliau mahu meninggalkan warisan untuk anak bangsa yang kekal berpanjangan. Wawancara ini adalah antara sedikit yang pernah diberikan oleh tokoh korporat yang selalu cuba mengelak daripada tumpuan media. Ditanya kenapa beliau bersedia ditemu bual pada kali ini, Syed Mokhtar menjawab: "Saya mahu membela diri. Saya perlu tampil untuk membetulkan pandangan-pandangan serong tentang diri saya.''

MINGGUAN: Bagaimanakah Tan Sri melihat hubung kait diri Tan Sri dengan Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB)? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya menikmati jasa dasar itu semasa memulakan perniagaan dulu, daripada pinjaman Mara sehinggalah kepada bangunan kedai UDA. Saya produk DEB tetapi semua ini melalui proses selama 34 tahun. Pada tahun 1970, arwah bapa saudara bayar seringgit suruh saya masuk UMNO. Saya menjadi ahli biasa saja, tidak aktif kerana fokus saya ialah kepada perniagaan. Bagaimanapun saya percaya kepada UMNO kerana ia parti yang mendukung dasar itu.

Dalam tempoh lebih 34 tahun ini, apakah rahsia kejayaan Tan Sri? SYED MOKHTAR: Tidak ada apa-apa rahsia. Saya ini hamba Allah biasa, budak dangau macam saudara semua juga. Tuhan jadikan manusia ini sama saja, cuma proses kematangan saya yang membezakannya. Saya percaya sesiapa pun boleh menjadi apa saja asalkan mereka berusaha dengan tekun. Tetapi tentulah ia memakan masa.Saya sendiri melalui pahit maung dan merasai segala-galanya untuk sampai ke tahap ini. Tidak ada jalan yang singkat. Saya belajar tentang perniagaan ini dari kecil lagi, dan saya juga biasa kena tipu.Saya memang sudah buat keputusan dari awal bahawa saya mahu buat sendiri. Saya tidak gadai lesen dan permit yang saya ada.

Ini tentang know how atau know who? SYED MOKHTAR: Semasa mula berniaga dulu saya tidak ada kenal sesiapa. Tetapi selepas saya mengembangkan perniagaan ini memang faktor know who itu penting juga. Bangsa lain tidak mengapa tetapi orang Melayu dalam berniaga kena berdamping dengan orang politik sedikit-sedikit. Tetapi saya juga anak UMNO. Saya percaya kepada UMNO dan DEB. Dasar itu tidak sia-sia. Saya boleh mempertahankan manfaatnya. Ini bukan masalah dasar tetapi masalah manusia yang tidak mahu melalui kesusahan; banyak yang mahu senang dengan mendampingi orang politik. Saya juga mengenali kekuatan dan kelemahan saya. Apa yang saya tidak mampu buat saya akan minta orang lain tengok-tengokkan. Saya melalui jalan susah tetapi itulah jalan yang kekal.

Tidak banyak peniaga Melayu yang buat macam Tan Sri - dapat empat permit lori walaupun cuma mampu pakai dua, yang baki itu tidak dijual. SYED MOKHTAR: Alhamdulillah, Tuhan tidak gerakkan hati saya buat kerja-kerja itu. Saya yakin, insya-Allah dua buah lori lagi saya boleh beli kalau saya rajin berusaha. Saya percaya kalau perniagaan saya maju dan tidak cukup lori, saya tentu kena minta lagi. Jadi walaupun hanya mampu beli dua buah lori, dua lagi permit itu saya simpan untuk masa depan.

Maksudnya kena sabar menunggu? SYED MOKHTAR: Memang kena banyak sabar dan kuat berusaha. Semasa mula-mula berniaga dulu saya pun biasa kena tindas, bukan saja dengan bangsa lain tetapi dengan orang Melayu yang dipergunakan. Saya terpaksa bersaing dengan orang Cina yang sudah jauh lebih maju dan boleh juga mendapatkan lesen daripada orang Melayu yang sanggup menggadainya. Semasa mula berniaga Tan Sri bekerjasama dengan orang Cina.

Kenapa? SYED MOKHTAR: Kita perlu menggunakan kepakaran mereka kerana mereka jauh lebih maju dan mahir daripada kita. Apa yang kita kurang faham, kita berkongsi dengan mereka dengan tujuan untuk belajar daripada mereka. Apabila sudah faham barulah kita boleh menjaga kepentingan kita. Sampai sekarang saya masih berkongsi dengan orang Cina tetapi saya juga terlibat secara aktif dalam perniagaan itu.

Bagaimanakah lahirnya Yayasan Al-Bukhary ini? SYED MOKHTAR: Apabila saya dapat rezeki sedikit ditambah pula dengan didikan ibu bapa saya, saya mula menolong orang. Itulah juga punca saya mewujudkan yayasan di Alor Star itu. Insyaallah, harapan saya setelah mati nanti yayasan itu tetap kekal dan terus memberi bakti. Selain Muzium Kesenian Islam di Kuala Lumpur saya juga buka pusat tuisyen. Sebenarnya saya hendak buat sudah lama tetapi tiada siapa yang sanggup hendak tengok-tengokkan sehinggalah saya dapat tahu Datuk Seri Shukor Abdullah (bekas Ketua Pengarah Pendidikan) bersara. Saya cari dia dan dia sanggup untuk melaksanakan hasrat ini. Ini daripada hati saya, siapa pun tidak suruh. Projek ketiga yayasan ialah Kompleks Al-Bukhary di Alor Star. Itu asalnya tanah datuk saya dan masjid itu asalnya dia yang bina. Saya sebenarnya sedih melihat sistem sekolah pondok di Kedah. Saya ada cita-cita mahu memodenkan sekolah pondok. Kita kena maju. Dalam hal ini, apabila saya masuk ke dalam masyarakat saya tidak lihat orang itu UMNO atau PAS. Kalau orang itu memerlukan bantuan, kalau boleh ditolong, saya tolong. Dalam hal-hal kemasyarakatan tidak ada UMNO dan PAS.

Maksudnya? SYED MOKHTAR: Orang Melayu semuanya sama. Pendirian politik itu terpulanglah kepada diri masing-masing. Dalam kompleks masyarakat itu kita semua sama. Dalam soal kemajuan ummah kita mesti bersatu. Prof. Diraja Ungku Aziz dalam satu wawancara sebelum ini menyebut bahawa orang Melayu tidak berfikir seperti satu ummah. Orang Melayu individualistik.

Tan Sri nampaknya bukan dari golongan itu? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya fikir soal parti adalah hak masing-masing. Apabila hidup bermasyarakat, kita tidak sepatutnya mengasingkan ini orang UMNO, ini orang PAS. Saya memberi bantuan hanya atas dasar sebagai orang Islam. Soal ideologi atau perjuangan mana yang betul, hanya Allah yang akan menentukannya. Dalam menjayakan agenda Melayu, orang Melayu sendiri kena tolong orang Melayu. Tidak guna kita buat seminar sana sini tetapi tidak mahu menolong bangsa sendiri untuk jadi maju. Kita kena berusaha, baru orang Melayu boleh jadi kuat. Apabila kuat, kita tidak lagi ditindas. Jangan kita bercakap tentang agenda Melayu dalam Perhimpunan Agung UMNO tetapi selepas itu kita senyap. Sepatutnya semua orang kena buat kerja, bukannya bercakap saja.

Apa pandangan Tan Sri kepada korporat Melayu yang tidak mahu tolong Melayu? SYED MOKHTAR: Mereka mungkin tidak nampak ini sebagai kewajipan kerana mereka tidak melalui kesusahan. Saya pun suka kepada kemewahan. Saya pun suka pergi tengok dunia, ke Tokyo, New York dan London. Saya pun suka pakai baju elok.Tetapi kita ini hendak mewah setakat mana, hendak pakai baju banyak mana, hendak tidur dalam berapa rumah satu malam, hendak makan pun sampai larat mana? Dalam hidup ini kita sebenarnya tidak ada status; ada masa di atas, ada masa di bawah. Kita tidak boleh mengagung-agungkan diri kita sangat.

Masalahnya sekarang ada yang sudah ke atas tetapi tidak mahu turun ke bawah.Kenapa ini berlaku? SYED MOKHTAR: Mungkin kerana kurang didikan dan nilai sehingga hidup jadi terbawa-bawa. Tidak mengapa kalau mereka boleh hisap curut RM500. Tetapi tidak semestinya bermakna mereka tidak boleh turun ke bawah membantu orang. Ketika Allah memberikan kemewahan, kita kena turun ke bawah, tengok mana-mana yang boleh dibantu. Allah beri rezeki melalui kita untuk kita tolong orang lain. Rezeki itu bila-bila masa Dia boleh ambil balik. Mereka bersikap begini boleh jadi kerana bayangan duit itu lebih kuat daripada yang lain. Ini berbeza dengan orang Cina yang ada pelbagai persatuan. Kita tidak ada; kalau ada pun berpecah. Orang Melayu kita tidak mahu bekerjasama kerana perasaan dengki menguasai diri. Sudahlah tidak mahu berusaha, apabila orang lain usaha, mereka marah.

Inikah pegangan Tan Sri dari dulu lagi; rezeki yang ada itu sebenarnya untuk orang lain? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya fikir memang dari segi hukum pun begitu. Kita kena keluar zakat dan fitrah. Tetapi zakat fitrah banyak mana sangat. Islam agama yang adil; ia minta sedikit saja. Oleh itu kalau ada duit yang lebih ia seharusnya dibelanjakan dengan baik.

Tan Sri melihat menolong orang lain itu satu tanggungjawab? SYED MOKHTAR: Apabila kita memberi kerja kepada orang lain, ia juga satu amalan kerana kerja mendatangkan rezeki kepada mereka. Sekarang kumpulan saya ada 36 000 pekerja. Ini satu tanggungjawab kepada saya, bagaimana hendak menjadikan mereka ini maju, dapat bonus dan sebagainya.

Kalau Tan Sri tidak buat semua ini apa Tan Sri rasa? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya akan rasa sedih kerana tidak banyak orang Melayu yang tolong Melayu. Saya tidak kisah; saya boleh tidak buat apa-apa dan balik ke Alor Star. Tetapi saya akan rasa hidup ini sia-sia. Orang Kedah kata, kalau mati nanti mata tidak tutup rapat kerana tanggungjawab depan mata kita tidak buat. Orang lain ambil kekayaan kita, ambil hak kita dan pergunakan kita, kita masih tidak buat apa-apa. Tetapi semua ini sebenarnya bukan mampu saya buat seorang. Saya ada emotional attachment kepada agama, negara, bangsa dan ummah. Saya bukan individualistik. Diri saya tidak mustahak. Pangkat dan gelaran ini kepada saya tidak mustahak. Kalau saya dulu tidak dapat peluang belajar tinggi, kenapa pula saya hendak sekat peluang orang lain? Lagipun saya datang daripada golongan itu. Kalau ada rezeki lebih sedikit takkan saya sanggup lupakan mereka.

Tan Sri mengharapkan lebih ramai lagi orang Melayu yang berjaya seperti Tan Sri? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya kadang-kadang sedih apabila media tonjolkan saya begini. Saya malu kerana orang Cina kaya beratus-ratus kali ganda daripada saya. Tetapi saya tahu orang Melayu kalau hendak berjaya kena kerja kuat, tidak kira siang malam. Kita ada kekuatan yang Tuhan beri melebihi daripada bangsa lain. Tetapi untuk maju kita perlu berusaha. Saya asal daripada tidak ada apa-apa. Apa yang saya tidak tahu saya belajar, minta tolong daripada orang. Saya tidak malu. Saya bukannya mencuri. Saya usaha sendiri. Sikap pemalas dan pemalu ini yang orang Melayu kena atasi.Kita kena berani kerana benar. Apabila kita dapat keuntungan dan rezeki lebih, bolehlah kita menolong orang.

Apakah yang selalu Tan Sri fikirkan? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya selalu fikir bagaimana hendak mengekalkan kumpulan ini untuk masa depan; bagaimana hendak menjalankan semua projek di bawah yayasan. Sebahagian daripada keuntungan kumpulan ini saya khaskan kepada kos operasi Yayasan Al-Bukhary yang akan menempatkan 3 000 pelajar dari negara-negara Islam - 70 peratus pelajar antarabangsa, 20 peratus pelajar kita dan 10 peratus bukan Islam. Kita memberikan fokus kepada soal pendidikan anak bangsa. Kelas tuisyen itu boleh dikatakan 100 peratus untuk anak Melayu. Universiti itu pula adalah untuk pelajar-pelajar yang cerdik tetapi tidak ada kemampuan. Kita akan ambil mereka dan beri bantuan seratus peratus. Kita mahu mereka menjadi profesional yang apabila tamat pengajian boleh pulang ke negara masing-masing dan membantu masyarakat mereka pula.

Salah satu masalah ekonomi orang Melayu ialah pengangguran di kalangan siswazah. Dalam hal ini misalnya apakah yang boleh Tan Sri lakukan? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya telah meminta kumpulan kami mengkaji masalah ini dan mengambil sekumpulan mereka bekerja dan memberikan latihan. Insyaallah kami akan sentiasa mencari perniagaan baru, mungkin daripada swasta atau kerajaan. Kalau daripada kerajaan orang mungkin akan menjadikannya sebagai isu lagi. Tetapi kalau kita terus mencari peluang dan perniagaan lain kita akan terus dapat membantu orang lain untuk mengembangkan diri masing-masing. Saya bukan buat semua ini untuk diri saya sendiri semata-mata.

Laporan-laporan tentang Tan Sri selama ini, itu maksudnya bukanlah untuk mengembangkan kekayaan peribadi? SYED MOKHTAR: Diri saya tidak mustahak. Kalau saya hendak ambil alih mana-mana syarikat pun saya mesti ada kemampuan untuk menguruskannya. Orang tidak tahu bahawa apabila saya mengambil sesetengah syarikat itu ia sebenarnya dapat menyelamatkan berpuluh-puluh ribu keluarga pekerjanya yang sebahagian besarnya ialah orang Melayu. Tetapi apabila saya mengambil alih syarikat-syarikat itu orang bertanya apakah tidak ada orang lain selain daripada Syed Mokhtar? Orang tidak bercakap tentang hal-hal di belakang itu. SYED MOKHTAR: Perkara yang elok lambat orang tahu. Saya ini ada dibenci orang. Orang kata saya tamak, ambil semua peluang yang ada dan hendak jadi kaya seorang. Kaya apa? Kaya itu bukanlah pada diri saya. Kaya itu adalah kepada kumpulan perniagaan ini, kepada bangsa dan kepada orang ramai. Saya hanya memegangnya untuk sementara saja. Saya tidak ada keinginan untuk menyimpan kekayaan ini untuk anak dan isteri. Duit ini tidak akan kekal. Saya percaya hanya perkara baik yang kita lakukan akan kekal. Bukan duit yang akan melindungi saya nanti tetapi apa yang saya lakukan sekarang. Tetapi banyak orang percaya bahawa dia mesti ada RM10 juta atau RM20 juta dalam tangan baru hidup boleh selamat. Ini yang menyebabkan mereka hanyut daripada menolong orang lain. Mereka lebih takutkan diri sendiri. Mereka lupa bahawa kekayaan tidak boleh membantu selama-lamanya.

Apakah yang orang tidak tahu tentang syarikat-syarikat yang Tan Sri miliki itu? SYED MOKHTAR: Sesetengah daripada syarikat itu bermasalah; saya membeli untuk menyelamatkannya daripada jatuh ke tangan bangsa lain atau orang Melayu sendiri yang boleh membawa lebih kerosakan. Saya tidak menggadaikan hak dan kepentingan orang kita. Tetapi kerja saya bukan beli syarikat. Saya ada perniagaan sendiri - syarikat lori dan beras. Alhamdulillah, Tuhan memberikan saya kekuatan untuk ke depan apabila ada peluang. Walaupun sesetengah syarikat itu bermasalah tetapi saya melihatnya sebagai satu peluang juga - bagaimana hendak mengubahnya. Tetapi saya tidak pernah ambil daripada mulut orang Melayu lain; sudah hendak sampai ke kerongkong saya ambil, saya tidak buat begitu. Apa yang saya dapat ini adalah daripada usaha saya sendiri. Ada juga yang saya usaha tetapi tidak dapat dan orang tidak tahu. Apa yang saya dapat itu pula yang menjadi masalah kononnya Syed Mokhtar sapu semua. Orang kita terlupa bahawa bangsa lain memegang pelbagai kepentingan dalam ekonomi negara ini. Siapa pula yang memberikan pelbagai kemudahan untuk membolehkan mereka memegang kepentingan itu? Siapa pun tidak kata apa. Inilah masalah orang Melayu. Di kampung orang Melayu berpecah kerana politik PAS dan UMNO; di bandar, berpecah kerana ini.Saya tidak pergi cari mana syarikat hendak saya beli. Saya percaya kalau rezeki itu Allah beri kepada saya ia bukan untuk saya tetapi untuk orang ramai juga. Orang tidak tahu banyak syarikat yang saya ada ini gagal dan tidak maju kepada saya tetapi orang tidak tahu.Orang tidak tahu bagaimana saya rugi lebih RM2 bilion dalam pelaburan semasa kegawatan 1997 semata-mata kerana hendak melindungi 30 peratus kepentingan orang Melayu.

Setiap kali mendapat rezeki daripada Tuhan, apakah yang Tan Sri rasakan? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya ini kata orang Kedah, lebai kodok, bukan lebai pondok. Tetapi saya tahu hal-hal asas. Kalau mahu kita minta terus daripada Tuhan. Tuhan beri manusia akal dan fikiran. Kalau hendak pakai baju dan seluar biarlah padan dengan badan. Orang kata saya tidak ada duit tetapi banyak hutang. Orang berniaga mana yang tidak berhutang. Tetapi kita mesti tahu bagaimana hendak meminjam dan membayarnya semula. Ada cara kita boleh buat. Kalau beratus-ratus orang Cina dalam bandar boleh buat kenapa saya orang Melayu tidak boleh? Tetapi kerana saya Melayu orang menjadikannya sebagai satu isu. Inilah masalahnya. Tidak ada salahnya berhutang kalau berniaga. Tetapi sebelum berhutang RM100 juta kita mesti sudah fikir bagaimana hendak membayarnya balik. Mesti ada tanggungjawab. Soal tanggungjawab ini yang banyak orang tidak sanggup pikul. Banyak orang mahu senang tetapi tidak ramai yang mahu bertanggungjawab. Kesenangan yang saya perolehi ini datang dengan tanggungjawab. Kalau hendak dibandingkan dengan bangsa lain, perniagaan saya tidak ada apa. Tetapi walaupun sedikit tetapi yang sedikit itu ada berkatnya. Saya suka kalau nikmat sedikit yang saya dapat itu orang lain boleh berkongsi sama. Emak saya mengajar: Kalau dapat lebih, beri lebih; kalau kurang, beri kurang. Tan Sri ada sikap yang begitu sensitif kepada keperluan anak bangsa dan saudara seagama.

Soalnya kenapakah tidak banyak korporat Melayu yang ada sikap sebegini? SYED MOKHTAR: Mungkin kerana masalah didikan atau kerana mereka naik dengan begitu mudah. Atau mungkin juga kerana pergaulan mereka. Saya kadang-kadang kecewa dan sedih melihat anak orang alim yang sesetengahnya lupa diri setelah mendapat kekayaan. Saya pun sama seperti orang lain suka hendak ke luar negara tetapi kita tidak boleh lupa kubur kita dan asal-usul kita. Di kampung kita mungkin ada jiran-jiran yang perlukan bantuan. Saya sangat berterima kasih kepada emak saya yang ambil setengah daripada duit pertama saya dulu. Kalau tidak mungkin saya sudah ke Haatyai dan jadi nakal. Saya manusia yang banyak juga melakukan kesilapan. Tetapi saya insaf, beristighfar dan jalan lagi. Sejak awal saya ada kesedaran mahu mengekalkan hak kita sebagai orang Melayu. Saya kata kepada diri sendiri kalau kerana itu saya terpaksa bersusah sedikit pun tidak mengapa.

Adakah Tan Sri rasa keseorangan melakukan semua ini? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya fikir banyak orang yang buat begini juga tetapi dengan cara mereka sendiri. Insyaallah kita berdoa mereka akan buat lebih lagi pada masa akan datang. Saya buat apa yang tergerak dalam hati dan apa yang boleh dicapai oleh tangan. Saya juga insaf bahawa diri saya tidak kekal; saya hanya seorang hamba Allah yang kalau ditakdirkan hidup sehingga 70 tahun umur saya hanya tinggal 17 tahun saja lagi. Oleh itu saya suka melakukan perkara yang kekal dan berterusan seperti yayasan ini. Kalau bangsa lain boleh ada macam-macam yayasan kenapa tidak kita? Apa yang penting ialah komitmen. Pendekatan saya selari; sambil mencari rezeki saya juga menyumbang semula kepada masyarakat. Saya sendiri tumpang seronok melihat orang lain mendapat kesenangan daripada sedikit apa yang saya ada ini.

Tan Sri seronok melihat orang lain dapat berkembang hasil daripada rezeki yang Tan Sri nikmati? SYED MOKHTAR: Ya. Kekayaan ini Tuhan beri kepada saya untuk saya menolong orang lain pula. Saya percaya kepada keberkatan rezeki. Hari ini kita tolong orang, esok lusa orang akan tolong kita pula dengan cara yang lain.

Harapan Tan Sri kepada orang Melayu lain yang juga sudah berjaya? SYED MOKHTAR: Insya-allah, kebanyakan orang Islam ini baik-baik, ada niat yang baik. Bukan mereka tidak mahu menolong tetapi mungkin masanya belum sampai atau Tuhan belum menggerakkan hati mereka lagi. Mungkin juga mereka ada masalah maklum saja selepas tahun 1997 masih belum banyak yang pulih semula. Saya sendiri sambil berhutang sambil berniaga dan buat sumbangan amal jariah. Saya berdoa apabila nanti saya pejam mata masa itu juga hutang pun habis, perniagaan dan amal jariah pun sama-sama berjalan elok. Saya tidak mahu tunggu hutang habis baru hendak buat semua ini. Saya takut kalau hutang habis saya pun mati dan apa pun tidak sempat buat.

Kepada orang Melayu yang sanggup hisap curut RM500 tetapi susah hendak tolong orang lain, apakah yang hendak Tan Sri katakan kepada mereka? SYED MOKHTAR: Kalau mereka hendak hisap curut, pakai kereta Porsche atau duduk rumah besar, tak apa. Cuma ingat-ingatlah juga tanggungjawab untuk membantu anak bangsa.Kita tidak boleh marah kepada mereka. Kita ingat-ingatkan saja. Kebanyakan mereka itu orang yang bagus-bagus; mungkin terbawa-bawa saja. Kepada saya ini masalah kecil saja. Masalah yang lebih besar ialah diri kita sendiri. Orang Melayu kena yakin dan berusaha untuk terus memajukan diri.

Harapan Tan Sri kepada orang Melayu keseluruhannya? SYED MOKHTAR: Peluang kita semua sama; saya tidak dapat lebih dan tidak dapat kurang. Cuma satu saja saya minta daripada orang Melayu: Beri masa sedikit kepada apa yang hendak diusahakan.Kalaupun tidak sanggup tunggu 34 tahun seperti saya berilah sedikit masa untuk faham selok-belok perniagaan, insyaallah boleh maju. Mereka juga kena fokus, majukan diri dan selalu meningkatkan kemahiran. Kalau sudah maju dan hendak mempelbagaikan perniagaan, masa itu tidak mengapa. Kita juga jangan cepat berputus asa. Putus asa boleh tetapi kena cepat-cepat kuatkan semula semangat untuk bangkit balik. Kita juga jangan jadikan agama hanya satu tempat untuk kita bergantung apabila kita susah. Tanggungjawab ibadah adalah tugas seharian.

Bolehkah orang Melayu maju? SYED MOKHTAR: Tidak ada sebab kenapa orang Melayu tidak boleh maju. Ini saya berani perang dengan sesiapa pun kalau ada yang mengatakan orang Melayu tidak boleh maju. Cuma nasihat saya kalau hendak jadi apa pun, jadilah yang terbaik dalam bidang masing-masing sehingga kukuh bertapak. Orang Melayu boleh maju. Kalau saudara jadi wartawan saudara kena tanam semangat suatu hari mahu ambil alih akhbar itu. Tidak ada sebab kenapa ia tidak boleh berlaku.

Cara hidup Tan Sri bagaimana? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya tidak ada lifestyle yang kena masuk kelab sana dan sini. Tetapi tidak semestinya saya tidak boleh turun ke kelab. Orang Melayu kalau hendak ke depan mesti ada cara hidup yang fleksibel, boleh naik dan turun. Jangan amalkan cara hidup yang tidak boleh ada fleksibiliti. Lifestyle ini sebenarnya satu penyakit. Saya biasa pakai Mercedes tetapi sekarang saya pakai Proton Perdana untuk sokong kereta nasional. Kereta itu pun cukup untuk bawa saya ke mana-mana.Saya juga tidak bermain golf kerana kepada saya ia memakan banyak masa. Tetapi tidak semestinya orang yang main golf itu tidak bagus atau orang yang tidak main itu lebih bagus. Saya pun tidak ada minat untuk beli kapal layar atau kapal terbang. Saya fikir kalau saya beli sesuatu benda yang mahal, biarlah orang ramai boleh pakai. Saya suka kalau orang ramai mendapat nikmatnya.Tetapi pada masa akan datang tidak tahu lagi. Kalau panjang umur saya berniaga ke negara-negara lain dan ketika itu saya memerlukan, mungkin saya akan beli juga kapal terbang. Setakat ini Proton Perdana sudah memadai.

Tetapi orang Melayu umumnya apabila berniaga perkara pertama yang dilakukan ialah beli kereta mewah. SYED MOKHTAR: Kita tidak usahlah selalu mengulang-ulang perkara yang boleh memberikan kesan psikologi yang negatif kepada orang Melayu. Kita kena kurangkan bercakap tentang kereta besar dan rumah besar. Jangan kita memberikan gambaran bahawa ini sebenarnya yang perlu mereka buat. Sesiapa pun memang mahu semua itu tetapi bukan itu matlamatnya. Kita kena tekankan hal-hal yang positif tentang orang Melayu. Orang Melayu boleh jadi yang terbaik dalam apa juga bidang kerjaya mereka. Itu yang perlu kita lakukan.

Di kalangan orang Melayu masih ada pemikiran bahawa kerajaan perlu menolong mereka. Bagaimanakah Tan Sri melihat realitinya? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya ingat kena tengok tahap-tahapnya. Kerajaan kena tolong orang Melayu. Orang Melayu mesti naik berperingkat-peringkat. Bantuan kerajaan sentiasa ada. Sistemnya sudah ada. Kalau orang Melayu masuk ke dalam sistem itu, mereka sudah boleh jalan ke depan. Tetapi seperti saya katakan tadi mereka perlu melalui proses ujian masa. Mereka yang perlukan bantuan ini ialah mereka yang hendak cepat dan tidak faham apa. Orang Melayu sebenarnya tidak perlu meminta kerajaan membantu kerana dasar itu memang sudah ada. Orang Melayu sebenarnya yang kena membantu diri sendiri, kena bekerja keras dan fokus. Saya mendapat nikmat daripada DEB sejak awal pelaksanaannya lagi. Ketika itu lebih susah kalau hendak dibandingkan dengan peluang-peluang yang ada sekarang.

Adakah Tan Sri puas hati dengan apa yang sudah dilakukan ini? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya biasa saja. Hidup saya tidak berubah, dari dulu beginilah. Saya terima apa saja nikmat yang diberikan oleh Allah. Tidak ada air segelas, ada setengah gelas pun saya bersyukur.

Apakah yang Tan Sri rasa apabila melihat orang yang menerima bantuan daripada yayasan ini? SYED MOKHTAR: Kalau kerana sedikit bantuan itu mereka lulus peperiksaan dan hidup mereka menjadi lebih baik, saya sudah gembira. Saya tidak boleh buat banyak. Alhamdulillah, lebih baik buat sedikit daripada tidak buat langsung. Saya gembira dapat membantu. Kalau saya boleh beli seekor lembu untuk sebuah kampung yang sudah lama tidak makan daging, saya rasa gembira. Saya rasa seronok dapat bawa anak-anak dari luar datang ke Kuala Lumpur, tengok lampu-lampu yang cantik. Saya tahu bagaimana perasaannya. Saya mahu orang lain merasai apa yang saya pernah rasa. Saya kata kepada diri saya, apa yang saya dapat saya mesti beri orang lain merasainya sama. Jangan kita beri kurang daripada itu, lebih tidak mengapa. Itu yang membuat hati saya seronok.

Tan Sri tentu rasa boleh menyumbang lebih lagi daripada ini? SYED MOKHTAR: Memang itulah yang selalu saya rasa. Saya kata kepada kawan-kawan apa yang kita buat ini baru warm-up saja; kita belum berjalan lagi. Saya rasa kita terlalu banyak ketinggalan.Insyaallah, kalau orang Melayu lain boleh bersama-sama membantu tentulah lebih baik. Ayah saya kata, guni beras kalau seorang pikul memang berat tetapi kalau ramai-ramai kita pakat pikul ringan jadinya.

Kenapa beri wawancara sekarang? SYED MOKHTAR: Saya rasa saya perlu tampil untuk membetulkan pandangan-pandangan yang serong tentang diri saya itu. Saya kena membela diri. Setidak-tidaknya saya jelas dengan apa yang hendak saya lakukan. Terpulang bagaimana umum hendak menerimanya.Kepada saya, apa yang benar itu akan kekal. Saya segan kerana kerja saya yang sedikit ini orang besar-besarkan. Niat saya baik tetapi orang fikir sebaliknya. Saya bukan orang jahat. Saya asal orang miskin.Saya pun sebenarnya bukan hendak menonjol-nonjolkan diri. Saya hormat kepada pemimpin. Saya akan sama-sama membantu. Pemimpin datang dan pergi tetapi saya hormat kedudukan itu. Perjuangan yang mereka tentukan itu akan terus saya bantu.

Steve Jobs Speaks

2006-08-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, 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.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. 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.
My third story is about death.
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.
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. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because 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.
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.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. 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.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Link:

A video of the original 1984 introduction of the Macintosh recently surfaced on the internet. Even the non-technical readers may be interested in watching. Just keep in mind that software up to the time of this introduction almost exclusively used text-only interfaces.