I have been around long enough to recognize impending death when I see it.  The hardest part is admitting to myself what I'm seeing.   

When I saw a clip of Steve Jobs presenting his last "insanely" fabulous product  earlier this year, I saw this  dynamic spirit trapped in a frail body that was obviously failing its occupant, and I recognized the "look" that I have seen too many times before.  So in August, I was not surprised to learn that he had stepped down as CEO of this incredible company that he had created and guided to the pinnacle of corporate success.  However, when I learned of his death this past week, even though I knew it was the next logical step in the progression, I was still not prepared for the kick in the stomach that I felt at that moment.

Far be it from me to attempt to put into words the void  so many of us feel at this time or to compete with the accolades that have poured in from all corners of the globe. I simply know that the world has lost the most creative mind of our time and quite possibly, of the 21st Century.   I am certain that there are untold ideas and innovations that we may never see because his time among us mortals was cut too short.  And this is tragic because there is no successor to genius.

In the aftermath of the dot com crash over a decade ago, I remember thinking that everyone on the planet has a personal computer now, so the heyday of all those companies has come and gone.  Many were fleeing the entire tech sector and an investment in Apple at that juncture was considered to be dead money; that is, unless one had an inkling of the imagination, the creativity, and the sheer will of Steve Jobs. 

Thanks to his insight and guidance, Apple's shares have mushroomed over 7,000% in value since the end of the year 2,000 while former competitors have stayed totally flat, languished behind, or simply ceased to exist. Apple's 927 million outstanding shares, at Wednesday's price of $378.25 each, are worth more than the combined stock value of Microsoft Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., DirecTV, Dell Inc. and Nokia Corp. Not bad for a company that emerged from a college dropout's parents' garage in the late seventies.

You may recall the caustic response from Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, when asked his opinion of Apple diving into the smartphone market with zero experience and zero market share just four short years ago.  Check it out:  http://youtu.be/eywi0h_Y5_U.  This is a textbook example of how to open your mouth and insert your foot.  Ballmer obviously forgot that he was dealing with a man who said he wanted "to put a ding in the Universe"; by comparison, the smartphone market was a relatively small challenge.  Since its launch, the Apple iPhone has captured over 27% of the smartphone market, and is aggressively expanding its share every day, while many have learned once again that you never, ever bet against Steve Jobs.

But as much as anything else that we may have gleaned from this extraordinary man, let us remember that the foundation of his immeasurable success was his boundless passion for his dream and his absolute insistence on demanding the very best from each person who was involved with him and his work.  For those who choose to adopt this as their standard, the spirit and the legacy of Steve Jobs will continue to enhance and improve our lives far beyond any of his finest technological creations.  As it has been said, "Fame is a vapor.  Fortune is a mist.  Only true character endures."