Steve Jobs and the Fastball

Listen to Steve Jobs deliver a message to the Stanford graduating class. 

The Fast Ball

 

Nolan Ryan is considered by many to be the greatest pitcher of all time.  Batters braced themselves for almost twenty years when Ryan took the mound because they had no question what was coming – a blazing, 100 mph fastball right down the center of the strike zone.  Hall of Famer, Reggie Jackson, said of Ryan’s heater – “It disappeared half way to the plate.”

Nolan Ryan built an incredible career around one thing – something he was passionate about; something he did better than anything else.

Remember Eric Liddell – the famous Olympian who later became a missionary to China?  In Chariots of Fire Liddell explains to his sister that he must participate in the games because “…God made me for a purpose, for China…but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure…”

Each of us has a “fastball” – and when we “throw” it, we feel it’s what we were born to do.  Jim Collins calls it the “Hedgehog”:

http://www.jimcollins.com/lab/hedgehog/p2.html

Whether Fastball, Hedgehog, or something else – it’s the tool to a young man’s ability to hit his Home Run – and it’s up to us to help him find it.