The idea is simple:
People who take initiative
People who act with courage
People who take calculated risks
are more likely to succeed than those who hesitate.
The Story
Around 1967–1968, young Steve Jobs was building a frequency counter (an electronic device used to measure the frequency of signals) for a school project. He needed some spare electronic parts but did not have money to buy them.
So he did something bold.
He looked up the phone number of Bill Hewlett — the co-founder of Hewlett‑Packard — in the telephone directory and called him directly at home. 📞
Jobs later described it roughly like this:
“I was 12 years old and building a frequency counter. I called Bill Hewlett and said I needed some parts.”
Hewlett’s Reaction
Instead of ignoring the call, Bill Hewlett was impressed by the young boy’s curiosity and initiative. He:
Spoke with Jobs for about 20 minutes
Sent him the electronic parts he needed
Offered him a summer job at Hewlett-Packard
That summer job allowed Jobs to work with engineers and see real electronics manufacturing.
Why This Story Is Important
It illustrates several traits that defined Steve Jobs later:
Boldness – not afraid to contact top people
Curiosity about technology
Persistence in building things
Learning from real engineers early
This mindset eventually led him to co-found Apple Inc. with Steve Wozniak in 1976.
The Lesson
Jobs often summarized the lesson as:
“Most people never pick up the phone and ask. That’s what separates the people who do things from the people who just dream about them.”
Indian philosophy also expresses this idea:
“उद्यमेन हि सिद्ध्यन्ति कार्याणि”
(Success comes through effort and initiative.)In the Bhagavad Gita, action and courage (karma) are emphasized over fear and hesitation.
The deeper lesson
Opportunity rarely comes to the passive.
It often comes to those who step forward first.
A nice way to put it:
“The timid wait for opportunity.
The brave create it.”
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