The world has come to attention, if only for a bit, with the passing of Steve Jobs. Described as “Iconic”, he achieved things in his shortened life that might have taken much longer if left in the hands of those less gifted. His technological virtues have been extolled and certainly don’t need to be repeated here.

One abstract legacy that Steve Jobs leaves behind is his lifelong resilience; his capacity to bounce back in the face of adversity and to rise above his challenges.  He came from humble beginnings; he didn’t have enough money for room and board in college; he didn’t graduate; he left his business, he worked hard and productively for eight years while fighting an aggressive form of cancer; and, perhaps what many would consider the biggest challenge, that he was given up for adoption at birth.

Steve Jobs is an Icon of Resilience. He refused to conform to the confines and definitions of what society deems “normal” and consistently believed there were a multitude of creative ways to overcome challenges and get to a goal.  Because he wouldn’t be constrained by certain social norms and societal limitations; he was able to let his creativity flow and artistically find his resilience through every challenge he faced.

Here is what I take away from the sad loss of this great man: when you are looking to bounce back from life’s hard knocks, remember that there may be many more paths to resilience than you might conventionally notice. Don’t let yourself be limited by the constraints of social norms and dictates when you need to find a way to rise above your challenges. Be creative and search for answers in places that push you out of your comfort zone. When you are in adversity, think of Steve Job’s original challenge: he may have been displaced by his Mother; but he bounced back, connected to the world and flourished by thinking outside of the Motherboard.

RIP Steve Jobs.