“Think different.”

This — as many of us know — is the long held motto of the technological colossus, Apple.

The passing of Steve Jobs has had a profound effect on all of us, and it is truly remarkable how sweeping of a response there has been to such a sad event. Looking through the social media and news feeds, it has been jam-packed with praise and commemoration. I would love to see the trending statistics of Twitter and Facebook, because I bet it would be awe-inspiring to see the sheer amount of discussion about the differences he has made in all of our lives.

To me, this is what the Steve Jobs difference means. He tried to make the world a better place by helping people unite with technology. His vision changed the world, quite literally. He has been compared to being the Henry Ford and Thomas Edison of our time, and I believe rightfully so. He took the world and made it his own, changing the way we all think, learn, grow and interact.

I remember the first computer I ever wanted was an Apple IIgs, even though I ended up with a Compaq PC.  We had them in my middle school, and I would always spend extra time messing around with them. Trying to figure out Apple BASIC as a kid was rather interesting, and it was one of the reasons that I eventually was lead into learning C/C++ and then on to web development.

My first multi-player gaming experience was playing Marathon on a PowerPC in 1994 when it first came out, which quickly lead into finding Doom, one of my most beloved game series of all time.

Going forward…

If there is one thing that I have taken from this event, it is a feeling of hope.

Out of such tragedy always comes hope. Perhaps it is because we have no choice but to move on. Perhaps it is the undying and enduring human spirit. Perhaps it is all the good left behind by that person still resonating through us all. Or perhaps it’s all of that, and more.

We can not let our lives stand idly by and do nothing. We all should learn from the Steve Jobs difference, and use this gift he has so selflessly given all of us for our own great visions. We must do what it takes to make this world a better place. I believe this is what Steve Jobs really wanted for all people.

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.

I, for one, will take heed to what this means to me. ZeroMethod is but an infant, and there are still many things to figure out, but this company from hereon will be focusing on trying to make this world a better and different place by helping people through the power and influence of technology. We do not expect to be as great as Steve Jobs or Apple, but we can always strive to one day be a company that makes a big difference.