This blog post was originally written for Red Square Agency on August 25, 2011. I came across it while looking through old files, and I think it still holds up.

Call me a wuss, but every time I watch this commercial, I am moved to tears. Seeing someone succeed when the odds were against them does that to me.

Steve Job's resignation this week has spurred an onslaught of reflection usually reserved for someone who has left this mortal life—not someone who just stepped down as CEO. But as so many have been quick to point out, Steve Jobs wasn't just CEO of Apple. He WAS Apple.

His leadership was unique in that it bridged the gap between the business side of the business and the creative side of the business. He inspired people, and he expected more out of them. And what he got in return was nothing short of greatness.

A self-proclaimed gadget freak, I am probably one of Apple's biggest fans. From the very first MacIntosh computer I touched in the summer of 1987 to my first generation iPod to my current iPhone, I love everything about them. I love the packaging, the user interface, the way the instruction booklet talks to me like I'm an old friend and above all else, the sheer beauty of the design.

I am currently enjoying my sixth computer, my fifth iPod, my second iPhone and hoping Santa brings me an iPad this December. And I pray that it doesn't stop there. If Steve Jobs orchestrated his succession plan as well as he built his empire, there will be many yet unnamed iGadgets in my future--that I didn't even know I needed but absolutely have to have.