This from the Web site officepirates.com (a fun little site I go to some times to waste time during the day).

Last year, Steve Jobs kicked ass at Stanford University, delivering a moving commencement speech that went far beyond the typically canned crap that turns up at these things as predictably as bad chicken dinners at a cheap wedding reception. We’d forgotten about it until an OP reader sent it to us yesterday with absolutely no explanation whatsoever (thanks, by the way). Below is a short excerpt. It may not be particularly funny, but it’s a very good thing to keep in mind this fine Thursday morning…

&uot;For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

&uot;Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure n these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.&uot;