Perfection comes at a high price. Steve Jobs learned this. Walt Disney learned this.

In fact, some of the most brilliant minds throughout history made enormous sacrifices to innovate products that would change the course of history.

And most died relatively early in their tumultuous, yet legendary creative careers.

According to Steve Jobs’ authorized biography by Walter Isaacson, the late co-founder of Apple Inc. was extremely, extremely emotional when things did not go his way.

However, his tearful episodes seemed to occur when he sensed he was losing control of the reins.

His tears were those of frustration – frustration that people could not envision what he could or that those around him would not push themselves to achieve absolute perfection in their design projects.

For Steve Jobs was the epitome of a control freak and, while driven by demons and, at times, a lack of personal identity, he felt that the only way to make a difference was to obsess over the finest of details.

Excellence, after all, is in the details and Steve Jobs was the personification of this very fact.

And, to that end, it did pay off. Apple became an overwhelming success because of his obsessive attention to detail combined with his magical thought process.

However, the price he paid was extremely high. His health faltered and often times became a nagging inconvenience in his life.

Apple became his focus and, because of this, he literally sacrificed his life so that we could become the joyous recipients of his creations and he, a legend to be remembered throughout time.

His authorized auto-biography by Walter Isaacson was a long but necessary read. At times, it was heart-wrenching. I became physically exhausted by mentally going through the paces that Steve Jobs set for himself.

Yet, to his absolute credit, he never forsake his family. Yes, there were some incidents when he was younger and more rebellious, but, in his heart, his family remained foremost in his mind. Especially in the final stages of his life.

Will we ever see another like him in our lifetime? Not likely. There is only one Steve Jobs.

But, I am hoping that his journey to create a technological empire against insurmountable odds will provide encouragement and inspiration to a new breed of developers.

As Steve Jobs himself said during his Stanford University speech, our time here is limited. Truer words were never spoken.

No one really knows or can fully appreciate the opportunities awaiting us, so it is important not to day-dream one’s life away.

As the song, featured below, goes, when times are tough, you must “pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again.”. I know – it’s a bit of a cheesy message but the words ring true.

And, during the rocky years, Steve Jobs certainly did not waste time feeling sorry for himself. He continued to move forward.

Were you inspired by Steve Jobs autobiography? Are you traveling his road or hope to do so? Drop by the comments section and share.