Greatness is Not a Product of Convenience, the Story of Apple Co-founder who Sold his Shares for $800

A wise man once said “the future only belongs to those who have the ability to foresee it and sacrifice the pleasures of the present in order to gain it” Ronald Wayne, the co-founder of Apple. This man co-founded Apple Computers (now Apple Inc.) with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. He drew the first Apple […]

Posted by: Nicky Verd Comments: 0

A wise man once said “the future only belongs to those who have the ability to foresee it and sacrifice the pleasures of the present in order to gain it”

Ronald Wayne, the co-founder of Apple. This man co-founded Apple Computers (now Apple Inc.) with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. He drew the first Apple logo, drafted the first original agreement between the founders and wrote the first manual for their first computer.

He held a 10% share in the company but soon decided to relinquish it for $800 and was given additional $1500 to forfeit all right of ownership two weeks after the company was officially registered in 1976. Wayne had his name taken off the contract and sold his shares back to his co-founders for $800, worried he was at risk. Nobody could have anticipated how big Apple would become.

His reason for that decision was that the company was financially demanding. Owning a tenth of Apple today would net him $100 billion. But Ron Wayne sold that same share for just $800. That would have made him the richest or second richest man on earth. But the total value of what Ronald Wayne collected in 1976 stands at $ 9,498 as of 2017. The first Apple product he ever owned was iPad 2 given to him in 2011.

Ronald Wayne said it was demanding on him financially. Are you letting something of value slip through your fingers because its demanding on your finances, time, emotions, etc?  If only Ronald Wayne had the ability to see into the future, his decision of 1976 would have been so different. Ronald Wayne is the man who won the lottery but lost the ticket. He lost out on $100 billion.

“Are you ready to sacrifice who you are, for what you will become?” Eric Thomas

Are you struggling to look past your present circumstances? You cannot feature in a future that you cannot picture. There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made.  Everything of lasting value is highly demanding. Greatness is not a product of convenience. The greatness of tomorrow begins with the sacrifices of today.

If you need to live in a one room apartment today to own an estate tomorrow, Pls so!
If you need to walk and take taxis today in order to own a Rolls Royce tomorrow; Pls do!
If you need to buy cheap and used clothes today to own a boutique tomorrow; Pls do!

If you need to hustle on street corners, sale stuff, do network marketing, etc, for a future only you can see; Pls do!!

The pain of knowing you had the opportunity at your fingertips to change the course of your life is the greatest pain of regret any human can ever live with.

Today Ronald Wayne in his right might have said to be financially OK at $300,000 but hearing the news that the company he cofounded is the first company to hit the trillion dollars mark will send shock waves thoughts to his mind. And his children? Mmmhhh, had our Dad……. if only our Dad…etc

Your mistakes, convenience, and comfort will definitely hurt the next generation. What legacy are you keeping for your children? If you choose caution, fear, comfort and convenience over financial risk and freedom, then that’s what your children will inherit.   Only God knows the full weight of the pain Ronald Wayne’s children feels knowing what could’ve been if their Dad didn’t choose convenience over risk.

Learn from Ronald Wayne’s mistake and be different.
Where you see a future don’t fail to invest
Where you see a future don’t fail to sacrifice
Where you see a future don’t fail to endure.
Where you see a future don’t fail to persist
Where you see a future don’t fail to believe.

Where you see a future don’t fail to risk it all to get there.
The future truly belongs to those who can foresee it and do whatever it takes to get there. Don’t ever forget that greatness is not a product of convenience.” It takes sacrifice, sweat, tears and a little bit of insanity.

“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for”

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *