I wanted to wait a few days after the passing of Steve Jobs before posting anything more than what I wrote for Billboard (most of which by the way was written prior to his death, the way pretty much all obits of famous people are. It’s a crass reality of journalism).

Because when someone of the stature of Steve Jobs passes away, there’s going to be an inevitable period of reminiscing on his life and legacy. But I also feel it’s a time to reflect on our own lives, career and accomplishments; not to see where we measure up, as the vast majority of us certainly will fall woefully short of his standard. But rather to be inspired by the example someone like a Steve Jobs sets for us all.

While I’ve covered his company and products closely over the years, I never actually met the man. Yet a few stories stand out for me that illustrate this point. My first real insight into him came when I first began covering the digital music space. Prior to this I never really gave Jobs or Apple much though. I’d owned an Apple IIe when I was a kid, but mostly owned and used Windows-based devices most my life. I had an iPod and used iTunes to buy music, but I was nowhere near a fanboy. Jobs was to me just another company CEO at the time.

He first landed on my radar when he criticized the security of Napster to the press, disparaging the subscription service rival as a way to prop up iTunes further.

I remember reacting very negatively to that. “How petty,” I thought, particularly knowing how shaky Apple’s Fairplay protection technology was. But Jobs knew how a few mere words could reverberate throughout the press, and this case was no different. It had a lasting impression on me and my subsequent coverage of Apple. I decided then I was not going to be sucked into the Apple “reality distortion field” and be yet another press lemming to carry water for Apple and Jobs’ message.

In the years that followed, I kept that chip on my shoulder, and had a few run-ins with Apple PR as a result. I even tried to keep a neutral position when the iPhone was introduced. But there was no denying the impact it had on the market. I developed a grudging respect for Jobs’ pitching skills as well as the products he introduced.

The next one came much later, just a few months ago, when a friend of mine who used to work for Toyota told me an interesting story. Steve apparently was a big Prius man. He not only owned one for himself, but bought several for his family, household staff, etc. And Steve being Steve, he had an answer for how to make the Prius an even better product. Apparently he wanted to adjust the cruise control to a speed that would optimally allow the hybrid vehicle to maximize the battery over consuming fuel. (Why he didn’t just buy a fully electric car rather than an electric/fuel hybrid is another question).

My buddy told me how he would call up the product manager for the Prius line, totally out of the blue, and give him notes on his suggested improvements to fix this perceived fault. Now he’s not calling the head of Toyota North America here or some other high-level exec accustomed to dealing with the likes of Steve Jobs. This was a relatively lower-level footsoldier who never talks to any customers, let alone Steve Freaking Jobs.

My interpretation of this was that Steve was passionate about products he believed in, not just his own, and also was a dedicated problem solver. But more importantly, he was someone who totally lacked in pretension. Think about most of the CESs you’ve encountered in your day. They surround themselves with the trappings of power, exclusivity and rank. Few would lower themselves to call a lower-ranking employee at another firm to problem-solve an issue. They’d insist on speaking to a “peer” and would direct their “people” to arrange otherwise. Not Jobs. He didn’t care about rank, or image or any of that. He cared about solving the problem. And that’s something to be respected.

Finally, there’s the highly-embedded YouTube video of Steve’s Stanford commencement address. I’d never actually watched it until the day before he died. I had just left Billboard to start my own consulting business—like literally three days in—and was a little freaked out. For some reason, I decided to finally watch that speech of which I’d seen links to for some time. It really is a remarkable message.

Much of it I already subscribed to. I’ve always shared his view of life, and knowing that someday you’re going to die, so live the best life you can.

It’s why I insist on living in Denver, despite the challenges  doing so places on my career (particularly that of a digital media consultant/reporter). It’s why I left Billboard to try doing something on my own, because I believe I have more to offer than what Billboard was allowing me to do. I followed my gut and went for it. I’ve also been fired, and been through the dark period that follows. I watched Job’s speech not as a grad about to go into the world, but rather as someone in mid-career evaluating the choices I’ve made so far and the plans I have for the future. It was refreshingly reaffirming.

And the next day, he died.

I basically have the career I do today because of the industry Steve Jobs created. And as much as I wanted to keep that cynical reporter chip on my shoulder when assessing Steve’s impact on this industry, I have to admit feeling a sense of loss and regret.

I was never a fanboy. But I have to admit that I was a fan. For as much as I may have disliked certain trees in the Steve Jobs forest, the overall view is a thing of beauty… on that should be respected, remembered and preserved.