The news that Steve Jobs died struck me very hard and I believe it’s because few business leaders have the ability to make deep, meaningful and personal connections with their customers. And he did it time and time again. He took computers out of the hands of hobbyists and put them in the hands of everyday people so they could change the world. He made computers fun, enjoyable and inspiring. He made it a joy to explore, share and consume music. He brought animation back to the movie and turned my simple cellphone into a powerful instrument for entertainment and business productivity. His iPad changed the very nature of computers and how we interact with electronics in our lives. And for a communications coach like myself, Steve Jobs taught me that a presentation can, indeed, inspire.

In my research on Steve Jobs I identified 7 principles that I believe were largely responsible for his success. Today I urge you to adopt these principles in your own lives and in your business so we can carry on his legacy and move the world forward with vision and optimism.

Principle One: Do what you love. Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Life is too short, he said, for living someone else’s dream. Don’t spend another minute doing something or working for someone who doesn’t inspire you to higher levels of achievement.

Principle Two: Put a dent in the universe. Steve Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then Pepsi President John Sculley, do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world? Don’t lose sight of the big vision.

Principle Three: Connect things. Steve Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He said the Macintosh was great because the people working on it were artists, poets, and historians who could also understand computers. Don’t live in a bubble. Hire outside of your industry. Hire for attitude and creativity.

Principle Four: Say no to 1,000 things. Steve Jobs said he was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. In apple’s world, simplicity is the elimination of clutter. Anything that clutters the user experience is eliminated. That’s why there’s only one button on the front of an iPad or why there is no built-in keyboard on an iPhone. Apple’s products are popular because they are simple, elegant and easy to use. It all started with Steve Jobs asking, “what can we remove?”

Principle Five: Create insanely different experiences. Steve Jobs created many product innovations, of course, but he also innovated around the customer service experience and I think it’s a part of his legacy that might not be fully appreciated. When Steve Jobs first came with the concept for the Apple Stores he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

Principle Six: Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world but if you can’t communicate your ideas, it doesn’t matter. Steve Jobs was the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation. Thank goodness YouTube has captured all of his presentations. Don’t give another presentation without watching Steve Jobs introduce the iPhone in 2007. You’ll never give a presentation the same way again.

Principle Seven: Sell dreams, not products. Steve Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. In 1997, when Apple was close to bankruptcy, Steve Jobs said he would reduce the number of products Apple sold to satisfy the needs of their core customers. At the time, he said, “some people think you’ve got to be crazy to buy a mac, but in that craziness we genius and those are the people we’re making tools for.” Your customers don’t care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Steve jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you’ll win them over.

There’s one story that I think sums up Steve Jobs’ career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. Steve’s advice? Dream bigger. I think that’s the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas. Because it’s those ideas that could potentially change the world. God, I’ll miss him.