Jeff Bezos: Gifts vs Choices
“We’ve had three big ideas at Amazon that we’ve stuck with for 18 years, and they’re the reason we’re successful: Put the customer first. Invent. And be patient.” This quote from, Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos is a very concise, very relevant business concept. There is a lot you can learn from this extremely innovative man.
At Princeton University, Jeff Bezos spoke about his early life. Recalling an incident, he shared what he learned from it. “What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift. Kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy — they’re given, after all.
Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful. And if you do, it will probably be to the detriment of your choices. This is a group with many gifts. I am sure one of your gifts is the gift of a smart and capable brain. I am confident that’s the case, because admission is competitive, and if there weren’t some signs that you’re clever, the Dean of admissions wouldn’t have let you in.”
He added, “Tomorrow, in a very real sense, your life, the life you author from scratch, on your own, begins. How will you use your gifts? What choices will you make? Will inertia be your guide or will you follow your passions? Will you follow dogma or will you be original? Will you choose a life of ease or a life of service and adventure?
I will hazard a prediction. When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story.
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/WoNAAPn4PRA
- https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-positive/jeff-bezos-speech-7066198/
- https://susanershler.com/jeff-bezos-gifts-vs-choices/
- https://www.storemypic.com/image/sWf1
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