In the Long Run with Jeff Bezos

measuringmeasures.com

27 points·jaf12duke··4 comments

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His princeton's speech is a personal favorite of mine. And specifically these following questions:

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?

Will you wilt under criticism, or will you follow your convictions?

Will you bluff it out when you're wrong, or will you apologize?

Will you guard your heart against rejection, or will you act when you fall in love?

Will you play it safe, or will you be a little bit swashbuckling?

When it's tough, will you give up, or will you be relentless?

Will you be a cynic, or will you be a builder?

Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?

My personal values match those of Bezos. I have also also lived by the regret minimization framework (although I never called it that).

I believe the only way to live is to live in the long term. Short term problems that trouble you at the present are exactly that, short term.

Could anybody recommend a good biography of his life?

There are a few books about Amazon itself which covers a lot about Bezos. I read one in 2001, which was called "Amazon.com - Get Big Fast" which was a fascinating read, but I think if you look on Amazon (!) and read the reviews there are a few out there worth reading

For those who want it in video format, here's Bezos on regret minimization http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwG_qR6XmDQ

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