This is Jeff Bezos’s favorite book. He rereads it every year—and he's been doing this for 25 years straight. Here are 7 lessons from "The Remains of the Day" that helped him build his $200B+ Amazon empire: In 1987, Bezos found "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro. The book follows Stevens, an English butler who sacrificed everything for "professional dignity." But in his final years, he realizes a devastating truth: • His dignity was a prison • He never lived for himself • His whole life was spent in fear This revelation shook Bezos to his core. At 30, he was the youngest Senior VP at D.E. Shaw: • Making $1M/year • On track to be partner • Living the Wall Street dream That's when Bezos noticed internet usage growing 2,300%/year. He faced a choice: 1. Stay in his golden handcuffs 2. Or risk everything on the internet The butler's story of regret haunted his decision. This led Bezos to create his famous "Regret Minimization Framework": When faced with a decision, imagine yourself at 80, looking back at life. Ask yourself, "Would you regret this decision?" This insight became the 7 principles that would transform Amazon: 1. Make decisions through the lens of your 80-year-old self. Most optimize for 2-3 years ahead. But Bezos optimized for 40 years out: • AWS took 10 years to profit • Prime was mocked for years • Kindle was called "Amazon's iPod of reading" 2. Professional dignity is a trap. Stevens wasted his life maintaining an image. But Bezos embraced being misunderstood by leaving Wall Street, ignoring quarterly profits, and reinvesting everything into growth. 3. Move with urgency and intensity. Stevens realized too late that time was his scarcest resource. This birthed Amazon's "Day 1" philosophy: • Make quick decisions • High-velocity experimentation • Never waste a day 4. Emotion drives the biggest breakthroughs. Stevens suppressed his emotions. But Bezos channels emotion into customer obsession, long-term thinking, and building trust. 5. The "safe path" is often the riskiest. Stevens never questioned his role as a butler. But Bezos questions everything: • Traditional retail • Book publishing • Cloud computing Growth happens outside your comfort zone. 6. Build a reflection system. Stevens only reflected at life's end. But Bezos built reflection into Amazon's DNA with silent reading in meetings, a December book rereading ritual, and 6-page memos, not PowerPoints. 7. Study timeless principles. Every December, Bezos rereads "The Remains of the Day" to remember: • Move fast • Think long-term • Embrace emotion • Question everything • Don't live with regret • Make time for reflection If you want to write stories like this for other people, then become a ghostwriter. Ghostwriting is how I made my first $10,000 on the internet. Here's a free, 5-day crash course to help you get started: https://lnkd.in/ep3kMFAA
Bezos' ability to think long-term is insane. Also, fun fact: His original name for Amazon was relentless(.)com - and that URL still redirects to Amazon.
Interesting insight into Jeff Bezos’s mindset and approach. The focus on: ☑️ Learning from timeless principles ☑️ Gaining new perspectives through repetition is truly valuable. Thanks for sharing this, Dickie!
3rd principle--> Once Urgency Mindset triggers "positive restlessness" in you then no one can stop from achieving unthinkable goals Dickie Bush 🚢
Beautiful Dickie ...great outcomes start with conviction and self belief. He had both!
Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Remains of the Day" also profoundly changed me decades ago when it was released. Like the butler, who was an immigrant, I was trapped in a life trying to fit in and be a model citizen in a slightly confusing new world. The book shocked me into embracing what's human about myself and others around me, and doing that changed my career and life trajectory. Yes, great writing can change the world. It did for me. Thank you for this reflection, Dickie Bush 🚢 !
Dickie Bush 🚢 building a reflection system and focusing on timeless values resonate deeply.
Such powerful lessons, Dickie Bush! I particularly resonate with 'The safe path is often the riskiest.' Bezos’ willingness to question traditional models and venture into uncharted territory is exactly what has driven Amazon’s revolutionary success.
Bezos' approach to thinking long-term is something I try to apply in my own decisions Dickie Bush
i love the idea of thinking long-term, even if it’s uncomfortable in the short term. 👏🏽
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2moI love this post and I completely agree with this statement 👉🏻 5. The "safe path" is often the riskiest.