Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, recently gave a graduation address at his alma mater, Princeton University. He made the case that our character is defined not by the gifts we’re born with, but by the choices we make as we move through life.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBmavNoChZc]
Each of us is endowed with a unique combination of natural gifts and talents. We are likewise each born with the capacity of choice. The question is, how will you use those gifts? What you have or have not done up until now is unimportant. What matters is what you will do with the rest of your life.
Bezos asked a number of important questions about the life you author:
1. How will you use your gifts? What choices will you make?
2. Will inertia be your guide or will you follow your passions?
3. Will you follow dogma or will you be original?
4. Will you choose a life of ease or a life of service and adventure?
5. Will you wilt under criticism or will you follow your convictions?
6. Will you bluff it out when you are wrong or will you apologize?
7. Will you guard your heart against rejection or will you act when you fall in love?
8. Will you play it safe or will you be a little bit swashbuckling?
9. When it’s tough, will you give up or will you be relentless?
10. Will you be a cynic or will you be a builder?
11. Will you be clever at the expense of others or will you be kind?
Life will present you with countless opportunities to make choices in the days to come. Will you choose life? Will you challenge yourself? Will you magnify the gifts given to you and to others through your choices?
Time will tell, but forewarned is forearmed.
Have an absolutely fantastic week!
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
Great way to start the week!
What an inspiration! Truly, I choose to follow my dream of being a talk show host. Not saying I have the right talent for the job, but my life experience and choices have truly taught me what I can and cannot do.
Thanks. Good luck to you!
nice thought… thanks
These are great questions and I look forward to considering each one. If I’m not satisfied with my answers, what a great starting point for change. Today’s opportunities begin now!
These are all great questions. Now I’m thinking about my life/choices too much! Great post.
http://www.denwrites.com
Thank you and sorry (well, not really). Have an excellent day while making a difference!
These are great questions to ponder!
http://www.wutevs.wordpress.com
I agree…catalysts for transformation!
Wow! This post is a fantastic way to start the week and it certainly makes me think about all of the people I interact with on a daily basis.
Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Cheers, Niconica
http://niconica.wordpress.com
Excellent. Sagely.
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Congratulations on making the freshly pressed list today. Love this post. Am looking forward to reading more of your work.
Your posts are always uplifting and great food for thought. Congrats on making the feshly pressed. Your blog needs to be shared with others!
congrats on being freshly pressed! this is a great post. thanks for sharing!
Wow the Freshly Pressed List,congratulations!
I started reading this for your thoughts on business but have to admit you’ve become my morning coffee read. Thanks, onward and upward!
Quite an honor to be promoted to freshly pressed and to be your morning read!
Reallly nice questions to think about!!Thanks for sharing
“4. Will you choose a life of ease or a life of service and adventure?”
I get his point, but how do service and adventure go together?
In my experience, when serving others is a central motivation I find myself taking adventures I never would have cooked up had I been motivated by self-concern. It’s an easy formula for an exciting life!
I agree with Gregg – I was a professional mountain guide for a number of years = adventure!, now i’m in the ‘service’ industry….the two quite naturally blend together into one that take me on adventures i’d never dreamed existed
go “freshly pressed” gregg – where ever you go – congrats!
Thank you, Brad!
Choice… one of the most important gifts to the human mind.
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I would have to agree with the CEO in that choice has a lot to do with the person we become.
With Love and Gratitude,
The Intentional Sage
#11 is my favorite. Being kind is often misperceived as passive and weak, but it is always the right way. Thanks for the list.
My pleasure. Sometimes the kindest thing to do is to say the hard things that others might not want to hear but need to hear. Kindness is definitely not weakness!
Congrats on being featured on Freshly Pressed! I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and really look forward to your daily posts – thanks for being so inspiring and consistent.
I hope I make the right choices. I’m not even sure what my gifts are; maybe I should sort that out first.
Great post, very though-provoking.
Great post, LOVED IT!
Thank you,
Angelica Wagner
Definitely some great points of emphasis. People need to start accepting their choices as who they are. Even the bad ones. If we try to deny accountability for our choices, we will soon find that we have none simply because our own mind refuses to see them.
Thanks Gregg – uplifting and inspiring as always!!
Great post. Loved it so much. Well written!
-Noor
http://noor724.wordpress.com/
Thank you very much!
6 solid months of genius daily posts – glad to see you are featured today on freshly pressed!!
Very kind of you. Thanks.
Thank you Gregg for sharing these excellent, inspirational words of great advice! They were words I needed to hear~ Namaste’
Interesting take! I really enjoyed reading it! Plus I picked up some blogging tips from my visit here.
Ed
Bezos is apparently a fan of The Alchemist. Thanks, Coelho.
;]
I haven’t read The Alchemist. Good read?
It’s written at about a 5th grade reading level, but it’s full of brilliance. It’s a quick read, so if you have a little bit of extra time to jump into it, I’d definitely recommend it. And judging from a few of your posts I’ve read, it’s right up your alley, discussing life’s journey and the choices you make along the way to finding your Personal Legend.
Great post! It’s good to see this blog catching on ! Congrats!
Awesome questions! I would also add that it is NEVER too late to get started on making the right choices in life.
Great point!
I LOVED THIS POST!!! The questions are both thought provoking and spot on! Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed! Thank you for sharing!
evelyngarone.com
Funny that this post showed up today …
I have another issue with Amazon right now, and it’s like facing Goliath, again.
I’d prefer an IRS conflict.
Good luck to you!
These are all questions to consider deeply, because the answers you come up with foreshadow the course of your life. I think there are two common threads in all of these questions: to care deeply about everything that you do, and to have a respect for others, which they deserve simply because they are a human being. Congrats on the freshly pressed status!
Love it, Gregg. Haven’t read your other stuff (yet, but I will start), but the choices we have in life are about the only thing on my mind these days. Thanks for your post. The below is a link to one of my favorite pieces about choices. It’s religious, so not sure where you stand on that front, but it’s beautifully written.
)
http://www.maxlucado.com/articles/excerpts/When_God_Whispers_Your_Name_Chapter_11
Be well!
A Fernweh Fool
This was an AMAZING post!!!! This really resonated with me, especially: “He made the case that our character is defined not by the gifts we’re born with, but by the choices we make as we move through life.”
Overall this was a great post and makes me think about what type of life I’m authoring!!
Mission accomplished! Thank you.
Excellent. We create our own reality by the choices we make. And we are the sole, uncontested authors of our lives.
Great thoughts!
Thank you!
I’ve been looking on the net for something similar like this. Good thing this doesn’t come off as cheesy or preachy. Thanks for the post.
Thank you…a delicate balance!
Really great thoughts – inspirational and thought provoking. Perfect way to start or finish a long Monday!
Thank you. Looking forward to your posts on your new blog!
Good question.I like this post
Thank!
http://www.sanukyogamat.com
Very interesting speech of the creator of amazon.com, leaving their mark on the independent teaching talents are gifts and opportunities, delivering life but not the same equal opportunity for all.
If he really lives his life that way, no wonder Amazon.com is doing so well.
so inspiring, nice post..
HI Greg, I like this post. May I share it with my friends on my facebook?
Absolutely!
Good article. Can inspire some young people today.
This is definitely a refresher! A lot of people should read this because it seems like people forget that there is a lot more than talent. It’s one thing having a talent and it’s another when you achieve something with it.
What a lovely post to start the week with! Thank you!
Thank you for this post! It’s always important to keep questioning yourself. I often walk down the street looking at strangers and wondering ‘what motivates these people’ … and then make fake backstories up.
Every thought or event that takes place in your life must be treated seperately – each is different – life is a challenge – do the best you can.
Be honest with yourself and others – be kind and considerate – relax and enjoy yourself with family and friends.
Have a look at http://neuo.wordpress.com
I choose…I choose….pizza!
Oh wait what was the question?
Nice post.
Too tired to choose anything but bed actually.
http://gmomj.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/great-a-family-wedding-or-welcome-to-fight-club/
Love this Gregg.
Can I put this on my blog and put your name as reference?
Regards,
Absolutely. I consider that a compliment. Thanks!
I have borrowed excerpts from Jeff Bezos’ address for my blog on quotations. Hope you dont mind. I’ll add your URL as reference.
No worries. It’s worth sharing!
Well written. Congrats on being fresh pressed.