Greetings!
Today we’re going to talk about some tips for how to live a Bold Life… And we’re going to have a little help from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who’s got some ideas on how to live a long and happy life.
In case you don’t know, Bezos founded Amazon, is a billionaire–currently he’s the second wealthiest person in the world–and he’s even been to space thanks to his spaceflight startup, Blue Origin.
The man has been places!
Bezos also has a pretty good idea of what it means to live a life full of happiness and without regrets, which he delved into when he gave a commencement speech at Princeton University in 2010.
What did he say?
During that speech, he laid out 12 questions to ask yourself when shaping the path you need to take to achieve that happiness. Not surprisingly, there’s a good bit of overlap between Bezos’ questions and the core principles of Project Bold Life.
Those 12 questions are:
- 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?
Can you guess where Bezos’ questions venture into the realm of Project Bold Life?
When Bezos poses the question, “Will inertia be your guide, or will you follow your passions?” he’s really asking if you will be Bold.
He touches on that Bold idea again with the question, “Will you play it safe, or will you be a little bit swashbuckling?”
Will you be Bold?
When Bezos asks, “When it’s tough, will you give up, or will you be relentless?” he’s touching on the concept of having a Fall Off the Horse Plan.
Do you have a Fall Off the Horse Plan that will help you get back on track to achieving your Bold Goals?
He even touches on the Seven Pillars of a Bold Life.
When Bezos asks, “Will you choose a life of ease, or a life of service and adventure?” he’s talking about the Pillars of Giving Back and Experiences.
His question, “Will you guard your heart against rejection, or will you act when you fall in love?” he’s talking about the Pillar of Relationships.
In his speech, Bezos zeroes in on the gifts and choices, stressing that “gifts are easy… Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.”
According to Bezos, the choices we make in life will be what we remember most–more so than the gifts.
Will you choose to pursue a Bold Life?
P.S. PROJECT BOLD LIFE: The Proven Formula to Take on Challenges and Achieve Happiness and Success is a complete system for planning your life to get what you want, and has been a top seller in three categories: “Motivational Growth & Spirituality”, “Personal Success & Spirituality” and “Management Skills”. I hope you check it out if you have not purchased a copy.