People don’t usually fail because of bad decisions, they fail because of the unquestioned assumptions behind those decisions. It’s not what we don’t know that causes failure, but rather what we believe to be true without ever examining.
This is where a mentor or even a thoughtful critic can play a vital role. They don’t solve your problems; they help you recognize the underlying patterns that cause them.
As the famous sufi poet Rumi wisely said, “When setting out on a journey, do not seek advice from those who have never left home.” In the age of social media, every Tom, Dick, and Harry is suddenly an “expert” often without having faced real challenges or achieved anything meaningful. That’s why it’s essential to seek guidance from those who have truly walked the path you’re about to take.
We all seek direction whether in business or life to validate our choices or to navigate through uncertainty. Personally, I’ve drawn inspiration mostly from books, being an avid reader, and from people who’ve relentlessly pursued their vision for years—like Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. His story isn’t just about business success, it’s a blueprint for living with purpose.
At the heart of Bezos’s philosophy is regret minimization. When he decided to leave a stable Wall Street career to start Amazon in 1994, he had no guarantees of success. But he asked himself a pivotal question:
“I wanted to project myself forward to age 80 and say, ‘OK, I’m looking back on my life. I want to minimize the number of regrets I have.’ I knew that when I was 80, I wouldn’t regret having tried this. I wouldn’t regret trying to participate in this thing called the internet, which I believed would be a huge deal. I knew that if I failed, I wouldn’t regret that. But the one thing I might regret is never having tried at all. I knew that would haunt me every day.”
This mindset reframes the concept of failure: In both business and life, failure is not the opposite of success; inaction is.
Bezos also emphasizes planning with purpose, not perfection. He acknowledges that no business plan survives first contact with reality.
“You know the business plan won’t survive its first encounter with reality. But the discipline of writing it forces you to think through the key issues.”
But the act of planning forces clarity—helping you examine assumptions, anticipate obstacles, and build mental resilience. It’s like rehearsing a play: you prepare not to follow a script perfectly, but to adapt when things change.
Inspired by John Doerr’s famous book Measure What Matters, I adopted the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) system to set short, medium, and long-term goals. This framework played a key role in helping me achieve financial freedom—aligned with the 4% Rule—as well as freedom of movement. Even when plans don’t go as expected, the habit of planning itself builds resilience and adaptability.
Then Bezos embodies a powerful duality:
“We are stubborn on vision. We are flexible on details.”
Amazon’s mission—to be “Earth’s most customer-centric company”—has remained unchanged. But how they achieve it constantly evolves. In life, this means holding fast to your values and long-term goals while remaining open to to adaptation. Progress is rarely linear; pivoting is an essential part of the journey.
Bezos credits much of his success to intellectual curiosity.
“People who love all fields of knowledge are the ones who can best spot the patterns that exist across nature.”
He believes those who explore diverse fields are best at spotting patterns and making breakthroughs. Innovation happens at the intersection of disciplines. Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a strategic advantage.
He also stresses quality over quantity in decision-making.
“As a senior executive, what do you really get paid to do? You get paid to make a small number of high-quality decisions.”
The most impactful leaders don’t make thousands of decisions—they make a few great ones. One great decision can change the course of a company. The same applies to our personal lives. Every day, we face choices: how to spend our time, what to prioritize. Bezos’s insight reminds us to conserve our decision-making energy for what truly matters—our values, relationships, and long-term goals. In both business and life, quality decisions compound over time.
Bezos challenges us with a counterintuitive question—one that I believe is the most important aspect when it comes to business survival.
“I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ And that is a very interesting question; it’s a very common one. I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two — because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time. …”
In a world obsessed with disruption and fleeting trends, Bezos teaches us to anchor ourselves in permanence. At Amazon, they invest in low prices, fast delivery, and a vast selection—because these core customer needs won’t change. These are the foundations upon which lasting innovation can be built.
As the founder of an ERP company and consulting firm, I’ve applied this same mindset. At one point, when we weren’t gaining traction, we considered pivoting into different industries. But we reminded ourselves: retail is here to stay. Inventory management won’t disappear. Accounting isn’t going anywhere. Every product and module we build is grounded in these enduring needs.
Similarly, in personal life, identifying your core values provides stability and harmony. When you know what won’t change, you can confidently invest your time, energy, and attention where it truly matters.
One of Amazon’s core principles is simple yet revolutionary:
“We’re not competitor-obsessed; we’re customer-obsessed. We start with what the customer needs—and work backward.”
This mindset drives innovation with purpose—like one-click ordering and Prime delivery. In life, empathy plays the same role: understanding others’ needs builds trust, meaning, and growth.
Jeff Bezos says :
“In the past, if you were making a product, the right business strategy was to put 70% of your attention, energy, and dollars into marketing the product and 30% into building a great product. So you could win with a mediocre product if you were a good enough marketer. And I think that is getting harder to do. The right way to respond to this if you’re a company is to say, “I’m going to put the vast majority of my energy, attention, and dollars into building a great product or service. And put a smaller amount into shouting about it (marketing). Because I know if I build a great product or service, my customers will tell each other.”
When it comes to Stress, Jeff Bezos offers a powerful insight, a game-changing strategy for stress management.
“Stress doesn’t come from hard work. It comes from not taking action on something you can control.”
As someone managing two companies while juggling multiple personal projects, I used to blame stress on the sheer volume of work. But over time, I realized that the real source was inaction in the face of problems I had the power to address.
The remedy? Take small, intentional actions.For example, write it down in your to-do list.I follow a simple personal strategy: “Move the ball out of your court.”When I’m overwhelmed, I use this to buy more time. Even if I can’t fix everything immediately, I can send a clarifying email, anticipate potential roadblocks, or delegate a task. Forward motion—even small steps—restores a sense of control.
Ultimately, Bezos reminds us:
“In the end, we are our choices.”
Every choice—to act, to risk, to learn, to care—shapes who we become. Success and fulfillment aren’t accidents. They are the cumulative result of conscious, value-aligned decisions.
faznotes.com 
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