Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com needs very little, if any, introduction. Much has already been written about this giant of the online retailing world.
Numerous articles exist detailing his history, where he grew up, and how he made his meteoric rise to becoming one of the wealthiest people in the world.
In doing research on this titan of online trade, we discovered many different things that lead to his success. This post reveals the one thing we found to be most attributable to his success. In addition to this, the post will also reveal three powerful ways you can apply this attribute yourself…which will help you make massive headway in your business or life.
Continue reading to discover this key success attribute and to learn some tactics to help you go big like Bezos.
To GO BIG, THINK BIG… Think Like Jeff Bezos
It’s no surprise that the owner of the world’s largest online retailer is one of the richest people in the world. To reach such levels of success, you have to be a big thinker. To reach such levels of success you have to think bigger than the trends of the day.
This is exactly what Jeff Bezos has been doing since 1994. Jeff’s secret sauce, is his ability to THINK BIG.
Before Jeff Bezos started Amazon.com, he worked for an investment firm. Jeff was making 6 figures at the time, an income most would be happy to have. However, Jeff saw the potential that existed on the internet when he noticed how web usage at the time was growing by 2,300%.
If Jeff wasn’t thinking big, he never would have saw the possibilities that existed for him and the online marketplace. Even worse, if Jeff wasn’t thinking big, he may have never taken action to tap the potential of starting an online retail store.
Fortunately for us he did, otherwise, Amazon would not be around, and holiday shopping would be way more taxing than it already is.
Thinking Big is ingrained into everything Jeff Bezos does. When Amazon.com first started off it was just an online book retailer, but Jeff saw the potential for growth, and expanded his online offering to more than just books.
Needless to say, the company now sells just about everything under the sun, and is the largest online retailer in the world.
3 WAYS TO START THINKING LIKE JEFF BEZOS
Similarly, Jeff’s big thinking has got him owning one of the oldest news publications in America, ‘The Washington Post’, and running ‘Blue Origin’, the aerospace company pursuing services that will allow people to access space through their commercial spaceflight services. Talk about out of this world BIG thinking.
To help you go big like Bezos, here are 3 simple strategies to get you started on thinking bigger.
1. Measure Your True Size
The first strategy to pump up your thinking levels, is to measure your true size. To do this, all you need to do is simply make a list of your top four or five key assets or personal qualities you deem as strengths.
If you need help acquiring your list, find a person who is honest, knows you well, and can be objective in helping you determine what your top four or five strengths are.
Under each strength you came up with for yourself, list the names of two or three people you know who have achieved a high level of success, but who do not possess the strength/assets you have at the same level as you do.
In most cases, you will find that you have strengths and key assets that are well above some of the most successful people. The end result of this strategy is discovering that you are much bigger than you think yourself to be. And people who think they are big, think bigger.
2. Shift Your Vocabulary
Another powerful strategy to strengthen your mind muscles and force yourself to think bigger like Jeff Bezos, is to shift your vocabulary.
Many people don’t realize the power that words have on how they think. In addition to this, many people aren’t even aware that the words they use reflect the limitations of their thinking.
A person who always uses defeatist phrases like, “I doubt it..…”, or “yeah, but……”, “I just don’t have time for this…”, “I could never….”, or “There’s no way I could do that….”, are capping their possibilities.
People who use these types of phrases showcase their lack of belief from the get go. People who use these phrases often, have created a habit of limited thinking.
On the other hand, people who use phrases such as “It will work…”, “Why not?”, “Sky’s the limit….”, ”What if….”, “Imagine if….”, showcase their bias for possibility thinking. The same can be said for people who say things in a cheerful way.
If you ever get the chance to pay close attention to what high achievers say while conversing with others, you would notice that they do not use words or phrases that lend themselves to limitation. Nor do they use negative words that create a feeling of defeat.
Therefore, if you want to strengthen your ability to think bigger, start by making a conscious decision to shift your limiting vocabulary into a more positive and unlimited one.
Related: Positive Thinking
3. Stretch Your Mind
One of the most powerful strategies to help you think like Jeff Bezos is to actually practice stretching your mind. Just like the body needs a good warm up before a strenuous exercise, so too does the mind benefit from a good mental warm up.
Here are two excellent ways to stretch the mind.
Exercise 1:
The first way, is to try and see things not as they are, but as they can be. To do this, you simply need to visualize.
For example, if you want to live in a bigger more expensive house in a highly desirable neighborhood. Force yourself to see or visualize in your mind, you living in that home or neighborhood that you most want to be in. Then visualize what needs to take place to make such a thing a reality (getting a raise, saving x amount of money for down payment etc..).
We’ve practiced this on multiple occasions, and it has worked every time.
Another example, is if you wish to be a CEO of Rockstar Corp someday, visualize yourself being one and acquiring all the qualities that being such a leader would entail. Then use action to bridge the gap between that future you and where you are now.
Or, you can just go big like Bezos, and imagine yourself becoming the CEO of the world’s largest online retailing company. Why not? Competition is good!
Exercise 2:
Another great method for stretching your mind is to actually practicing coming up with ideas. When you force yourself to think up all kinds of crazy ideas for how you can solve a problem, or for how to succeed at something, you will grow your mind’s capacity for making it happen.
This is a powerful method that we just started using ourselves which we borrowed from James Altucher, and it works! James suggests we write down at least 10 ideas each morning in a journal or notebook. He recommends doing this as a habit as it will help to develop confidence and creativity on demand. The key is consistency, because practice is important.
Bonus Way to Think Like Bezos
Okay, here’s one last method to help you begin thinking bigger like good ole Jeff Bezos, and that is, to study the success stories of people who have achieved massive success.
It sounds simple, but it is a very effective way to begin thinking bigger. And if you truly want to think like Jeff Bezos, it will do you good to study him and his accomplishments in depth.
By learning more about how other high achievers grew their wealth or accomplished their dreams, you’ll grow your ability to see what’s possible for you.
Final Thoughts
One of the best things that you can start doing in your life right now to improve it, is to start thinking bigger like Jeff Bezos. If you’re not looking up, dreaming big, and seeking a grander mode of being, then the chances of achieving a bigger and better life are slim to none.
All success and achievement starts with thinking, and all BIG achievements start with expanding your mind to consider all that is possible for you. The three strategies mentioned above are good starting point to help you begin the practice of thinking big.
If you liked these exercises, but want something more to help you power shift into some real deal big thinking, then you’ll love this resource to help you supersize your thinking….
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With that said, be sure to THINK BIG till you reach your aims, but most importantly….
STRIVE
P.S. – If you enjoyed this page, and you want to know more about Jeff Bezos, then you’ll likely enjoy this inspiring Jeff Bezos Success Story.
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