”I’ve been reminding people that it’s day one for a couple of decades”
There is no need to introduce Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.
The „Day 1“ mentality means a lot to Bezos and sums up his business philosophy to a great extent. First mentioned in a 1997 shareholder letter, the concept slowly developed into a mantra that he carries everywhere, so much so that he names his office building „Day 1,“ a name that follows him wherever he moves.
To Bezos, being in Day 1 means two things: staying highly innovative by making high-velocity, high-quality decisions and refusing to cling to proxies. At any beginning, we make big decisions, we innovate, and we let our creative selves draw the path we will follow. Bezos says it is critical to stay in that state because what follows Day 1 is Day 2, which is stasis. If your Day 1 was done right, you can remain in stasis for decades, but eventually, time will pass and you will find yourself in Day 3, the beginning of the decline. Before you know it, what you built is dead.
Another aspect of being in Day 1 is ignoring proxies. In Day 1, you only focus on the goal, your „North Star.“ The path is visible and your mind is clear. In Day 2, however, you slowly start forgetting your original goals and begin clinging to proxies instead. It’s easier, provides a sense of safety, and feels more rewarding in the short term. You tell yourself that if you move toward the proxy, you are on your way to the end goal. In many cases, however, you are actually moving away. The proxy blinds you, a cloud that hides your North Star until you eventually forget it exists.
How can you apply this to your daily life, you may ask? I believe you can’t. These thoughts are intended for high-level executive and CEO positions. Not every good-sounding insight is universally applicable. One must know what to take and what to leave behind.