Having principles is important. Your underlying principles reflect what your core values are for your life. Getting them on paper can help show you direction. They will also help you be a better person. After reading Principles by Ray Dalio I began thinking to write mine down. Even with the delay in writing them the concept stuck with me. Below are some principles for my life I strive for. I am not perfect but they help give me guidance.
- Spend less than you make. – My Dad established this in me when I was young. Saving at least 10% of your paycheck was also amplified by the Richest Man in Babylon. When you frame the saving money as “this money is for me,.” It makes it much easier to do. Also, your net worth shows if you were a net producer in your life versus a consumer. You don’t want to be cheap, but you want to be smart. Even if you save 50 dollars a month, you are spending less than you make. One Word: Frugality.
- Be a Man of Integrity, even when it isn’t pleasant or comfortable – Being more honest and open is more difficult than we think. How often do we go along with something because it’s the path of least resistance? How often do we communicate our true feelings or be vulnerable? For example, how often does one of our friends are in a bad relationship or doing some destructive behavior? Then we don’t tell them what we really think. It would be better for everyone if we told them! A book that helped me with this principle is No More Mr. Nice Guy I have a lot of difficulty with this principle. We all put on masks. The closer we can be to our true selves in different situations, the better it is for everyone (Unless you’re a Narcissist!) One Word: Integrity.
- Be a Lifelong Learner – You never know everything and can always learn more. One of my favorite quotes related to this is, “It ain’t what you know that gets you into trouble; it’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” We are fortunate to be in the information age. When you realize you don’t know everything, there is endless content. If you read just 5 minutes daily, you are already ahead of the average person. This principle comes naturally to me. I always love podcasting or reading a new book. Sometimes something that escapes us is using the knowledge we learn. We can learn so much but not use the content. Even though we don’t use everything we read or hear, it still helps influence our subconscious mind and helps us improve. One Word: Learning.
- Be open to new experiences – You want to push yourself outside your comfort zone. Going to new places, meeting new people, and doing a new class are what help you grow. If you feel a bit discomfort trying something, you probably should be doing it. In the Luck Factor, one trait exhibited by lucky people is that they are always doing different things. They typically are meeting a lot of people, just in large numbers, and they can come into an unexpected experience. You never know when you are experiencing something new if it will help with any new creative calling. You can also learn about yourself. One Word: Openness.
- Be grateful for what you have – No matter where you are, you should be thankful for what you have. This is a common theme among many stoic philosophies of happiness studies. In the book 59 Seconds, one of the easiest ways to make yourself feel happier is to be grateful for what you have. When you realize how much you are blessed, You realize it could always be worse. Reality checking that it could always be worse. Even the worst isn’t so bad. Taking stock of what you have can help keep you grounded so you aren’t on the perpetually hedonic treadmill. Always look for the next thing or what your neighbors have that you don’t. One Word: Thankfulness.
- Treat others with respect – When you put kindness out in the world, it returns in folds. You don’t want to be a dick to people. If you disagree, you can respond kindly. It isn’t a black-and-white trait. A favorite quote related is “Character how you treat others who can do nothing for you.” An area with this principle I struggle with is gossip. You shouldn’t talk about people behind their backs. I try to recognize when I am doing this and note it. I try to find the root cause of why I am doing this and then move on. One Word: Respect.
- Only compare yourself to who you were yesterday – There will always be someone richer, better looking, more kids, fewer kids, etc. This rule originates from 12 Rules for Life. Jordan Peterson states paraphrased, “It’s naive to think you know someone’s story. You don’t know what they do or trouble at home life.” When you are comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, that is a fight you can win. You want to try to improve every day. Learn a new skill, random act of kindness, etc. The only person you should judge against is yourself. Daily improvement will surprise you how far you can come in 5 years. One Word: Self-Improvement
- Life is fun and an adventure – Life is exciting and an adventure. If you take it super seriously, you can look back and realize you didn’t enjoy the ride. It is a journey, and understanding it’s about the process will help you move through the tough times. The Alchemist influenced me a lot with this principle. A strategy I use is looking for the humor. I love comedies. Looking for humor can help make life less serious. One Word: Adventure.
- You need to think for yourself for what is true – Being an independent thinker is essential. It is easy to get into the mob mentality. Ray Dalio stresses this principle for himself. I try to emulate that portion. It can be easy to hero-worship a person or company. Always think after someone says anything, “What merit does this person have that would make it true.” Any organization or person that doesn’t want any questioning of their position should already be up for suspicion. Being mindful of your biases can help mitigate you lying to yourself. One Word: Freethinker.
- Be comfortable in your own skin – Being true to who you are is always important. I have had difficulty with this principle. I frequently would wear different masks around different people, especially women. The thing is, people can tell when you are something you aren’t. If someone doesn’t like you for who you are, aren’t you better off not having them as a friend? You have to use reason with it. Just because you like to smoke weed and play guitar, but you have a corporate job. You probably are better off not advertising that portion of yourself or finding another job that goes with that identity. One Word: Self.
- Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live – This is a Jim Rohn quote. I love it as my fitness portion. There are two dimensions, what you eat vs. working out. The mind is linked to the body, so if you eat crap, you will feel like crap. You don’t have to be a saint, but being aware of what you eating is essential. The fitness portion could be anything, whether its as simple to walking during lunch at work, taking the stairs, etc. Doing anything counts. Setting the bar low to make a new habit is a common theme in Atomic Habits. Even if you put on your workout clothes and go to the gym, that counts; Sooner or later, you will begin to crave it. One Word: Health.