Living By Design: The 11 Principles That Empower My Life & Business
Living By Design: The 11 Principles That Empower My Life & Business
Explore The Power Of Personal Principles To Stay On Top of Your Game
Welcome back, Hybrids!
Today, I am trying something different. I recently completed a month-long introspective exercise to develop personal principles for my life, family & business.
I highly recommend this exercise if you want to understand yourself better & create a more intentional foundation for your behaviors.
Let’s get into it.
(Today’s issue takes ~6 minutes to read)
Why do we do the things we do?
This question should have a simple answer, but as with anything in life, we humans can’t keep it simple.
But I wanted an answer, darn it!
To answer this question for myself, I spent the month of May working through Principles: Your Guided Journal (Create Your Own Principles to Get the Work and Life You Want) by Ray Dalio.
This exercise helped me in many ways, which I’ll share below.
But first…
What are Principles?
By Dalio’s definition, Principles are ways of dealing with reality to get what you want out of life.
There are two main reasons to create your own personal principles:
Carefully defining principles based on your experience allows you to believe in them deeply
Align with your principles so what you say and what you do are virtually identical
The benefits of writing your principles down:
You will think more deeply about them
You will think in a more principled way
Look down at yourself through a more objective lens
See cause/effect relationship
See important patterns you’ve never seen before
3. You will communicate better so others will understand you, and you will understand them better.
Goals of the Principles Guided Journal
Convert experiences into reflections about how reality works & principles for dealing with your realities well to get what you want out of life.
Write down principles so they can be referred to when analogous situations occur.
Learn & practice principled thinking.
This clarity allows me to be a better father, husband, hybrid professional, and real estate investor.
Without further adieu, here are my personal principles.
Principle #1:
Taking the long view is absolutely critical to let compounding work its magic.
Prioritize long-term success over instant gratification.
By allowing time for compounding, small efforts and investments can grow exponentially, leading to substantial results.
As James Clear stressed in his bestselling book Atomic Habits, a 1% improvement every day adds up to 37.78% over 1 year:
This holds true in many areas, such as investing, relationships & health.
But beware…compounding can also move in the other direction. Bad habits can lead to the deterioration of health, wealth & relationships.
Principle #2:
Willpower can work to get you through most situations in the short-term, but you’ll never be able to achieve long-term success without a strong why.
A compelling “why” is the fuel that keeps the engine of ambition running during tough times and drives consistent progress.
It’s the key to endurance and perseverance in any personal, professional, or financial pursuit.
Dig deeper with an exercise like The 5 Whys to pinpoint your true motivation.
Principle #3:
Focus on today. Dwelling on the past or fixating on the future distracts you from the moment that matters most: right now.
Embrace present-mindedness. The past serves as lessons, the future holds promise, but the present is where life unfolds.
By focusing on today, you can make the most out of your immediate circumstances, whether it’s engaging fully with your family or driving progress in your career and investment ventures.
This does NOT mean you can’t plan ahead or set goals.
But in practicality, it’s best to determine what actions you can take TODAY to make progress. After all, your actions are the only thing within your control.
Principle #4:
Let go of resentments. They will live rent-free in your head for as long as you let them. Find a way to forgive others & forgive yourself, or else inner peace will elude you.
There is no bigger drain on your mental health than a well-formed & long-held resentment.
Resentments cloud your mind and hinder personal growth, as they claim unearned space in your psyche.
This principle reinforces the need for mental decluttering and emotional release, promoting an open, serene mind essential for sustained success and happiness.
Principle #5:
Be Brave. Ask Questions. Curiosity & growth are directly correlated.
Engage with others by forming & asking great questions.
Don’t fear asking questions; they’re tools for understanding, connection, and collaborative progress.
Think of your favorite podcast hosts. Here are a few of mine:
Tim Ferriss (author of The 4-Hour Work Week & host of The Tim Ferriss Podcast)
David Greene (host of BiggerPockets Podcast)
Brian Luebben (host of The Action Academy Podcast)
Khe Hy (host of Rad Friends Podcast)
Clint Murphy (host of The Growth Guide Podcast)
One thing any great host has in common is the ability to ask great questions.
By doing so, they create engaging conversations and pull out the best stories & information from their guests.
Asking great questions is a superpower.
Principle #6:
Ego is the most destructive drug out there. Humility is the antidote. Be on the lookout any time you see your ego having an outsized impact on your behavior.
Every major problem I've created for myself in my life was a result of an unchecked ego.
Nobody is immune to their own ego. Self-awareness is the first step.
Focus on self-awareness through consistent introspection to mitigate ego-driven actions and promote humble, balanced behaviors.
Acknowledge your mistakes
Apologize when you do something hurtful
Be willing to consider someone else’s viewpoint
Recognize when you’re inflating your self-importance
We are all prone to thinking too highly of ourselves. Watch out for that!
Principle #7:
Altruism is the way. Actively seek opportunities to give back without seeking benefit in return.
One of my favorite movies ever is Pay It Forward. This movie is an excellent representation of the power of altruism.
In it, the main character (played by Haley Joel Osment) comes up with an idea for a school project where each person does one nice thing for 3 people.
The only thing they were allowed to do in return was pay it forward to 3 additional people.
This spiderweb of generosity goes on to become a nationwide movement.
Remember, the act of giving itself should be the reward, not the anticipation of reciprocation.
Principle #8:
Focus on doing the things that make you feel alive. You’ll know what those activities are without a shadow of a doubt when you do them.
Pursue a life of vitality by engaging in activities that truly awaken your spirit.
I have never regretted spending time doing any of the following:
Date nights with my wife
Getting a full night’s sleep
Writing down my thoughts
Taking my daughter to the park
Working on building our family business
Exercising and putting in time on my health
Having long conversations with an old friend
These are all things that make me feel alive and connected.
By prioritizing these activities, you align with your authentic self and lead a life that resonates with your innermost values and passions.
Principle #9:
If you’re asking yourself whether you’re prioritizing your family enough, you probably aren’t.
Your intuition often reveals the truth about your priorities.
If there’s a nagging question about whether you’re giving adequate time and energy to your family, it’s likely a sign that you need to reassess.
This is particularly hard if you’re driven and ambitious (which I’m guessing you are if you’re reading this).
I know I could make a lot more progress on building my business if I spent 4 more hours per day working on it.
But I’m not willing to take that time away from my family…
So instead of being bitter about that, I accept it and understand that the reward of being a present father & husband is far greater than the sacrifice.
Principle #10:
Stop trying to control outcomes. You can only control your actions.
Recognize that outcomes result from numerous factors, many beyond your grasp.
Concentrate on what you can directly influence:
Your choices
Your behaviors
Your attitudes
You’re fooling yourself (and wasting a lot of energy in the process) if you think you can actually control the world around you.
Whether you’re religious or not, the Serenity Prayer says it best:
Preserve that energy and redirect it towards being your best self in the ways you can control.
Principle #11:
Constantly assess if the way you spend your time is aligned with your values. You’ll know if it’s not.
Question yourself often about how you spend your time.
Are you burning the midnight oil when you could be spending time with your kids?
Are you neglecting your physical health to hit an arbitrary deadline you set for yourself?
Urgency is often an illusion we create for ourselves.
Be careful giving into it at the expense of things that are truly important like your health & family.
Conclusion
Creating foundational Principles is only the first step in living a principled life.
As with anything, they can change as you evolve through your experiences and circumstances.
My goal with stating these publicly is to hold myself accountable when my actions don’t align with these values.
If I consistently fail to live up to these, then I will ask two questions:
Are these truly my principles?
What needs to change for my actions to be consistent with my principles?
But I’ll never find that alignment if I don’t try it out…
One thing I know for sure…living a principled life will lead to better health, happiness, and success in all areas.
Do you consider developing personal principles to be important? Reply and let me know, I’d love to hear from you.
See you next week.
-Aaron
PS: Are you ready to take action in building your business, but unsure where to go next? Book a FREE 45-minute strategy call here to discuss your unique situation and create an action plan.