Starting Principles

Happy Friday Friends,

We’re at the tail-end of this year. This will be the second-last post for 2021, I think. It’s possible it may be the last if next week kicks my ass.

I’ve wanted to talk about this topic since I wrote my first newsletter but I’ve put it off. Not because it’s not important. More so because I’ve had other, top of mind topics that have gotten in the way of fleshing this one out for you.

Most of you know it has been a challenging year for me. It was the primary driver for starting this newsletter. There are a bunch of strategies I’ve used to cope throughout the year. I feel I've come out a better, more balanced human. I have discussed some of the strategies each week in this newsletter.

One topic I haven’t spoken about yet is Starting Principles.

I didn’t coin this term, I learned it from another writer I follow, Julien Shapiro.

The premise is this. Most of us will read some inspiring quotes or receive wise advice from a mentor. We see hundreds of inspirational messages on our Instagram feeds. Who doesn’t love an inspiring quote laid beside a serine lake or cute puppy?

First off, I would bet 1 Bitcoin that most of you never write them down, even when they resonate with you.

Second, you’re seeing so many of them they end up becoming noise.

Third, if you ponder them for more than a moment, you don’t use any and act on the inspiration.

But, what we can do is choose a few that resonate with us. Only a handful, don't be greedy and overcomplicate things. And, they only need to resonate with you for a short period of time. They're not a lifelong commitment so don't worry about choosing the "wrong" one. You should review them and they should be transient. As you grow and learn so your principles will change accordingly.

I ran through this exercise and I’ve had my principles pinned to my desktop for the past 6-months. When I’m not sure about decisions or situations I go back and look at them. The key part is that these bits of advice need to be principle-led.

That means the advice will help you behave or think strategically across domains. They are transferable to many different life scenarios. They should be high level enough you can make other decisions with them. You know your principles are right for you when they change your behaviour in a meaningful way. The more you use a principle, the higher the value. And, when you stop using a principle it means it’s time to swap it out for a new one.

Below are the six principles I’ve been working with for 2021. They are in no particular order.

“What would this look like if it were easy?” Tim Ferris

Being product and operations minded means this principle resonates a lot with me. I’ve used it for years without knowing it. And, now that I have the exact wording, I use it on an almost weekly basis. This short sentence is so powerful and not only in a fast-paced startup environment. We tend to overcomplicate a lot of things in our lives. Even a simple decision like organising a dinner with a group of friends can become a week-long, 5,000 word, WhatsApp chat. What a waste of time and energy. So I ask myself, what would simple look like? In this example, simple could be sending 2 options for restaurants and then everyone votes on those. The decision then happens in a couple of hours with hardly any decision fatigue.

We should strive to simplify our lives not add more complexity.

“Play long-term games with long-term people.” Naval Ravikant

What this means to me is being deliberate and conscious of who I choose to spend my time with. It may sound aloof or even a little harsh. Out of all my principles, this is one that gets the most push-back. My wife hates it.

We don’t have endless hours available to us. Why would you waste any of that time on people who don’t add value to your life? It’s not an easy concept to get your head around but give it some thought. How many people in your life, including those you choose to work with add value for you? How often have you made plans to see a group of people and on the day you secretly wish for an excuse to not go?

Make a conscious decision to give away this irreplaceable asset to only the people who will value it the most. This applies everywhere in your life.

“Luck is a function of surface area.” Julien Shapiro

When good things happen to you or other people, a common response is “oh they’re so lucky.” A business that becomes a unicorn, is referred to as “overnight success.” No one talks about the 10+ years of grind before the press got wind of their success.

I used to believe in luck. I don’t any more!

You create your luck. Increasing the number of new people you meet. Put in hours of effort and focus on anything. And, your “luck” will naturally improve. Let’s say you want to get better at surfing. You don’t wake up on a random day and hope for a bit of luck that you’ll be able to surf today. You need to put in hours of practice and, you get smashed by more waves than you can count. Then, and only then will you get better at surfing.

This one was at the top of my list while I was looking for new opportunities. I set myself a goal of meeting two new people every single week. That goal compounded over the months until I met the right people with the right opportunity. I increased my surface area. And, all of a sudden I got lucky.

“Prioritise what compounds” Naval Ravikant

I’ve discussed compounding before. Compounding is one of the most powerful principles on this planet. If you only had to choose one principle to try first, let it be this one. It can and should apply to every, a single area of your life.

Compounding is most common with investing. Put your money into a few investments, leave it there for a few years and watch how it grows exponentially. Every year you’re making interest upon interest. It’s like magic. That is compounding.

Take this simple principle and apply it to relationships, friendships, hobbies, a business. The more time you put in, over time you will see incredible results.

Steph Curry is, as of this week, the all-time best three-point shooter in NBA history. In his professional career, he has shot 2,974 three-pointers. He did not start practising yesterday. It didn’t take him one season to hit those numbers. His experience, practice and dedication over years compounded to make him the best.

“To suffer before it is necessary is to suffer more than necessary.” Seneca

I bet you were thinking, he hasn’t dropped any Stoicism yet - weird. Well, here it is and it’s a cracker. Stop here and read the line by Seneca a couple more times. Let it sink in a little. We are all culprits of doing this.

Often the fear of what will happen is far worse than the real situation when it happens. Your mind is not your friend! We have wild imaginations. Which, was great in high school for creative writing. Not so great when you have to adult in real life and deal with some scary shit.

The point here is to try and be calm. If you are anxious about an upcoming meeting or appointment with a doctor, don’t think too much about it. Running through every possible outcome in your head will not change the real outcome. All that happens is you make yourself suffer before any suffering is necessary. And, as Seneca says, if you do end up suffering in the situation then all you’ve done is add to it.

“Inspiration is perishable. Act on it immediately” Naval Ravikant

When was the last time you watched a documentary that inspired you? Or, read a great article about a sport you do? You’re revved up and excited. You tell yourself, “tomorrow I’m going back to the driving range!” Or "I'm going to start running again tomorrow." Then, you wake up a few days later, you haven’t swung the club or put on your running shoes. Now the inspiration has vanished.

The ironic thing is that this last principle is what drives me to take action on the rest of them. When I read a quote or piece of knowledge that inspires me, I instantly start writing about it. Or, I make sure I get out and take action. Again, this is not easy and takes a mental shift. But, once you start taking action your life will change.

Here are the basic guidelines to choose your guidelines and get started.

1. Write down your 6 principles in your diary or sticky note.

2. Look at them every morning for a month until they're memorised.

3. Practice them until they become reflexive

4. Over time, collect more advice and iterate on your 6.

As we meet people, go on adventures and learn new skills we add to our life experience. When we are strategic and conscious about the decisions we make we can influence who we become. The best time to start making conscious choices and using principles was five years ago. The next best time is now.

Peace, love and muscles.

Book I’m Reading This WeekThe Sandman: Act III am a massive Neil Gaiman fan. His books are like adult fairy tales and, the underlying messages are incredible. I am listening to this on Audible because Neil narrates it and it’s a whole production. Your first audiobook on Audible is free, try this one.

Podcast I’m In The Middle OfJoe Rogan Episode #1748 - BeepleYou probably don’t know Beeple. He is, for now at least, the most famous NFT artist on the planet. He created a series called Everydays. Which, was 5,000 consecutive days of digital artist creations all put together to make one larger one. This artwork was sold at a Christie’s auction for $69,400,000.

A Bit of Stoicism”Everything hangs on ones thinking… A man is as unhappy as he has convinced himself he is.” Seneca

A Bit of Beauty