Principles are ways of successfully dealing with reality to get what you want out of life.
Ray Dalio, one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs, cites principles as his key to success.
In 1975, Ray Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Over forty years later, Bridgewater has grown into the largest hedge fund in the world and the fifth most important private company in the United States (according to Fortune magazine), and Dalio himself has been named to TIME’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Along the way Dalio discovered unique principles that have led to his and Bridgewater’s unique success. It is these principles, and not anything special about Dalio, that he believes are the reason behind whatever success he has had. He is now at a stage in his life that he wants to pass these principles along to others for them to judge for themselves and to do whatever they want with them.
Life Principle
Think about what you want out of life and make your work a path to getting it.
The quality of your life ultimately depends on quality of your decisions, and since work is such a big part of life, you need to make sure that how you spend your work time is aligned with your goals. What’s important to you? Being on a fulfilling mission? Making money? Stability? Or excitement and unpredictability? Your answers to these questions may evolve over time, but what’s constant is the need to answer them and closely visualize different opportunities to see which path is aligned with the type of life you want. For example, say you’re considering whether you want to work for someone else or strike out on your own? You need to visualize closely what your life will be like on each path, and how each path fits with what you are like. As you do this, make sure to triangulate with people who have succeeded and failed going down each path.
Life Principle
- Use the 5-Step Process to Get What You Want Out of Life
- Have clear goals.
- Think about what you want out of life and make your work a path to getting it.
- Have clear goals.
Any person or organization can adopt Principles to better achieve their goals.
Learn what Principles are and how they are applied at Principles.com
