BackA Collection of Principles (Part 1)
In the past 2 years, I've come across certain guiding principles that were inflection points in the trajectory of my personal and professional life. This post is a compilation of some of the most impactful principles I've encountered and adopted recently.
Principle 1 — Small habits matter
Small habits matter. Everything we do consistently (daily) has a compound effect. It slowly and gradually becomes a part of us, shaping our future. For example, reading for 10 mins today won’t make you a genius. But over the next week, month and year, the sheer quantity of knowledge you would have amassed by reading 10 mins everyday will surely bring you closer to being a genius. Do one small thing today (and again tomorrow) that pushes you towards the results you want.
Principle 2 — To be great at something, you have to suck at it first
To be great at something, you have to suck at it first. Anything you're great at right now — running, writing, cooking, or simply being a good friend, it's likely you were terrible when you began. No one is a prodigy when they begin, so don't let that discourage you. You don't start off running 42km. You start with a single jog, then move to 1km, then 5km, and soon you're halfway to a marathon. To be great at anything, you have to be okay starting at 0 and looking foolish. You can only move up from there.
Going from 0 to 1 is the hardest part of the journey. Here are 5 ways you can make it easier:
- Start right now (delaying the start increases the likelihood of procrastination)
- Start small and set an achievable target
- Immerse yourself in what you're doing
- Invite a friend to join you (makes it a lot less daunting)
- Celebrate small wins (like showing up to trying something new)
If you can get through one day, the next day already becomes easier. You just have to take the first step.
Principle 3 — Write to win
Our mind is a busy tool. It overflows with our endless to-do list, our past experiences, our plans for the future, and abundant information about the world. In this busyness, our natural flow of good ideas never quite reaches the surface.
How do we change this? How do we trust our intuition so our good ideas materalise?
The simplest way is through writing. Writing has this uncanny ability to simplify things and declutter our mind. For example, a simple to-do list brings clarity on what we have to do today. Journalling and self-reflection go a step further to help deconstruct complex thoughts and concerns.
In essence, writing allows us to regain control, explore our good ideas and focus on what matters.
Principle 4 — What do you want to be?
We often base big life decisions like ‘what we want to be’ on things like trends, money, and status. That’s fine, but we should know what we’re getting ourselves into. What we want to be = what we do everyday. To be an athlete, you have to train everyday. To be a business owner, you have to work everyday. To be a chef, you have to cook everyday. If you don’t enjoy or get excited by the thing you want to spend the majority of your life doing, you won’t enjoy your life to its fullest.
Conversely, to find what you want to do, think about what you enjoy doing everyday, and see how you can innovate in that space. It’s likely you’ll create more value in the field you love being in, than following the herd.
Note from the future (2024)
The principles outlined above were written in February 2023. This is back when I was running Juice. Today (October 2024), I've tranisition from non-technical founder into a software engineering intern. Not exactly the conventional path -- I know. But the reason I mention this is that my worldview has changed a lot since I wrote this post. I believe these ideas still have merit, but they would apply differently to different people, and its interpretation and impact varies greatly depending on your goals, work ethic, values and stage of life. It may not be as black and white as I made it out to be in the points above. That being said, I would advise you to think rigorously about advice you hear on the internet, and consider whether it applies to you and your circumstances. Trust your gut, work hard, be honest with yourself. These are principles I live by today.