How To Become More Effective In Life And Business
Be Humble. Be Here.
Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behavior and have the potential to lead us to get what we want out of life. Having a principle-driven approach helps us become more effective in every aspect of our lives. One life principle is learning how to make decisions effectively by understanding our own and others’ mental maps and humility.
Ray Dalio, one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs and the author of Principles: Life and Work, believes there are two paths to becoming more effective:
- To have what you need yourself or,
- To get it from others.
Some people have strong mental maps — a large dose of common sense and knowing what to do on their own. The second path requires humility and open-mindedness — seeking help from others knowing you don’t have all the answers. Dalio depicts this concept with a 1–10 rating on an X/Y axis as shown in the chart above:
Y-axis = Strength of someone’s mental map
X-axis = Humbleness/open-mindedness of a person
The best guide towards effectiveness is top right of the chart where “Be Here” is written above a red star. Most people start on zero with poor mental maps and overconfidence. By increasing your rating on either axis you’ll increase your knowledge of what to do but having one without the other doesn’t increase your capacity to gain true value for yourself and those around you. Dalio states:
“The person who has good mental maps and a lot of open-mindednesses will always beat out the person who doesn’t have both.” — Ray Dalio, Principles: Life and Work
Humility can be more valuable than what you initially know but possessing both is even more powerful. Dalio affirms, “Once you understand what you’re missing and gain open-mindedness that will allow you to get help from others you’ll see that there is virtually nothing you can’t accomplish.” Most people fail to do this.
Being fully aware of yourself paired with the willingness to consider new ideas increases the likelihood of producing the desired result whether in life and/or business. Think about what you’re missing, who you can ask for help and where you would currently position yourself on the chart. Be as radically open-minded as you can until you find yourself moving up and to the right. Detach from your ego to learn what’s true. Be humble.
