Simplify Your Life With These 9 Principles
“…because that’s how the world is governed.”
Self-made billionaire investor Ray Dalio is the founder of Bridgewater Associates. They are the world’s largest hedge fund managing over $160 billion for some of the largest global institutions in the world.
According to Dalio, whose book Principles inspired me to develop a set of my own, principles serve as the foundations for behaviour that get you what you want out of life. In fact, he attributes much of his success to them.
So what are principles?
Principles are fundamental truths that are universal in nature. For example, if you drop something, it will fall on the ground. This is a natural law that is controlled by the principle of gravity.
Human behaviour is more complex but still follows the same rules. If I consistently lie, you won’t trust me; this is a natural law.
“We control our actions, but the consequences that flow from those actions are controlled by principles” — Stephen Covey
Leadership expert John Maxwell describes this process with great clarity:
Imagine you have a large tree in your garden and you want to cut it down. You acquire a large sharp axe, and strike the tree five times every single day. And…