My Operating Principles

Companies have mission statements and core values, so why not people too? Here, I share the principles I use to guide my life to ensure I remain aligned with my community, to make myself transparent, and to lead a well-lived life.¹

• ⚡️ Do it on purpose. If I do something, choose to do it, do it for clear reasons, do only things that fit into my long-term vision, and communicate directly.
• 🤝 Help people. Listen, care, be kind, and treat others as they would like to be treated.
• 👟 Eat bitterness. Run towards the fire, show up consistently, create more than I consume, and maintain my health and fitness to thrive in the physical universe.
• 📖 Learn everything. I welcome constructive feedback. I seek to first understand other perspectives before offering my perspective. I try to cultivate humility about my flaws and an eagerness to improve.
• ✨ Silly. Don’t take it too seriously, prefer funny or weird, and smell the roses.

Prior Art

Do it on purpose

What others have said about the courage to choose the important path instead of the easy path:

• Hell Yeah or No
• Don’t Try, Intend
• Butcher Ding
• Vulnerability Primer
• Earnestness
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

Help people

What others have said about being a giver and lifting the tide for all:

• Give and Take
• Doofus Rick
• Generous Tit-For-Tat
• Don’t be a Relationship Freeloader
• Treat People as Ends, not as Means.
• How to Love

Eat bitterness

What others have said about having a high internal locus of control and a bias towards action:

• Flinch Forward
• Voluntary Hardship
• 1% Better Every Day
• High Agency
• Gumption
• Type II Fun

Learn everything

What others have said about openness to experience and having a beginner’s mind:

• The One Trait to Look for in a Partner
• Relentlessly Resourceful
• When Money is Abundant, Knowledge is the Real Wealth
• Curiosity and Independent-Mindedness
• Intellectual Compounding
• Scout Mindset

Silly

What others have said about seizing the day and original seeing:

• Ignore All Rules
• Walk Across the Parking Lot
• Refuse to play Nickelback
• Naughtiness
• Be Like Water
• Play It Away

Footnotes

1. I’m merely an imperfect human being. These principles are aspirations that I strive towards—not an attestation of how I currently live. This is not advice for you, but pages from my diary that I’m letting you take a peek at. Making my values public helps keep me accountable to you. If you find me acting contrary to my principles, please tell me. I welcome your feedback. ↩