Principles are ways of successfully dealing with reality to get what you want out of life – Ray Dalio

These are fundamental principles I’ve discovered to be true and try to live by. I documented them for myself after testing some for many years and others, just long enough to stress-test. I will periodically update as I add to or modify my principles.

If you hold a different perspective on any of these, feel free to email me and let’s discuss. These principles are not here as dogma, but are aimed at generating tangible results and happiness. My commitment is not to these principles themselves but to what is true. This leads us to the first and most fundamental principle…

1. Embrace the truth. Confront reality and deal with things as they truly are, not as you wish them to be.
2. If you lack a profoundly close friend committed to building a great life, find one. Cultivate a deep connection with someone who knows you inside out. This is often overlooked but immensely important.
3. Stay active. Familiarize yourself with your body and engage in regular physical activity. It’s not just about beauty; it’s about maintaining good health.
4. Practice genuine gratitude. Take moments to sit on a balcony, alone or with a close friend, and truly marvel at the life you’ve built. Allow yourself to deeply feel appreciation.
5. Select your priorities wisely. Differentiate between what you can control and what you cannot. 
6. Master your craft. Pursue excellence in your craft. Continuously hone your skills and strive to deliver high-quality work.
7. Remove before adding. Eliminate or reduce what you recognize as excessive – such as social media usage. Just as you can’t expect to enhance health by adding broccoli to a McDonald’s diet, the same principle holds true for information consumption.
8. Sleep! You’re not Superman. Aim for 8-9 hours a night or more. The benefits are wild – reduced stress and improved cognitive function. 
9. Be T-shaped. Cultivate both broad knowledge and deep expertise. Seamlessly blend breadth and depth for well-rounded expertise.
10. You bear sole responsibility for your life. The cards you’ve been dealt might be less favorable than someone else’s. It’s unfortunate, truly. However, what will you do about it? Will you use those cards as an excuse for not living the life you desire? You can either complain about the poor cards or actively work towards building a better life. Define success by your standards.
11. Prioritize one thing at a time. Identify your true priorities and establish non-negotiables. Goals serve as directional guides. Once you’ve set a goal, craft the necessary process to achieve it. Focus on the process as it is the key to producing tangible results.
12. Mental well-being is important. Be intentional when it comes to mindfulness and self-care. Cultivate practices that enhance mental resilience. There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind.
13. Engage in creative pursuits strictly for enjoyment. Create with no specific end goal in mind. Curate playlists. Make blogs. Write screenplays. Embrace imperfection and resist over-optimization.
14. Do the work. Keep your head down and do the work. Be actively pushing forward on something almost always. Leisure is not a path to happiness. Happiness is progress, it’s solving problems, it’s meaning. Preparing to do the work is not doing the work. Imagining how you’ll feel after doing the work is not doing the work. The only thing that is doing the work is doing the work.
15. You are shaped by those you spend time with. Surround yourself in an environment that fosters self-improvement. A tight feedback loop, combined with constructive reality checks, efficiently addresses challenges. If you find yourself lacking positive influences, turn to reading – an author can become one of those influential figures.
16. Read and apply. The true value lies not just in consuming knowledge but in its practical application.
17. Understand human connection. Knowing how to effectively express your wants/boundaries will only strengthen relationships in the long run. Clear is kind.
18. Go on adventures with your friends. Shared experiences fuel curiosity and growth. Never stop exploring and approaching life with a beginner’s mind.