♖ Stop reading self-help books

Hi Friends,

Last week, I caught myself about to buy another self-help book.

My finger hovered over the "Buy Now" button. Then I remembered something from 2017.

I already did this work. I already know what I believe.

So do you.

The 1-Hour Exercise That Changed My Life

7 years ago, I spent one hour writing down everything I actually believed about life, work, and growth.

800 words. That's it.

Those 800 words have guided every major decision since: from leaving corporate to joining Pricing I/O, from raising a family to building this newsletter.

I wrote this because it finally hit me: I'd spent years learning how strangers lived their lives, but I'd never spent an hour writing down how I wanted to live mine.

I go back to it whenever I feel the pull to consume more advice instead of trusting my own voice.

Why Everyone Needs to do This?

Every ambitous leader I know has a shelf of business books. They're essential.

But your operating principles? Your actual beliefs about how to live and work?

Those can't be outsourced.

The best strategic thinkers I've worked with don't quote self-help gurus when making hard calls. They quote themselves. They've done the work to articulate what they believe.

Most leaders never do this. They build their life philosophy from borrowed parts: a principle from this podcast, a framework from that viral LinkedIn post, an idea from whatever book went viral last month.

It's wisdom as Frankenstein's monster.

My Unedited 2017 Principles

Below is what I wrote 7 years ago, completely unedited.

I'm sharing this not because you should follow it, but to show you what's possible when you take action to trust your own voice.

This is personal. This is specific to me. Your 800 words will look completely different.

And that's exactly why you need to write them.

My Life's Operating Principles in 800 Words

Written August 31, 2017

Intro

Life is incredibly short. Let this itself be your only motivation.

Life

Structure your day around three pillars:

• Being generous. Give.

• Being better. Grow.

• Being grateful. Gratitude.

Give. Grow. Gratitude. Do all three in a day; you had a good day.

Control your thoughts, control your life.

A mall map taught me everything about life. It shows 3 things:

1. These are all your options

2. This is the location of all your options

3. This is where you are

You need to know all three to make efficient progress. Fill your life with as many stores as you want. What is your life's mall map?

Don't strive for comfort, strive for content. To be content you need friction. To climb a mountain, you need an incline. To move a sailboat, you need wind. A sailboat without wind is purposeless.

In life, you need perseverance. Grit. Others avoid the wind. Search for the wind (content). Let the friction drive you forward. Don't settle for comfort.

Prioritize experiences over things.

The three most common obstacles that paralyze action:

• Not getting clear on what you really want

• Not loving/believing yourself enough

• Not experimenting (dabbling) enough

Smile. It's a powerful tool for happiness. Smile at a stranger. They will smile back. It is an easy tool to remind yourself that you are in control and have an impact on others.

Action is greater than planning. Both are important. Action is where the magic happens. This goes for all aspects in life. Action should dictate planning. Be the one that takes action.

Have strong integrity. Not morals or ethics. But structural integrity. As in, this table in my house is sturdy and has strong integrity. To build strong integrity in yourself it's simple: keep your word.

Go dabble. Go experience new experiences. People don't know what they like until they try it. Too many people get paralyzed in finding their passion. Fuck passion. Go dabble. If there is something that you think interests you, go do it this week. Make your mall map as large as you can. Find the location for all the stores you want to go to. Before picking a life destination, go dabble.

Health

Your health is foundational. Prioritize this over everything else. Mental and physical. You can break down all health and fitness books into 7 items:

• Drink more water than you think

• Get 7+ hours of sleep every night

• Sweat 30+ minutes per day

• Do strength training 3x week

• Eat a high protein, high fiber, low carb diet

• Consistency over intensity

• Meditate 10 minutes per day

Career & Financial

Teach the power of compounding as early as possible. It's the secret to financial freedom. All financial books can be broken down as:

• Save early and often

• Know how much you spend every year

• Prioritize low-cost index funds

• Diversify

• Make as much wealth as you want

Focus your career on what you are good at (skills), what you enjoy (interest), and what is needed (market). If you don't know what interests you, go dabble.

In your career, just doing your job well is table stakes. Make an impact. Make yourself, team, and your company materially better. This is what a leader does.

There are only 3 ways to make money for any business: sell a product for a higher price, sell a product more frequently, and sell more products. Don't overcomplicate this.

Fall in love with the problem; not the solution. It's a flawless business principle that will make you successful. Focus more on your customer's problems; not your company's. It's amazing how many business leaders miss this in daily action.

A company will be successful if it: solves a compelling problem, for a large market and a management team with the right skills & mindset to make it happen.

Picking a great boss to work for is more important than picking a good company to work for.

Making your immediate boss look great should be your north-star focus when you are beginning your career. It's a reason this is chapter 1 in Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power.

If you had to build or restructure a business from scratch here is the hierarchy of needs to focus on, in order:

1. Strategic direction - What island are we conquering?

2. Structure - What type of boat do we need?

3. Processes - What do we need to do to run this boat?

4. Team skills - Who do we need to get to this island and operate this boat?

Hire for curiosity and grit. Skills are secondary and will come naturally. Three skills that you need to master in this new world to take your career to the next level:

• Storytelling

• Project / change management

• How to learn

Closing

Life is short. Go dabble.

Takeaway

That took me one hour in 2017. It remains my north star.

Your principles won't look like mine. They shouldn't.

But I guarantee you already know what they are. You just need permission to write them down.

Trust your own voice.

Til next time,

—Ali

P.S. If you do this exercise, hit reply and tell me one principle you discovered that surprised you. The best responses might show up in a future issue.

About Me: I'm Ali, Head of Growth at Pricing I/O. I write The Moat to help B2B leaders think differently about strategy, growth, and execution.