Principles First

I had one of those cathartic moments where all the scattered thoughts and ideas converged into one. I was meeting with my career coach I’ve been working with. She asked me about my “superpower” and how others perceive me. As I was talking, I discussed how people view me as someone who is obsessed with process, but that’s not accurate. I believe in process, but only when it’s derived from principles.

Principles are evergreen, foundational truths that form a system of beliefs. They help you make decisions, think critically, and align your actions with your values. I think of principles like the branches of a tree. They help form the structure, even as the weather and seasons change the amount and color of the leaves.

The processes are the leaves. They change, evolve, and even die when they’ve outlived their usefulness. But the principles remain.

That led me my Principles First philosophy, which serves as the foundation of a system I call The Principle Cycle. It’s built on principles, and creates a mental model for growing knowledge, creating skills, and building adaptability in this steady age of technological evolution.

The Principle Cycle has five parts:

1. Pillars: The roots and trunk of the tree.
2. Principles: The branches.
3. Processes: The leaves.
4. Experiments: The seasons.
5. Curiosity: The weather.

This cycle creates a virtuous loop:

• Curiosity sparks Experimentation.
• Experimentation forms Processes.
• Processes reinforce Principles.
• Principles fortify Pillars.
• Pillars create resiliency.

Pillars

The Pillars are the foundation. They are the stable core Principles are built on. Without strong roots and a stable trunk, the tree cannot grow tall or weather storms.

They can be:

• A core value like Discipline or Adaptability.
• An area of your life like Work or Family.
• A skill like Design or Strategy.

The branches can’t grow alone. They need to stem from a strong trunk and roots.

Principles

You can’t form Processes (leaves) until the branches are grown. These are the Principles. They create the structure of the tree.

One of my core values is Discipline. And one of my Principles under this Pillar is “Energy First,” which is about optimizing for energy.

With this branch created, we have the structure for Processes to grow.

Processes

Processes are ephemeral. They live, die, and regrow. They evolve over time. They are the expressions of the Principles.

If Energy First is the Principle, an example Process would be creating an energy-optimized calendar, color-coding my calendar according to the energy each block gives me:

• Green for high-energy work.
• Yellow for medium-energy work.
• Red for low-energy work.

But this can (and probably will) change. And that’s a natural part of a Process’ life. We need to build an experimental mindset built on a stable foundation of Pillars and Principles.

Experiments

That’s where Experiments come in. Think of them like the seasons. With each season, the tree changes appearance—leaves change color, fall, and regrow—but the structure of the tree remains the same.

Each Sunday, I do a weekly review. I detail my wins, learnings, and takeaways from the previous week. For each learning, I create a set of Experiments for the upcoming week.

For example, if one of my learnings was that I felt drained when I had too many morning meetings, then I could design an Experiment that would be built on my Energy First Principle.

Experiments are based upon assumptions. So my assumption here is if I don’t have any meetings in the morning, then my energy will be higher for deeper work. The only way to find out is to put it to the test. If the results are successful, I have a new Process. If not, I learned what didn’t work and I test again.

Curiosity

You can only identify and develop Experiments when you stoke your Curiosity. Ask questions, follow your interests, and continue to think critically about everything you do. You see more of what you pay attention to. So if you want to try out more things, it starts with mindfulness.

Curiosity is like the weather—the sun, rain, and wind. It forces us to experiment and adapt, which is now more critical than ever. AI is just the next wave of technological innovation, but there will always be another.

Be prepared, stay curious, and build resilience.