Principles are ways of successfully dealing with reality to get what you want out of life.
Ray Dalio, one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs, cites principles as his key to success.
In 1975, Ray Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Over forty years later, Bridgewater has grown into the largest hedge fund in the world and the fifth most important private company in the United States (according to Fortune magazine), and Dalio himself has been named to TIME’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Along the way Dalio discovered unique principles that have led to his and Bridgewater’s unique success. It is these principles, and not anything special about Dalio, that he believes are the reason behind whatever success he has had. He is now at a stage in his life that he wants to pass these principles along to others for them to judge for themselves and to do whatever they want with them.
Work Principle
Realize that you have nothing to fear from knowing the truth.
If you're like most people, the idea of facing the unvarnished truth makes you anxious. To get over that, you need to understand intellectually why untruths are scarier than truths and then, through practice, get accustomed to living with them.
If you're sick, it's natural to fear your doctor's diagnosis--what if it's cancer or some other deadly disease? As scary as the truth may turn out to be, you will be better off knowing it in the long run because it will allow you to seek the most appropriate treatment. The same holds for learning painful truths about your own strengths and weaknesses. Knowing and acting on the truth is what we call the "big deal" at Bridgewater. It's important not to get hung up on all those emotion- and ego-laden "little deals" that can distract you from the overall mission.
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Are there situations where ignorance is bliss?
Knowing harsh truths allows you to deal with them well. Some people are afraid of that even though being afraid and not knowing is more harmful than knowing. So, some emotionally weak people might prefer not to know, but that is clearly a problem. It would be better if they could be strong enough to deal with the truth than to live with being in the dilution and making sub-optional decisions because of BEING in that delusion.
Work Principle
- Trust in Radical Truth and Radical Transparency
Realize that you have nothing to fear from knowing the truth.
Any person or organization can adopt Principles to better achieve their goals.
Learn what Principles are and how they are applied at Principles.com
