Created by potrace 1.10, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2011

My core beliefs

A deep dive into my operating philosophy in life

This is a dynamic list. Things that were here yesterday may be gone tomorrow, and replaced by their exact opposites. So I guess my first & most important belief is that my beliefs are always open to changing.

For my own sanity, I've brain-dumped my thoughts and then categorized them into rough groups. Generally I'd keep this list in my own Apple Notes, but I'm trying to get into the habit of publishing more often.

Do things and tell people, they say.

So here it goes.

Health & Wellness

  1. Health matters more than anything. No other pursuit (family, relationships, career, wealth, etc) can be done if you’re not healthy

    • “Healthy” means mentally and physically (and maybe even spiritually? I haven't figured that part out yet)
    • Mental health generally matters even more than physical health. You live with yourself 24hrs a day, make sure you get along with yourself

  2. Exercise and nutrition are the most important aspects to get right, everything else is an optimization

    • Exercise every day
    • Eat less, eat healthy, and eat whole natural foods. Things your great-grandmother would recognize. Avoid processed foods.
    • Don't smoke or vape. Limit or stop drinking.

  3. Most (not all) “ancient” traditions are rooted in very practical science, that’s being discovered every day.

    • Don’t write off something just because it isn’t backed in science or you don’t know the science (I still have trouble with this though).
    • For example, I've been raised in a Hindu household. A lot of the things in Hindu culture that didn’t make any sense to me growing up (fasting or eating less, meditation, incense and essential oils, vegetarianism, etc.) are now finding grounds in science
    • Again, fine lines here - just because some "ancient traditions" are being backed by scientific evidence doesn't prove that all ancient traditions will be. Always use your own discretion in choosing what to believe. Don’t let other people dictate your beliefs for you

Relationships & Life

  1. Nobody ever wishes that they worked harder on their deathbed. Be present in every moment, especially with parents and grandparents as they’re aging and with your kids as they're growing up.

    • The hardest part here is balance. Figuring out when to give energy to which part of life is the infinite challenge (and game) of life.

  2. Laugh, laugh, laugh.

  3. Marry your best friend

  4. A few deep friendships >>> lots of shallow friendships

    • The quality of your relationships and a sense of community are two of the greatest contributors to overall happiness and health. People in tight-knit communities literally live longer. So invest in the people around you, you'll be saving lives (and maybe even your own).

Mindset & Philosophies

  1. Everything in life is mental, your physical reality is an illusion. Your reality will conform to your attitude and mindset

    • Being sick => you could treat yourself as the victim, or treat it as a “test” and try to get better
    • Examples are endless, and it applies to the most minor things in life (getting stuck in traffic => is it upsetting, or do you now have more time for music/chats?) to the most major things.
    • Almost every “downside” in life can be harnessed and turned into an upside. Even if you fail in “converting” the upside, you’ll life 1000% more happy and satisfied than just viewing the downside

  2. It pays to be an optimist. Being pessimistic or “realistic” helps you sound smart and may help you catch some hurdles, but it’s a real thorn in getting anything creative done.

    • Creative work requires finding problems in the world, and coming up with solutions that don’t exist, and willing them into existence. That’s hard to do if you’re a pessimist, because you’ll treat the world as static (or getting worse)

  3. Everything that you see around you has been imagined, planned, and built by other people just like you. It’s not fixed, and it’s not some black box that’s built by “geniuses”.

  • This means the world is extremely malleable, and through enough skill, effort, and persistence - you can build the world around you as you wish
  • One of the most fun & rewarding things in the world is building something from scratch, and watching other people use and benefit from it in the real world

  1. You need a certain level of arrogance, stupidly high self-confidence, or ignorance to build something new in the world. Most people will think that it isn’t possible, and being able to ignore or completely disregard them is a necessary mindset in being able to continue

    • There’s a fine line here, and it’s not clear (it’s a grey zone) between being self-confident and being stupid. Take feedback with a grain of salt, but still take it.

  2. Pretty much every problem, worry, concern you’ve ever had or ever will have (mental or physical) has been experienced by hundreds of thousands of humans before you

    • This is great news, that means you have a ton of knowledge and experience to rely on
    • Read old or renowned books. The classics.

  3. Focus on what people do, not on what they say

    • For yourself, this also holds true. What you do matters way more than what you say
    • You could say you care about health & fitness all day, but if you never workout - you don’t care enough
    • If you catch yourself saying “I don’t have time for ….” => that actually means “I’m not prioritizing….”

  4. Not all advice is equal. And all advice sums to zero.

    • Hear other people’s input, weigh it based on their experience and how well they know you. Use these things to inform your gut, and ultimately go with it.
    • Pro/con lists are overrated, I've never found them very helpful

  5. Evolutionary biology is another great lens to look at life. A lot of our behaviours, habits, thoughts, and patterns are informed from 2 million years in the jungle, but “modern civilization” has really only existed for 300 years

    • Our bodies and minds aren’t built for abundant & on-demand food, sugar, sex, shelter, water, ambient temperatures, and 10 hours of sitting
    • Since humans are social animals, a lot of our fears are about social rejection because getting kicked out of the tribe meant dying (fear of public speaking = fear of social rejection = fear of being kicked from the tribe = death)
    • With the lens above, it’s generally a good idea to occasionally mix in some discomfort into your life (cold showers, fasting, etc.)

  6. Decisions made earlier in life, or earlier in the process can dramatically affect the outcome of your life later

    • Put another way, a 1 degree correction on the steering wheel of a pilot or a ship can result in 1000 mile difference in the final destination

  7. Compounding is the most powerful force in the world, and applies to every aspect of life

    • Getting 1% better in something (a task, skill, feat, etc) every day will result in miles of improvement over days, months, years
    • The key is consistency = which generally is the most common separator between really great people and the average

Decision Making

  1. In any major career or life decisions, use the following “razors” or modes of thinking

    • Choose the option that gives you more energy, or one that you’re more curious & excited by
    • Choose the option that where you’re more likely to get “lucky”, and the higher potential upside
    • Choose the option where you’ll work with the smarter, more motivated, happier/kinder group of people
    • Choose the option that better fits the answer to this question
      • If you had unlimited money, time, and no concerns about “what people think” => what would you do?
    • Notice that none of the above had anything to do with money
      • Generally, following your curiosity and doing things/activities that give you energy is the best way to live

  2. Make decisions as quickly as possible (go based on gut) or as late as possible (collect lots of data). Don’t end up in between

    • The most important thing to figure out for any decision is how important the decision is
    • Related to the above, figure out how “significant” the consequence is, and how irreversible the consequence is. Most decisions are reversible
    • Most binary decisions aren’t binary, you just haven’t done the work to come up with other options. Instead of choosing between A or B, can you:
      • Do A AND B
      • Do A first, and then B (aka sequence)
      • Do a smaller version of A or B, and a bigger version of the other
      • Open up C, D, and E

Skill Development

  1. “Talent” is a scam. Everything is a skill, and can be learnt with hours of deliberate practice.

    • Deliberate means repetitions on things that are outside your comfort zone (aka not easy, so probably not fun), with a teacher & constant feedback, and measurable goals
    • People may start off at different positions on a skill, but the ceiling for most people on most skills is almost unlimited. The body and the mind are insane machines, and can be optimized for almost anything (lifting 800 pounds or running 200 km)
    • The only caveat here is that development/reps done earlier in life (especially before the age of 10) matter a lot more than reps done later. The brain is like a sponge at that age.

  2. In a world dominated by information, distractions, and noise, a skill worth acquiring and honing is being able to sustain long periods of concentration and focus without being distracted

  3. Writing is a great tool. Being able to write clearly and concisely is one of the best indicators of clear thinkers. Not all clear thinkers are writers, but all good writers are clear thinkers.

    • Always a skill worth acquiring and getting better at
    • Don’t write like you’re in school. Write short sentences. Use simple language. Write like you talk.

  4. Some great skills to learn

    • How to write
    • How to code
    • How to sell
    • How to speak publicly/confidently
    • How to be personable/friendly

  5. Books are a superpower. No other medium matches it.

Miscellaneous

  1. Suburbs are a scam, we are communal beings and modern cities with their suburban sprawl are built for cars, not people

    • Ideally, everything in your life is a walkable distance away => gives old people and kids more independence, reduces the environmental footprint of humans, keeps people happier and friendlier with their neighbours, makes them more active, reduces the traffic on roads, etc.
    • Expanding roads doesn’t work in lowering congestion, it just increases it. This is a studied and proven phenomenon, called induced demand, which is conterintuitive so politicians can conveniently ignore it.

  2. Retirement is a scam, it’s a notion from the 1800s when life expectancy was 65 and they were trying to make space for younger blood in the workforce.

    • Do the kind of work that you enjoy (based on what you’re curious about and what gives you energy) and you’ll never feel like retiring