Life principles are the guiding values and beliefs that shape our choices and actions. They help us to live with purpose, integrity, and happiness. But how do we discover and apply the life principles that matter to us? In this blog post, I will share some insights and tips on how to find and follow your own life principles.
Table of Contents
- What are life principles and why are they important?
- How to identify your core life principles
- How to align your actions with your life principles
- How to overcome challenges and stay true to your life principles
- Examples of life principles from different sources
- Conclusion
1. What are life principles and why are they important?
Life principles are the fundamental truths or values that guide our decisions and behaviors. They reflect our personal philosophy, worldview, and ethics. They also express our vision, mission, and goals in life.
This is important because they:
- Give us direction and clarity in life
- Help us to prioritize what matters most to us
- Inspire us to pursue our passions and dreams
- Empower us to overcome obstacles and challenges
- Enhance our self-esteem and confidence
- Foster our relationships with others
- Contribute to our happiness and well-being
2. How to identify your core life principles
There is no one-size-fits-all set of life principles that everyone should follow. Each of us has our own unique set of life principles that reflect our personality, values, beliefs, experiences, and aspirations.
To identify your core life principles, you can:
- Reflect on your past experiences and lessons learned
- Ask yourself what matters most to you in life
- Consider what makes you happy, fulfilled, and motivated
- Think about what you stand for and what you won’t compromise on
- Write down your personal mission statement or vision statement
- List the qualities or virtues that you admire or aspire to have
- Seek inspiration from other sources such as books, mentors, role models, etc.
Once you have identified your core life principles, you can:
- Review them regularly and revise them if necessary
- Rank them in order of importance or relevance to you
- Simplify them into concise and memorable statements or phrases
- Share them with others who support and respect your values
3. How to align your actions with your life principles
Identifying your core life principles is only the first step. The next step is to align your actions. This means living by them consistently and authentically.
To align your actions with your life principles, you can:
- Set SMART goals that are aligned
- Plan your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly activities based on your priorities
- Monitor your progress and evaluate your results regularly
- Celebrate your achievements and reward yourself for your efforts
- Seek feedback and advice from others who share or respect your values
- Learn from your mistakes and failures and improve yourself continuously
4. How to overcome challenges and stay true to your life principles
Living by your life principles is not always easy. You may face challenges, temptations, conflicts, or pressures that test your commitment and integrity. You may also encounter situations where you have to choose between different options that may not align with your values.
To overcome challenges and stay true to your life principles, you can:
- Remind yourself of the benefits and consequences of following or violating your values
- Seek support and guidance from others who share or respect your values
- Avoid or minimize exposure to negative influences or distractions that may sway you from your path
- Practice mindfulness and self-awareness to recognize and manage your emotions and impulses
- Be flexible and adaptable when faced with changing circumstances or new opportunities
- Be humble and honest when you make mistakes or fall short of your standards
5. Examples of life principles from different sources
There are many sources of inspiration for finding and following your own life’s principles. Here are some examples from different sources:
Personal Excellence
The website Personal Excellence offers a list of 101 life principles to live by daily. Some of these include:
- Ability: is more of a function of the time you spend honing your craft, rather than a result of what you were born with.
- Abundance: We live in a world of abundance. There are unlimited wealth and unlimited opportunities for everyone.
- Action: is a necessary part of success.
- And: It’s not about choosing Option A or Option B. It’s about Option C – an option you create which has everything you want, and more.
- Anger: is the most volatile form of emotion you can ever burden yourself with.
- Annoyances: Everything that annoys you mirrors something inside you.
- Attachment: only causes anguish in the long run because nothing is permanent in this world.
Thought Catalog
The website Thought Catalog publishes an article titled “18 Life Principles For Greater Living”. Some of these include:
- Love More: Not just people or things, but yourself.
- Be Vigilant: With Your Thoughts: Be mindful of your thoughts and don’t let them consume you.
- Practice Mindfulness: Bring your thoughts to the forefront of your mind and resist being a victim to unconscious behaviors.
- Regular Personal Development: Immerse yourself in inspiring material that encourages you to become someone of character.
- Attitude Is Everything: Your attitude is more important than your outlook, because it influences how you show up in life.
- Be Of Service To Others: We all have a purpose, some discover it early in life while sadly, others die with a song in their heart.
- Character Is More Important Than Reputation: Your reputation can be destroyed in moments, while character takes a lifetime to build.
Biomimicry 3.8
The website Biomimicry 3.8 introduces a set of design lessons from nature called Life’s Principles. Some of these include:
- Adapt To Changing Conditions: Incorporate feedback loops; embrace diversity; maintain integrity through self-renewal.
- Be Locally Attuned And Responsive: Leverage cyclic processes; use readily available materials; cultivate cooperative relationships.
- Use Life-Friendly Chemistry: Break down products into benign constituents; do chemistry in water; use multifunctional design.
- Be Resource Efficient: Use low energy processes; recycle all materials; fit form to function.
- Integrate Development With Growth: Self organize; optimize rather than maximize; use modular components.
- Evolve To Survive: Replicate strategies that work; integrate the unexpected; reshuffle information.
The website LinkedIn features an article titled “Life Principles” by Rick Upchurch. Some of these include:
- Love God With All Your Being: This is the greatest commandment given by Jesus Christ Himself.
- Love Your Neighbor As Yourself: This is the second greatest commandment given by Jesus Christ Himself.
- Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You: This is the Golden Rule taught by many religions and philosophies.
- Seek First The Kingdom Of God And His Righteousness: This is the key to living a successful and fulfilling life according to Jesus Christ Himself.
- Trust In The Lord With All Your Heart And Lean Not On Your Own Understanding: This is the way to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and wisdom over our lives according to King Solomon.