Simple and profound principles with lasting impact are incredibly powerful.
They can serve as a guiding light in decision making and uncertainty.
As I was rereading “Tools Of Titans” by Tim Ferris two particular principles stuck out to me:
- Be so good they can’t ignore you
- Smart people should build things
You’ve likely heard principle one before. But I think that’s one thing that makes it so golden, no matter how many times you hear it the message still hits home.
Be so good they can’t ignore you in whatever you’re doing, whether that be as an Uber driver, waiting tables, passing legislation, building apps. Constantly striving to be so valuable that you can’t be ignored is a game changer.
It immediately turns any situation into a landmine of opportunity.
The second principle servers an important reminder. I believe that too often smart people don’t build things, a multitude of factors play into why. Maybe they don’t feel like the idea is good, or that they don’t have an idea at all, overall lack of external support or internal motivation.
However, it’s often very valuable to just begin something.
Similar to Pixar, a company I fell in love with after reading Creativity Inc by Amy Wallace and Edwin Catmull, their final films are often completely different than their original product. Your original idea is going to change and evolve over time.
It’s better to start something and be constantly reiterating than to build nothing at all.
Here’s to simple principles with profound impact.
Elizabeth Beeli 