I believe that everyone should have a principle in life. I recently read the book Principles by Ray Dalio. If you haven’t already I promise you that I will be one of the best use of your time. Through this blog, I wish to highlight some of the core principles I have set for myself. I fully intend on updating my principle list as and when I discover and apply them in my lives. So please see them as a living document

Live healthily

Exercise every day

To me, it’s important to have an exercise routine. I used to dance with a team twice and sometimes thrice a week and played badminton for hours at a time over the weekend. I have a sedentary day job that keeps me strapped to a chair almost all day except when I have to walk between meetings. By having a dose of active movement I keep myself healthy.

Eat healthily

I and my partner strive to eat good food. On most days we prefer to cook at home and eat a fresh meal which we take pride in. This has not only allowed us to save money but also to feel great about our selves. Our transition from eating out or ordering in every day to a home-cooked meal was not without hurdles. We had to break past the mental barrier of cooking and doing dishes and set that as a priority in our lives.

Healthy mind

A healthy life is not all about being physically active and eating healthily; having a healthy mind is equally important to me as well. Through meditation, I have come to listen and tame my otherwise mischievous monkey brain. I have learned a lot about myself and developed a sense of healthy self-satisfaction by sitting still and focusing on my breathing. It’s important now for me to meditate at least 15 minutes every day and after I overcame the initial hurdle of self-proclaimed “busy-life syndrome” I have gotten much better at it.

Persistence pays

Form habits to grow

Over the last 3 years, I have formed (and lost) many habits. My question began really after I read The Power of Less by Leo Babauta. Even though the book was about how to lead a minimalistic life it had some very powerful prescription about how and why to build morning routines to form great habits. Since reading that book I have developed a 3 hour morning routine that involves a variety of activities which have empowered me to get better at whatever I wanted to achieve: running, playing guitar, meditating…

Self motivate

I believe that persistence is the manifestation of a very important quality of a highly successful human being: Self-motivation. It has a very humble beginning: you and your mind. Anyone who wants to be successful can set their minds and motivate themselves to reach a goal higher than themselves. They are not “told” what to do, they discover it themselves and relentlessly work towards whatever they want to achieve.

Make a difference

Help others to succeed

Helping others can be satisfying but it can be much more. Lending a hand when people are in need (without expecting a return) almost always has the effect of coming right back at you. Find opportunities every day to do at least one self-less thing and benefit others. It can be as simple as a smile or helping someone with their project or assignment or even giving them tips or recommendations to grow.