You Can Predict The Future By Acting On Timeless Principles

Many times, this is what life feels like going in circles when what is actually happening is progress. So on that feeling, I have something to tell you. It’s about principles and how they can help you forge ahead in life.

Life is largely unpredictable and that’s why sometimes we doubt ourselves and think we are going in circles when in reality, we are actually growing.

If life was easily predictable, we would have seen that what we are doing matters. We would have seen the end of the tunnel just over there. We wouldn’t have doubted our progress. Just like you I sometimes also feel like going in circles. It’s a universal feeling and stems from our inability to predict the future.

But here are things that have helped me to navigate that unpredictability. And empower me to do things with a good knowledge that I’m progressing and that I will end up in an expected destination.

1. Act based on principles.

2. Then put your trust in the principles.

3. Given that the principle is tested across space and time,

4. very often, you will end up in your expected end.

It looks simple but the biggest challenge you will have is in choosing what principle you want to act on and which you want to discard. So I will expand on the points.

The work, the real work is in finding principles (1) that fulfil conditions 2 and 3 to guarantee point 4. Thereby, we eliminate uncertainty and stop feeling like we are moving in circles. You see, once you figure the principles out, your life is almost as it is on autopilot, it will end in your expected destination.

Okay, so this is how this will go. I will share some of my principles with you. They aren’t new. But the goal is that you learn from my example which is more relevant than just talking generally.

3 principles I’ve been operating with

• Curiosity: follow the impulses of the heart if they are good.

You who are young, make the most of your youth. Relish your youthful vigor. Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it. But know also that not just anything goes; You have to answer to God for every last bit of it.

Ecclesiastes 11:9 (MSG)

• Diligent Work: a man who is diligent in his work will stand before Kings and not mean men.

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men

Proverbs 22:29

Because I follow these two principles, I’m convinced beyond any shadow of doubt in me that my place is with kings and queens. I don’t need anyone to assure me of it. It’s a principle.

And if you study history well, you will realize that this principle has held for centuries. I also picked them from the Bible because they’ve been true from the time of the Bible until today. However, don’t be pulled away because it comes from the Bible, they are fundamental principles of life and apply to anyone who follows it.

I have other principles from other aspects of life that I abide by as well. Combined, they give me assurances in this highly unpredictable world.

Before I talk about others, note that one of the fundamental criteria when choosing a principle is its applicability across space and time. They should always hold. It does matter who is applying it, when they are applying it and where they are applying it.

They always hold. They are hard to come by but if you find one that will lead you to your chosen destination, please grab it and don’t let go.

Principles are fundamental statement

All the things we desire in life have principles that guide them. Note that principles are foundational statements. Meaning, you can interpret as you deem fit. When one says “if a thing looks good to you, pursue it”, it means what I will pursue in the end will be different from what you will pursue. However, we must both be driven by curiosity.

That’s the nature of true principles. They are guiding lights leading you to a destination. It won’t however specify the vehicle that you must take. Note that.

So here’s the 3rd principle: on wealth 

On wealth, here’s a principle I’ve learnt as well. To make any measure of wealth, you need leverage and judgement skills.

Judgement is about what decisions you make and how you make the decisions. And leverage is a multiplier factor of your judgement.

I’ll explain that with a real-life example. Take wealth to mean money here.

I can learn how to invest and make a decision to invest $1,000. The decision to invest is judgement and the $1,000 is my (capital) leverage.

Judgement without leverage is barren. Because no matter how good I am with investing, if there is no capital to apply it to, it amounts to nothing. On the other hand, leverage without the judgement skill is blind.

You can burn all your leverage if you make senseless judgements. That’s the equivalent of ending up in a ditch if you are blind.

You see how both work together now.

So to make wealth, you need to start looking for ways to improve your judgement skill. That’s one. Then two, you need to build leverage.

Leverage is of two forms. Oh, before I say the two forms, I should mention that the same skill it requires to make 40% on your $1,000 is what you will need to also make 40% on $100,000. The same judgement, the better outcome just because leverage is present.

Alright, so types of leverage.

One is permissioned (capital and labour), the other is permissionless (code and media).

I won’t be deep-diving into this. However, note that permissioned means you need someone to give it up for you to use. Someone needs to pay or give you the $9k to increase your $1k to $10k. And when it comes to labour, someone must agree to work with/for you before you can multiply your output.

Permissionless on the other hand is freely available. If I knew how to code, I could have created Paystack or Airbnb. I don’t need anyone’s permission for that. And I could build the next Ethereum with no one’s permission.

It’s the same with the media. On the internet, I can build a media juggernaut with no one’s permission, just my hard work and creativity.

That’s the nature of permissionless leverage.

However, it will help you if you don’t view them all as mutually exclusive. You need a mix of all to make wealth.

The purpose of separation is mainly to help you see clearly from the place of principles. You are free to build on that. You can mix the four forms of leverage as you like.

Operating based on principles is the best that we have at reducing the uncertainty that clouds our daily life.

Basing your actions on principles that are true across space and time is important in this process. Such principles offer the best path to your destination.

And yes, I have got a lot more other principles that have been guiding me in this highly unpredictable world.

But I think it’s important that we all find ours. You must determine what’s important to you and find principles that will take you to that destination.