Personal manifesto

This is an evolving set of operating principles for how I think, relate, and work.

Self #

• Be kind to others and especially yourself.
• Continuous improvement is key in life and work.
• You can’t change your past, but you can reshape your stories.
• Connections, past and present, can build strength or become a burden. Choose wisely.
• Learn to love the ordinary. Novelty is overrated.
• Most people are guessing and figuring it out as they go.
• Changes begin with looking inward.
• Clarity about who you are and why you’re here makes everything else easier.
• Expect the unexpected.

Others #

• Difficult conversations require managing your own triggers and listening to understand, not to change the other person.
• Disagreement shouldn’t end relationships.
• Some things are better left unsaid.
• You can’t unring a bell.
• A pause or silence can say everything.
• Emotions are contagious, and negative emotions spread faster.
• The quality of your life depends on the quality of your relationships.
• Relationships over issues.
• It’s not your job to make everyone happy.

Work #

• Pick your battles wisely.
• Work hard before you work smart.
• To know what you’re going to do, you have to start doing.
• Motion creates momentum.
• Be rigid about your goals, but flexible in your methods.
• Life is full of trade-offs, and trade-offs are about priorities.
• Complexity is often confused with intelligence.
• Feedback often reveals more about the giver than the receiver.
• Everything is negotiable.