First principles thinking is a powerful mental model for driving non-linear outcomes. It also requires a willingness to ask difficult, uncomfortable questions.
Here are a few to help you get started:
What is the problem I am trying to solve?
We often waste time and energy trying to solve the "wrong" problem.
Identify the "right" problem before you start trying to solve it.
What do I know to be true about this problem?
Write down everything you know about the problem (and its previously attempted solutions).
Why do I believe these "truths" to be true? How do I know they are true?
Identify the source of your beliefs on the problem.
Be ruthless in evaluating their integrity and validity.
How can I support these beliefs? Is there real evidence to support them?
Seek out hard, tangible evidence that proves these beliefs to be true.
If you cannot find it, or if the sources are of questionable integrity, you have learned something valuable about your beliefs.
Are my emotions clouding my judgment and reasoning?
When emotions drive our thoughts and decisions, we rarely see good outcomes.
Remove emotions from the process.
What alternative beliefs or viewpoints might exist?
Acknowledging and understanding alternative viewpoints is a superpower.
Seek them out. Embrace them.
Evaluate them on their merits and ask these same fundamental questions about them.
What are the consequences of being wrong in my original beliefs?
Understanding the stakes is critical.
Always understand the stakes.
First principles thinking starts with questioning your beliefs.
Asking these questions will help you drill down to the foundational truths of a problem and ultimately identify a better solution.
If you start to feel like an endlessly curious child, you are on the right track.
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This idea changed my life (and may change yours)...
The Law of Reversed Effort:
In a Zen parable that I love, a martial arts student approaches his teacher and asks, "How long will it take me to master this craft?"
The teacher replies, "10 years."
The student, looking impatient, responds, "I want to master it faster than that. I will work harder than anyone else. I will push myself to practice for many hours every single day. How long will it take then?"
The teacher considers this new information and answers, "20 years."
My entire life changed because of a leap of faith.
There are a lot of people out there who feel stuck, but trust me, you don't have to stay that way.
If you want to take a leap, here's exactly how I'd do it:
The change you want to make in life scary because of two asymmetries:
1. Information Asymmetry: You know exactly what this path looks like, but very little about what the other path looks like.
2. Evidence Asymmetry: You have abundant evidence that you can make it on this path, but very little evidence that you can make it on the other path.
To break through the fear and take the leap:
Step 1: Gather Information
The first step is to solve the information asymmetry.
The questions you should be asking (and answering):
What does the new path look like? Visualize it in detail.
How reversible is a decision to take this new path?
Note: Most people underestimate the reversibility of a big decision. You assume that if you leave your consulting firm, you'll never be able to get another job in consulting. That is usually patently false. Most of these career decisions are reversible.
What case studies exist on successful (or unsuccessful) execution?
What perspectives can you learn from people with real, earned experience on the new path?
Are there any examples of people who have made a similar shift to what you are considering? What can you learn from them?
If you use a thoughtful process to gather information, you'll balance the information asymmetry and shorten the gap considerably.
Step 2: Create Evidence
The second step is to solve the evidence asymmetry.
While still on your current path, you need to create tangible proof that you can build a life on the other side.
What proof points can you generate of your ability to execute?
• Find one customer for your prospective new venture.
• Make $100 selling something on the internet.
• Generate a few client leads to your new coaching practice.
The tiny wins build momentum and help solve the evidence asymmetry.
Step 3: Confront the Fear
Gathering information and creating evidence should get you most of the way there.
But the fear still exists.
Here's how to address it:
1. Reframe the fear as a good thing: It means you care, it means this is something that matters.
2. Deconstruct the downside of action: What is the worst that could happen? How bad is it, really?
3. Deconstruct the upside of action: What is the best that could happen? How great is it?
4. Deconstruct the regret: How much would you regret inaction when you're 90-years-old? Could you live with that regret?
As Seneca famously wrote, "We suffer more in imagination than in reality."
These steps get the fear out of your imagination and force it into reality.
Your Player's Guide to the Leap of Faith
There's never going to be a perfect moment to make a dramatic change.
The leap of faith isn't for everyone, but if you follow this general process, you'll be well-positioned if you decide to jump.
1. Gather information 2. Create evidence 3. Confront the fear
I hope this helps a few people out there take that leap they've been too afraid to face.
A new life is on the other side...
The most important piece here:
Recognizing the fear as a byproduct of the information/evidence asymmetry.
It turns something abstract into a solvable problem.
I love this quote from Inception:
"Do you want to take a leap of faith or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone?"