Principles vs Values

Principles are actionable beliefs. You can leverage principles to make decisions, not from a theoretical perspective, but in a practical way. Values are up in the air, abstract, and nice to say, but they can easily lose meaning quickly.

Example of a principle: hell yeah or no

Example of a value: honesty, or being honest

You see how the principle is clear-cut, decisive, and actionable. You can practically use it when you get a new potential client, you schedule the first meeting, and notice that while the prospect of earning money is great for this project, you may not be able to provide the solution they need at this time, or something is off. You pass your decision through the principle “hell yeah or no”, and the decision is clear.

You use your principles consistently, and everything aligns. There is no need to pretend or wear an excessive number of masks. You live through and as your principles, and this automatically creates the situations you wish to live. You do the work and trust the process.

The challenging part is to use your principles even in difficult situations—this defines your principles though. Similar to how “culture” is what you do in the darkest of days (a rephrased definition of business culture by Brian Chesky, Airbnb).

Discovering your principles requires experimentation and living from Being. Being in touch with reality as it is, instead of being identified with the stories you tell yourself. Then decisions become part of a relaxed, connected experience of daily life, where something arises, and then there is something else, and then something else.

*Credit to *Joe Hudson - click the link to find his explanation and examples of principles.