I. THE WHAT (7Fs) / 42
I.1. Faith / 3
I.1.1. For-Me
I.1.1.1. Everything in life should start with you. If it does not (or, as the case may be, you are not at all sure that it does), you are in trouble.
I.1.1.1.1. Just like in the case of an incident on a plane, such as a sudden loss of cabin pressure, securing your “For-Me” (mask) ensures you remain conscious and capable of helping others effectively.
I.1.1.1.2. Just like in the case of an incident on a plane, such as a sudden loss of cabin pressure, your ability to stay functional is critical for the safety of everyone else.
I.1.1.2. You do not have to believe it. No, you have to believe it – just enough to be able to live it.
I.1.1.2.1. This kind of ruthless logic (i.e. you can think or believe what you like, but it is what it is, so be smart and so on) is widespread, in life. I have it on good authority that – contrary to our understanding derived from Hollywood movies – the real protocol the firemen follow in case of a car crash maximizes for the benefit to the state (e.g. taxes paid, military resource), i.e. the male is pulled out first, then the female and only then the child. You can always have another child.
I.1.1.2.2. You can always think or believe something else, on the side so to speak. As long as you do it – just do it – that is, act in accordance with For-You first. You First. However selfish it sounds, unpleasant it feels, uncomfortable it makes you.
I.1.2. Not-For-Me
I.1.3. Bigger-Than-Me
I.2. Family / 3
I.2.1. Significant Other
I.2.2. Children
I.2.3. Parents & Siblings
covered across Fitness/Finance & Field/Fun-Fulfillment (aka Care), but also requiring Love, i.e. time, attention, energy spent
I.3. Friends / 6
I.3.1. Temporal
I.3.1.1. Coming-Of-Age
I.3.1.2. Recent/Accidental
I.3.2. Working-Together (Colleagues)
I.3.2.1. Constrained/Rules-Based (Work)
I.3.2.2. Free Play (Fellow Hobbyists)
I.3.3. Proximity/Exposure
I.3.3.1. Close/Frequent (Neighbors)
I.3.3.2. Distant/Rare
Structured | Fragmented | |
Time | Long term | Recent |
Activity | Work | Play |
Exposure | Frequent | Rare |
I.4. Field / 9
I.4.1. Position | I.4.2. Function | I.4.3. Skillset/Capacity |
I.4.1.1. Worker | I.4.2.1. Production (Resources/Talent) | I.4.3.1. Technical |
I.4.1.2. Manager | I.4.2.2. Sales (Clients/Markets) | I.4.3.2. People |
I.4.1.3. Owner | I.4.2.3. Operations (Leverage/Profitability) | I.4.3.3. Conceptual |
I.5. Fun-Fulfillment / 9
I.5.1. Having | I.4.2. Doing | I.4.3. Being |
I.5.1.1. Tangibles | I.4.2.1. Consume | I.4.3.1. Possessions/ Things |
I.5.1.2. Intangibles | I.4.2.2. Create | I.4.3.2. Habits/Acts |
I.4.1.3. Hypotheticals (Had / Will Have) | I.4.2.3. Experience | I.4.3.3. Narrative/Story |
I.6. Fitness / 6
I.6.1. Move
I.6.1.1. Aerobic
I.6.1.2. Anaerobic
I.6.2. Sleep & Diet
I.6.2.1. Minimum (sleep, macronutrients)
I.6.2.2. Maximum (sleep, calories)
I.6.3. Monitoring
I.6.3.1. Physical
I.6.4.1. Psychological
Basics | Advanced | |
Move | Aerobic | Anaerobic |
Sleep & Diet | Right amount | Right quality |
Monitoring | Physical | Psychological |
I.7. Finance / 6
I.7.1. Income
I.7.1.1. Active Income (i.e. sold for time/effort)
I.7.1.2. Passive Income (i.e. minimum, admin effort)
I.7.2. Expenses
I.7.2.1. Cost-Efficiency As Usual
I.7.2.2. Splurge On What Matters
I.7.3. Investing
I.7.3.1. Maximizing Inflow (New Investment)
I.7.3.2. Maximizing Return on Investment
Basics | Advanced | |
Income | Active | Passive |
Expenses | Budgeting | Splurging |
Net Income, accumulated | Flow of investment | Return on investment |
II. THE HOW (2C2D) / 24
II.1. Context, Awareness Of / 6
II.1.1. Science
III.1.1.1. Inorganic (Physics, Chemistry)
III.1.1.2. Organic (Biology)
II.1.2. Humanities
II.1.2.1. Macro (History/Sociology)
II.1.2.2. Micro (Anthropology/Fiction)
III.1.3. Self
III.1.3.1. Third Person (Biography)
III.1.3.2. First Person (Narrative)
Big Picture | Being You | |
World | Inorganic | Organic |
People | History | Fiction (incl. non-fiction) |
Yourself | Biography | Narrative |
II.2. Change, Response To / 6
II.2.1. Grand Transitions
II.2.1.1. Forced, e.g. age-driven (Biology more generally)
II.2.1.2. Owned, e.g. field-driven (School and career)
II.2.2. Situational Awareness
II.2.2.1. How are things outside
II.2.2.2. How are things inside
II.2.3. Operational Depth
II.2.3.1. External resources (assets)
II.2.3.2. Internal resources (resilience)
External | Internal | |
Stimulus | Nature/Forced | Nurture/Owned, partly |
Knowledge | Know Your Enemy | Know Thyself |
Response | Assets, resources | Capabilities, skills |
II.3. Direction, To Move In / 6
II.3.1. Dreams & Identities
II.3.1.1. Achieve a certain state (as yourself)
II.3.1.2. Become someone else (reweaving of the network of beliefs and desires)
II.3.2. Goals & Systems
II.3.2.1. Achieve a number of things/states
II.3.2.2. Achieve (implement, aka live) a process for achieving certain things/states
II.3.3. Steps & Habits
II.3.3.1. Break down a goal into steps (w/ milestones)
II.3.3.2. Micro-routines, rhythm, patterns
Move Forward | Move In Circles | |
Dreams & Identities | achieve a state | become someone |
Goals & Systems | achieve something | execute the process for achieving something |
Steps & Habits | next action step | routine rhythm |
II.4. Drive, For Moving / 6
II.4.1. Experimental (Win-Or-Learn)
II.4.1.1. Exploit
II.4.1.2. Explore
II.4.2. Contrarian (From 0 to 1)
II.4.2.1. Trust the System (incl. listen to others)
II.4.2.2. Think for Yourself (incl. FAFO)
II.4.3. Persistent (Compounding)
II.4.3.1. Stay on the course, without deviating (the only way is through)
II.4.3.2. Change the course, pivot (Einstein’s definition of idiocy)
Go With The Flow | Unpleasant Conversations | |
Openness to New Experiences | Exploit | Explore |
Agreeableness | Trust the System | Think for Yourself |
Compounding | Stay on the Course | Pivot |
III. THE WHY / 6
III.1. Passive | III.2. Active |
III.1.1. Following | III.2.1. Searching |
III.1.2. Living | III.2.2. Maximizing |
III.1.3. Watching | III.2.3. Leaving Traces (Smudges) |
III.2.3.1. Everything in life should end with, or by, you leaving slight traces, also known as smudges, on the face of the humanity. The intuition goes: If nobody notices you have died, or ever existed, well, what is the point of living?
III.2.3.2. You can argue that this is only for the creatives, i.e. great artists whose magnum opuses (magna opera) survive themselves by centuries and become an integral part of the Humanity’s cultural baggage, or the non-creative celebrities from whichever walk of life (e.g. sports, business, politics) that are well known by, or rather visible to, tons of people. But this is incorrect.
III.2.3.3. This process (for the fact itself does not matter, will not matter, after you are dead) of leaving dirt behind yourself has been designated as a noble cause. From an internal perspective e.g. Maslow’s “self-actualization”, but also from an external perspective, e.g. the over-used and obnoxious terms “impact” or “legacy” (faint corporate smell), inspiring the “future generations” (“paying it forward”, haha, as the money metaphors are more salient, more understandable to the median person in the 21st century) and the like.
III.2.3.4. Yes, you will be survived by other people that have known you and by things, tangible and intangible, that you have interacted with (bought, created, used, etc.). But you should know, well in advance (in advance of what? your death, of course – so the sooner, the better), what are these traces, or smudges, or dirt, that you are working on.
III.2.3.5. Just like anything else in this book, and in this life, this process of making a mark, in the broadest sense, is a useful tool in your survival kit and so an integral component of a meaningful life.
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