💡 First principles thinking
+ How I've used it in my life | Wisdom Letter #244
I’m taking the Ship30 daily writing challenge where I’m writing 1 mini essay every day. Today’s essay is about first principles thinking, I thought you might find it useful, so sharing it here. So let’s start -
First principles thinking - How I've used it in my life:
Most people don't think from first principles.
They carry the baggage of their peers, their idols or society's expectations when making any decision.
Sometimes they just do certain things because of convention.
Without ever questioning if what they're doing has any solid foundation in logic or not.
A very simple example of this is an addiction like smoking.
Most people start this vice out of peer pressure. Because they see their friends, families or co-workers smoking. And they just want to "fit in"
But soon they're on the downward spiral of a lifelong struggle with addiction, disease and possible death.
I've never smoked a cigarette in my life.
I don't say it as a matter of pride. But only to explain my point.
At a very young age, around 17 or 18, when my friends were trying out smoking, I asked myself this question - what's the point of this habit?
Why am I pulled towards it? Why are people around me trying it out?
Am I missing out on life if I don't smoke?
If there was no peer pressure would I still take up this habit? Would I still do it if no one else around me was doing it?
The answer was a resounding no. I knew then that this is not something I'm ever going to fall for.
If you think from first principles - smoking doesn't make any sense. Then why would you do it?
15 years later I asked myself the same question in the context of my career.
I had -
• A "good" job
• A great salary
• And everything a 33 year old middle class guy from India would aspire for.
But did a traditional 9-5 make sense when thinking from first principles?
Were the 50 hour work weeks, the stress of office politics and the creative handcuffs placed on me worth it?
Did I aspire for the life that people 10 years ahead of me were living?
Was this the only way to make a living?
The answer was a resounding NO!
That's when I knew that traditional employment wasn't for me, it just didn't make sense. So I did the most logical thing possible - I quit my job to work for myself.
I could probably go on with many more such examples of first principles thinking in my life and outside in the world.
But for now, I want to leave you with a few questions that will help you reason your decisions better.
Ask yourself - What decisions in your life are taken just because of external pressure or convention?
If all external forces didn't exist, and you were taking this decision in vacuum, will you still make the same choice?
How would you reason this choice from first principles?
• The career your choose
• The relationship you're in
• The business idea you're pursuing
Or anything else in life - have you thought from first principles?
Other essays I wrote this week -
Thank you for reading.
Which of these ideas resonates the most with you?
What would you like to read more about?
Hit reply and let me know. I will explore those ideas deeper and write more on those topics.
That’s it for today.
See you next week 👋
We’ll be back with more interesting notes, highlights and curations.
Cheers,
Ayush & Aditi