Having principles hurts sometimes

If everyone in the world just did whatever felt good to them in the moment, like some kind of hedonistic automatons, I think we can agree that most of what makes it tolerable to live in a society would go right out the window. Living together and working together as humans requires at least some modest guidelines.

What those guidelines look like and how they’re enforced is the subject of every leadership and organizational book ever written, whether they say it aloud or not. Who to hire, what to pay them, what work they should do, how they’re rewarded or punished for their behavior are all essentially guidelines.

We create our guidelines based on our principles. Principles are the underlying “whys” that drive our decisions. Having principles is important. Having principles can also be uncomfortable.

Not “hurts” as in causes you harm, but rather “hurts” as in creates discomfort.

What the Trump 2.0 presidency has demonstrated is how catastrophic it can be to allow your emotions to lead you all the time. Doing only what “feels good” instead of doing what is necessary, or doing what is aligned with your values.

[Standing up for your values is] Having values and standing up for them during the difficult times is… The value of having values.

Bill Gates said “the richest man in the world is killing the poorest children in the world.”

It’s hard to make tough decisions, and to endure temporary pain in exchange for long-term prosperity. I’m sure there are plenty of historical examples of this.

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