100 Essential Principles For Living A Meaningful Life
In a recent essay series on wisdom (part 1 and part 2), I argued that much of what passes for insight today — endlessly repackaged listicles and social media soundbites — is more about performance than substance. A glut of armchair philosophers peddle borrowed wisdom, signaling virtue rather than sharing hard-earned life experiences. This, of course, raises the obvious question: what makes this list any different?
Listbait or Clarity
People have strong opinions about lists — some love them, others deride them as clickbait. Personally, I like them because they force clarity. A good list distills complex ideas, cuts through the noise, and gets to the heart of what matters. It sharpens thinking, exposes contradictions, and turns vague notions into concrete ideas.
But not all lists are created equal. My goal here isn’t to convince anyone to love or hate them — that’s your call. What I did set out to do is create a list with real substance, not just another collection of feel-good platitudes. To get there, I undertook a ruthless process of elimination — starting with nearly 1,200 principles from dozens of sources. Over months of debate, refinement, and deep reflection, I stripped away everything inessential, leaving only what truly matters.
What remains, I hope, is more than a list — it’s a guide. A tool to help people take an honest look at how wisely they’re preparing for their future and how intentionally they’re living their lives.
Before we dive in, let me be clear: this is opinionated subjectivity, not gospel. I’m here to spark a conversation about essence — to ask: What are the most essential principles for living a meaningful, purposeful life?
I'd love to hear which principles you would add, keep, or cut away?
100 Principles For Living A Meaningful Life
-Trust.
-Loyalty.
-Forgive.
-Don't lie.
-Move on.
-Just start.
-Take risks.
-Be curious.
-Read more.
-Make noise.
-Don't settle.
-Ask for help.
-Listen better.
-Make the call.
-Embrace fear.
-Set boundaries.
-Reflect & ponder.
-Express creativity.
-Embrace solitude.
-Practice patience.
-Master something.
-Tolerate ambiguity.
-Delay gratification.
-Say no more often.
-Trust your instincts.
-Remain astonished.
-Prepare relentlessly.
-Try. Then try harder.
-No rain, no rainbow.
-Keep your promises.
-Test. Iterate. Improve.
-Just wait. It will come.
-Process ＞ Outcomes.
-Never be too available.
-Do the next right thing.
-Live your life not theirs.
-Practice. Practice more.
-Be brave & courageous.
-Be less suspicious of joy.
-Do things that scare you.
-Smile more. Laugh more.
-The golden rule is golden.
-Honor your commitments.
-The right time is right now.
-Focus on the current thing.
-When you mess up, fess up.
-When you don't know, say so.
-What is right ＞ Who is right?
-What I learned ＞ What I did?
-Collect blisters > Chasing bliss.
-Live memorably. Make memories.
-Listening to your brain is optional.
-Admit mistakes freely and quickly.
-Don't mistake attention for action.
-See failures as lessons in progress.
-Learn. Learn more. Keep Learning.
-Ask questions. Ask more questions.
-Banish expectations expand wonder.
-Don't borrow trouble from yesterday.
-Find yourself by choosing to get lost.
-Encourage children to ask questions.
-Look. Watch. Observe. Pay Attention.
-Remind yourself that you wanted this.
-Stretch your life with new experiences.
-Tell someone who matters they matter.
-Listening is not waiting your turn to talk.
-When you're done changing, you're done.
-You're never as stuck as you think you are.
-Success is never final. Failure is never fatal.
-If it doesn't improve on silence, don't say it.
-Today's struggle builds tomorrow's strength.
-Forget the mistakes. Remember the lessons.
-It's not an apology if it comes with an excuse.
-Show me your friends, I'll show you your future.
-Develop a strong opinion about what to exclude.
-Learn what those around you need and respect it.
-Say hello and thank you more often to more people.
-Let go of what you don't control and cannot change.
-Happen to life instead of letting life to happen to you.
-The happiest people are not constantly chasing more.
-You choose: the pain of regret or the pain of discipline.
-Accept the inevitable pain. Avoid the optional suffering.
-You can only ever be as good as you are willing to suck.
-If you don’t like the rules at their table, build your own table.
-Sometimes do the exact opposite of what they're expecting.
-Reputations take years to build and only seconds to destroy.
-Accept what is, let go of what was, have faith in what will be.
-If you're the smartest person in the room, find another room.
-Be bold. Take risks. We only regret the chances we don't take.
-Change, discomfort, and uncertainty are life's greatest teachers.
-If you don't respect their advice you need to ignore their criticism.
-Just because it's not your fault doesn't mean it's not your problem.
-Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.
-Create opportunities by pursuing them, not by expecting for them to appear.
-People come into our lives to add, subtract, multiply, or divide. Figure out which.
-Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.
-If you're not willing to learn no one can help you; If you are no one can stop you.
-You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Choose them wisely.
-Our presence and undivided attention is the best gift we can give others. Just ask children.
-You learn everything you need to know about a person by how they treat service staff. Do not ignore this.