Review: Principles by Ray Dalio

I read this book again because it was recommended to me as the “best book on learning how to be effective.” So far, I agree.

Already, I am using an “issues log”, designing experiments, seeing every failure I make and every success I achieve as artifacts to analyze.

My biggest takeaway from this reading is summed up in this quote,

I learned that everyone makes mistakes and has weaknesses and that one of the most important things that differentiates people is their approach to handling them.

It’s cliche to say that you should learn from your mistakes… But Principles attacks the concept from all angles, successfully persuades you to believe and act on it, and teaches you how to do it exactly.

I plan to read this book every 3 months for the rest of 2015, and then annually after that.

It’s one of those books you have to be ready for. The first time I read it was in 2013, when I first quit my job. It’s 2015, and man, it is a different, way more useful, book. And if you’ve opened it before, it’s worth revisiting even if you first found it not-so-useful.

Read: Principles (free PDF)