Are You Ready to Live by Your Principles?

Find your principles. And stand for them.
Choose clarity – not compromise.

What Are Principles, Really?

“Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behavior that gets you what you want out of life.”
– Ray Dalio

To me, principles aren’t rules, dogmas, or moral frameworks. They’re roots. Invisible – yet everything stands on them.

They move like intuition. You feel them – they’re not theoretical. When I act against them, there’s friction. In the body. In the mind. Often as contraction, a pull inside. And sometimes, a clear inner Yes appears – despite fear or resistance. That’s often where they live: on the edge between courage and hesitation.

They kick in before the decision – and they remain after the action. When everything wobbles, when the mind has no answer, when the outside gets loud – they’re there. And they carry me.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one last freedom: the freedom to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
– Viktor Frankl

Principles are exactly that inner posture. Not a goal. Not a plan. But the ground my inner fire stands on.

What Principles Are Not – And Where Their Shadows Lie

Principles can give you strength – or become a burden. They’re not a free pass for stubbornness. Not an excuse to stop questioning yourself. Not a shield to hide behind.

A principle is never an excuse to avoid depth.

The German term Prinzipienreiter (literally: principle-rider) captures this shadow side well: someone who clings to their principles no matter the context. Pedantic. Rigid. Deaf to what the moment actually asks for.

Typical lines from this mode sound like:

“I should…”
“I have to…”
“If I don’t…, then…”
“This is just how it’s done.”

None of this is what I mean when I speak of principles. My kind of principles are alive. They move from the inside out. They’re not a rulebook, but a trail. Not a cage – but a compass.

Differentiating Principles from Values and Goals

Values are often abstract – like love, honesty, respect. Principles, on the other hand, show up in action.
Goals point to the future. Principles apply now. Always. Even without a goal.

Goals tell you where to go.
Values tell you what matters.
Principles tell you how you walk.

And sometimes, yes – the old stablemaster just rides a different principle. 😉

How to Recognize Your Own Principles

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
– James Clear

In other words: you often don’t recognize your principles by what you say – but by what you do when no one’s watching. By what you can no longer do, even if it would be easier. Or more profitable. Or expected.

One example from my own life: I once left a work partnership – even though I truly appreciated the people, the place, and the collaboration. On paper, everything looked right. But something in me felt off. Subtle, quiet, but real. The honest part in me knew: If I stayed, it would be out of comfort. Or loyalty. Or fear of disappointing others. But not out of truth. So I spoke it. I stepped out. With care, but with clarity. Not because it was easy – but because it was real. And I knew: even if it hurt, I had honored a principle.

I show up honestly – even when it hurts.

If this resonated with you – I send occasional notes.
Supportive reminders to reconnect.

Yes please

5 Principles That Carry My Life

Over time, I’ve uncovered some inner sentences that have stayed with me. They didn’t come from books. They came from failing. From friction. From listening. These are five that lead me most clearly:

I don’t act out of escape – I act from inner stillness.

This is alive right now in Da Nang. Part of me wants to leave – head to Cambodia, to Laos, to something new. But another part speaks louder: Stay. Go deeper. Write. Focus. Be exact.

There’s tension. A pull to move. But I don’t go just because it would be more exciting. I stay because I know: movement now would be a distraction. And that’s how I know – this is not escape. This is presence.

I don’t force decisions – they come in silence.

When I was selling my truck – my home on wheels – I received offers. I almost accepted. Out of pressure. Out of the wish to be done. But something inside wasn’t ready. No clear yes.

So I didn’t decide. Didn’t reject, didn’t sell, didn’t explain. I waited – until the decision came. No force. No push. And suddenly there was clarity – a new tone, a different stance. I rewrote the entire sales text. More honest. More powerful. No compromise. (More on that in this article.)

I don’t follow the herd – I follow my inner voice.

I built my website in English. I don’t use optimized funnels. I don’t follow the „this is how it’s done“ formulas. I know what works in the marketing world. But that’s not me. Not what I want to express.

My site is quiet. Personal. Deep. If you find it, you find me – not a brand. I’m not here to convince. I’m here to resonate. (More on that in this article.)

I’m Team Freedom. Always.

I go all in. And I let go. With people. With places. With ideas. I don’t want to hold on to what doesn’t stay on its own. I don’t want to be held when I need to move.

It shows up in relationships. Again and again. I ask: Is it still true? Do I still want to be here? Does the other person? If not – we leave. With love. Without drama. Without grasping.

I live in a truck. I travel light. I want freedom – and I want to offer it. And yes, it hurts sometimes. But it’s real.

I don’t decide with just my mind – I decide with my whole body.

I sense places. People. Texts. My body often knows before my mind. If my chest tightens or my belly pulls – something’s off. If it opens, lightens, expands – that’s a yes.

I choose cafés by the light. Countries by air pressure. I walk instead of calculating. I trust what I can’t prove – but feel. And every time I follow that, I’m closer to myself.

These principles carry me. And they continue to evolve – through experience, through living, through the quiet between everything.

Some only become clear when I violate them. When I feel: That wasn’t true. That wasn’t me. And next time, I know: I won’t cross that line again.

What Others Say About Principles

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
– Stephen Covey

Principles help you keep the core intact – even when life gets loud. Even when you doubt. Even when others want you to be someone else.

“Your actions are your only true belongings.”
– Buddhist teaching

Not your thoughts. Not your feelings. Your actions show who you really are.

What Happens When You Betray Your Principles?

You feel it. Maybe not right away. But soon. As restlessness. As tension. As a subtle, dragging dissonance.

To betray a principle is like swimming against your own current. It costs energy – and it pulls you off track.

What Happens When You Live Them?

You get stronger. Clearer. More centered. Not always more comfortable for others – but more real for yourself. And that realness attracts what belongs to you.

When you know your principles, you don’t need to overthink every decision. You know where you stand. And you know what to do – even when it’s hard.

3 Ways to Find Your Own Principles

Watch yourself in edge moments.
When did you act against yourself? And what would you have needed instead?
Listen to your body.
Principles don’t live in the head. You feel them in your chest, your belly, your back.
Write them down.
In clear, simple sentences. No fluff. No performance. Just truth.

In the End

“I didn’t know that principles could be so quiet – and so strong.”

Maybe you’ll only discover yours after you’ve crossed them. Maybe they’ll rise when everything else falls away. Maybe they’ve been in you all along – just waiting to be remembered.

Find them. And stand for them.

Choose clarity – not compromise.

If this resonated with you – I send occasional notes.
Supportive reminders to reconnect.