“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
I came across this quote while reading through The 4-Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferriss and my heart nearly skipped a beat.
A true “aha” moment for me when the lights really flashed inside of my head.
Needless to say, this was about 20 minutes ago(1:10am) when I should be going to bed for my 9am English class tomorrow. But when the light turns on, I can’t let it just burn out.
I have been a passionate student of business for the past 2 and a half years and this single quote really stands out in my mind, I’d like to share why with you.
To start off, I’ll break down the quote in my own words…
“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few.”
When I think about how many millions of people have been experienced success, whether it be a pro athlete or living the life of a Buddhist Monk, it makes sense that there can be a million or more methods to achieving something.
I mean, if you want to become a millionaire there are plenty of methods to becoming one.
-Pro Athlete
-Start a Company
-Saving and Investing
-etc, etc
If you want to be successful, there are plenty of methods to become successful.
“The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods”
However, this is where it really starts to *click* for me.
If I can learn to grasp a the principle for achieving something, then I will have the opportunity to choose my own method of achieving it. How cool is that? This is where it gets important.
“The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.”
If you are trying method after method trying to do something and it isn’t working, there is a reason. I’ve been there and I had to go through the trouble the hard way, it sucks. I’m just trying to help save you the trouble. I was ignoring the principles, I was trying ALL the methods and was not experiencing success.
We’ve all heard or read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and understand that it talks about certain principles that will lead to you thinking your way into wealth. At first when I heard it, I didn’t believe it. Skeptic? Yes I was. After reading the book and reading this quote, I start to realize the importance of the principles contained in that book. In that book are the principles to wealth.
What do you truly want to accomplish?
Let’s face it, someone has done whatever it is that we want to accomplish before us. They did it without as much money as us, without the skills that we already possess and they did it in less time than we thought was possible. Do you know why they accomplished it?
They found out which principles worked and applied these principles to what it was that they were doing!
Simple, effective, and most of all FUN.
Think about what it is that you want to accomplish at this point in your life. Then I’d like you to find the principles that someone has already used to accomplish what it is you want. Learn these principles from them and then you can use your own methods!
This is a fairly long post, but it was something that I wanted to share. Share what you’d like to accomplish with me in the comments below. Sharing helps you solidify your “why” because it is out there. It may help you find someone who’s done what you would like to already. So let’s hear it!
