Principled people are... Behavioral characteristics, definition and interesting facts

Darius Foroux wrote an article for The Mission where he listed 7 principles for a happy life, good health and prosperity. At first glance, these are simple truths familiar to everyone. But 99% of people don't do what they know. LABA publishes an updated translation of the material.

At the beginning of 2020, I was worried about what would happen to my career. The year before, I had given up my entrepreneurial ambitions and moved to London to work for an IT company.

Actually, there was nothing wrong with that. The company paid well, employees received many benefits, and the team was great. But it seemed to me that this was not for me and that I had betrayed my dream of entrepreneurship.

On top of that, my personal life went downhill. My girlfriend and I ended our relationship, and that same week my grandmother, whom I loved dearly, passed away suddenly.

I was overwhelmed with various experiences, it seemed that I did not understand anything in this life. Have you ever had this feeling?

What is life? What should you do? When you appear in this world, you are not given instructions on how to become a worthy person.

Tired of my aimless existence, I began to look for answers - for the first time in my life.

Returning to Holland for my grandmother's funeral, I met with one of my mentors. The last time we spoke was before I moved to London. I told my mentor about what was happening to me, to which he replied:

There is no right or wrong way to live your life, but there are still some principles based on which you can live happily, in good health and prosperity.

Naturally, I asked him what these principles were. And Mr. Miyagi answered me in his own style: “I think you know these principles. Everyone knows about them. But 99% of people don’t do what they know.”

This is one of the wisest truths I have heard, because we rarely do what we say. And I'm no exception.

I spent the next year thinking and searching for these principles. I was trying to figure out, “What do people usually talk about but never do?”

Courses on the topic:

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Pavel Kharikov, Head of IoT at Veon Group (Kyivstar, Beeline)

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Vitaly Nuzhny, ex-Vice President, Automotive Engineering at Luxoft

Basic concept

Principled people are individuals in whom a certain core of behavior is fixed, which they adhere to always and everywhere. A person has a set of his own rules and beliefs, which he uses under any circumstances.

There is also the opposite meaning - an unprincipled person. This is precisely the person who does not have a specific formed model of behavior. It’s quite easy to put pressure on such people with someone else’s opinion.

Negative side of influence

1. It seems to me that a person is capable of becoming a hostage to his own thoughts, in the case of a clearly expressed adherence to principles. There are events and situations, reactions to which require more detailed study, action not according to the template, and sometimes contrary to personal moral standards.
2. Obsession is the most common problem of people who are mired in their beliefs. They are ready to push this thought into everyone, either of their own free will or by force. It happens that an individual turns into an unbearable creature with whom it is impossible to build a dialogue.
3. Other relatives can also use the principles. So, for example, knowing the “weak” sides of a person, you can safely sit on her neck and ride until you get tired of it. That is, the person has become too predictable in his behavior pattern.
4. Leading with clear rules causes the brain to atrophy. Why think when you can apply your favorite template and explain your decision thanks to it? Really, really convenient!
5. Uncompromisingness and the inability to make concessions are quite negative qualities for a modern person striving for high levels of communication skills. A very honest image, when the desire to “cut from the shoulder” with principled arguments outweighs logic and tact, forces one to refuse to deal with such a personality type.

Positive sides

Is a principled person good or bad? There is no exact answer to this question. In him, just like in any other person, there are a lot of positive and negative qualities. In total, there are seven main advantages:

1. It is very difficult to impose your opinion on such a person. He always has a clear, persistent “working” position, which he adheres to throughout his life. Most likely, people respect him for this.
2. Despite the fact that the circumstances around this person will always change, he will continue to correspond to his demeanor, this will allow him to always stay afloat.
3. Such people never doubt themselves. They are confident that everything will go according to their rules.
4. The psychological object will usually achieve great success in life. It is quite difficult to scare him off with something, and it is almost impossible to convince him.
5. Principled people are the most reliable individuals. If they say that they will do something at such and such a time, then you can not doubt them. They will cope with this task no matter what, so as not to contradict their behavior.
6. The individual has formed a “steel” character. For this, his relatives, friends and colleagues will respect him.
7. Life is easier for such a person. He always has the right way out of the situation for any situation.

Based on the description of all the positive qualities, it is not difficult to create a sociological portrait. What does “man of principle” mean? This is a self-confident person who cannot be influenced by someone else’s opinion.

Human life principles: creating the ground under our feet

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Hello friends. Yuri Okunev is with you.

Today we’ll talk about human life principles. What are they, do you need them, how to find them and integrate them into your self-organization system.

What are the principles of life?

We have already noted that in the system of self-organization, principles play the role of boundaries within which we move towards our goal. Moreover, it is rather heaven and earth, above and below. The width of the channel is determined by the formulation of the mission and life goal.

Principles are the rules of the game for achieving your goals. If players start breaking the rules, the game loses its meaning. A football player who makes his way to the enemy goal using hand grenades and a Kalashnikov assault rifle is unlikely to receive a prize for winning the game.

We play exchange. The main idea of ​​this game is to provide something useful to the world.

If we destroy our planet in pursuit of success, the game will lose its meaning. If we destroy our values ​​(family, health, friendships, etc.), victory, whatever it may be, is unlikely to make us happy.

You can give this image. Values ​​are the inner circle, our zone of happiness. What we always want to see in our lives. Principles are an outer circle, a boundary that we will not cross in our actions under any circumstances.

The latter is a vital principle. They are the ones that interest us in the first place.

How to find your principles?

The principles are formed along two vectors.

1. Which I will not do under any circumstances.
2. What should I do.

The method of modeling limiting situations will help us decide. We take each of our values ​​in turn. And we are looking for a boundary that we will not cross, either for the sake of the highest result, or to avoid complete failure.

For example, let's take value - wealth, material security, money . Let's ask ourselves:

What will I not do even for a hundred million (billion) dollars? What will I not do even if I have no livelihood left?

I must warn you that extreme situations, even imaginary ones, are always an uncomfortable zone. Don't try to avoid scary and awkward questions. They are the ones who will show where your internal boundaries lie.

The gradient might look like this:

• For the sake of wealth, are you able to deceive a colleague or kill an animal? A person? Your child?
• In order not to die of hunger, can you steal, rob, kill, engage in prostitution? What if your family’s life is at stake?

After the pendulum of possible situations swings in your head from one extreme to the other, it is necessary to formulate the identified principle in an acceptable, positive form.

The positive form implies the absence of any negatives in the text. If you come to the definition: “I will never cheat for the sake of money,” you should write down as a principle: “I conduct my affairs honestly.”

Acceptability implies that you choose boundaries that make practical sense for you to adhere to. Honesty increases your self-esteem and the trust your clients place in you. And the principle “I will not kill my children for money” is unlikely to be needed by a mentally healthy person.

Having worked through all your values ​​in this way, you will receive a basic list of your own principles.

Next, you can ask the question, what principles do history and culture offer us?

We look at the Ten Commandments of Moses, the Sermon on the Mount of Christ, the regulative and religious principles of the Vedas, the moral code of the builder of communism, Hubbard’s “The Way to Happiness” and any other lists of life principles that are available to us.

Comparing them with the list received earlier, we supplement, expand, reduce, and arrange until we are completely satisfied - until we get those rules, following which will really make our life the way we want it to be.

Following principles is not easy

Following the principles means following the football rules in the match, even if the opponent pulls out a nuclear bomb from his wide trousers.

A truly principled person can be one for whom principle is more important than life.

At one time I was struck by an episode from the film “The Battle of the Red Cliff”.

The hero swears on his head that he will get ten thousand arrows by morning, and when the morning recount shows that there are only 9900, he is ready to accept execution without trying to justify himself.

From our point of view, what difference does it make 9900 or 10000: the task of providing the army with arrows has been completed. But for a person for whom honor is more valuable than life, it does not matter how many percent the promise is not fulfilled. Living without keeping your word is unthinkable.

• Jesus went to the cross, affirming the principle of love for God.
• Giordano Bruno chose a fire to prove the true structure of the solar system.
• King Leonidas led his Spartans to the Thermopylae Gorge, following the duty of a king and a warrior.

Why do we need principles if they are so difficult to follow? What good are they? Why play by the rules when many don't follow them?

To begin with, imagine two people standing next to each other. One is principled, the other is unprincipled. Who would you like to do business with? Go on reconnaissance? To live next door?

Yes, perhaps it’s more difficult with a principled person: he will demand that you fulfill your duties precisely. But in general, living surrounded by principled people is safer than vice versa.

So, principled people stabilize society, make it safer, understandable, and predictable. Okay, but why should we be like that? Life is already not an easy thing, why complicate it further by introducing additional restrictions? I will answer.

What are you getting

The main purpose of the principles is to ensure movement towards the set goals . This is insurance that prevents the climber from falling into the abyss when his fingers slip and his legs lose support. An additional guide for situations in which there are no guidelines. The basis that allows you to stay on your feet and not lose sight of your goal in a flurry of incoming life events.

Let's move on. Having principles makes a person undoubtedly more valuable to society. And if we are committed to sharing and serving, living up to the principles is a worthwhile investment of effort. Following the principles makes you a better person .

By following the principles, you become stronger .

Imagine a person who always keeps his word. He promised that such and such a project would be completed by tomorrow morning. And so he comes to you and says, “I need you to do such and such part of the project. Now".

It is likely that he will not even have to pull a bazooka out of his pocket and hit you on the head for the necessary actions to be completed. But if necessary, he will do it. His life is at stake, and often his responsibility for other people. It is impossible to refuse.

The principle in this case creates the pressure necessary to achieve the goal. Ordinary water supplied from a high-pressure unit cuts steel and concrete.

Strength is required to follow principles. It is more difficult to win with the rules than without the rules. This means that you need power more than other people. You begin to consciously develop it in yourself. The power of persuasion, the power of example, physical strength, etc.

Principles give order . Order is a necessary condition for effective activity.

By following the principles, you make your contribution to the creation of a reasonable society in which you live and your children will live.

Lack of principles may lead to short-term benefits, but is always a loss in the long term. An unprincipled person loses friends, partners, relatives, and employees. Nobody wants to work with him. And it is almost impossible to create anything noticeable in this world alone. Any big project is a team effort.

To summarize we can say:

Principles ensure that we achieve our long-term goals because they allow us to gain the support of other people and protect us from making fatal mistakes.

The place of life principles in the system of self-organization.

Let's take a table of our values ​​and key areas of activity and provide it with principles.

The principle must be defined as precisely as possible. In this tablet we have indicated the names of the principles. But we need to define for ourselves what exactly we mean by this.

For example, “Healthy eating” is understood by one as first, second, third and dessert; second, as a balanced amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates; the third considers a diet containing a lot of meat healthy, the fourth considers vegetarianism, the fifth a raw food diet. Reveal your principles, Describe them.

Using your knowledge and common sense, describe what you understand by each principle. In the future, your understanding will definitely change, but first you need to at least look at it from the outside.

Don't try to jump over your head ahead of time. Write down what you actually observe in your life. The most hardworking ones are allowed to fantasize and further describe how it would be ideally.

That's it. A few hours of hard work and your individual system of life principles has been created. I give a ready list of principles as a guideline, options from world authorities and feedback on your work in the “RPD time management” course. But the above is more than enough to obtain acceptable results.

Dare, achieve your goals, prosper and succeed. Share information with friends, subscribe to blog updates.

And if you still have questions, I invite you to an individual consultation. Details here.

Sincerely yours, Yuri Okunev.

Negative qualities

There are also several negative aspects regarding this person:

1. Such people almost always have enemies. Not everyone shares the same views on what is happening.
2. Often such individuals become “slaves” of their behavior. Perhaps they sometimes want to take a slightly different path, but they cannot afford it, since an incorrect step would be contrary to their principles.
3. A principled person is some kind of obsessive psychotype who wants to instill his “ideal” opinion in absolutely everyone and is not ready to give in. Often communication with him becomes unbearable.
4. There was an opinion that if you always adhere to the established behavior, you won’t have to “strain” your brain once again. This may soon lead to a stop in intellectual development.
5. Such people become bad colleagues with whom it is difficult to work well.

As a rule, it is easier for such psychological objects to live alone than with those who do not take into account the principles they impose.

Time is more valuable than money

Of all the world's resources, time is the most valuable. “Dude, it’s kind of obvious.” Why do we collectively waste time as if we have an eternity at our disposal?

Do you sometimes wonder how long you have left on Earth? Even if you live to be 80, it's not that long if you waste your time.

Be judicious with your time management. Don't throw it around like you can get it back. You can always earn more money spent, but you will never get back the lost time.

Time passes irrevocably and forever.

German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer:

The average person is concerned with how to kill time, but the talented person strives to use it.

Opposite concept: positive qualities

Unprincipledness is the opposite of principledness. People endowed with this quality also have several positive aspects:

• This is a very free person. They do not have a developed manner of behavior that they have to adhere to in absolutely any situation. They can decide for themselves how and when they will act.
• It is pleasant to communicate with such people and easy to cooperate with. They can always change their minds and listen to what their colleagues or acquaintances tell them.
• They constantly have to think, since new circumstances for them force them to develop a completely different manner of behavior.

An unprincipled person is “easy-going.” His soul is always open to new experiences and unknown impressions.

Go your own way

We often take our cues from those around us: fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, bosses, mentors, authors, entrepreneurs, artists.

I've done this before and, to be honest, I still do this to this day. Learning from others is one of my best life skills. Humility is a quality that is undoubtedly positive.

But here’s the problem: you are not all these people. You are you.

Get off the beaten path and create your own. Of course, it is much easier to follow the beaten path, but you will not get satisfaction. Your achievements in life are worth more than money, status, or even comfort.

Don't be afraid to go in an unknown direction. Go where no man has gone before. How can you tell when you're moving in a new direction? They won't understand you. And this is good.

“Anything for $10” is the slogan of the American company The Something Store. The principle is this: anyone can pay $10 and receive a parcel with an unknown product for exactly that amount.

The store owners guarantee that all products are new and not prohibited for sale in the United States.

At the time of the startup's launch, observers called the founders crazy. But the idea turned into a profitable business.

Niccolo Machiavelli:

People almost always follow paths made by others, imitating the action.

The Opposite of Integrity: Negative Qualities

Every individual has positive and negative qualities. Those people who do not adhere to any principles are no exception. In total, there are several negative aspects:

• It is difficult to rely on such a person. For example, you asked for help: he responded to this request, arrived on time and completed his task efficiently. This does not mean that if you ask him to do something again, he will react the same way.
• The opinion of such a person often changes. He is subject to other people. Today he will firmly insist on his point of view, and tomorrow he will change his position.
• Unscrupulousness is a rather dangerous quality from a psychological point of view. You can expect anything from such a person.

Thus, it is possible to create a psychological portrait of this person. A person is a “slave” of his mood. One day he is having fun - he is ready for new discoveries and experiments. Another day he will turn into a boring guy who is not interested in anything that happens around him.

Avoid negative thinking at all costs

Everyone knows about this, but I have almost never met people who do this. People cope with negativity at work, at home, with family and friends.

And there is no strangeness here, because negativity surrounds us everywhere.

Negative thinking is literally installed in our brain and passed on through generations.

That’s why there are so many complaints, lies, accusations, betrayal, jealousy and cruelty around.

This prevents us from enjoying life. Why then do we allow ourselves to be drawn into the cycle of negativity? The problem is that people try to see only the good in others.

"He didn't mean anything bad."

"She'll turn around and look at me."

"He didn't mean to offend me."

"Everything will change".

You know that it is impossible to change a person, right? Then why are you trying to do this? People change only when they themselves want to.

Avoid negativity. At any cost.

Scientists are increasingly talking about the psychological factor as one of the causes of cancer. Cancer is a multifactorial disease (several factors favorable to the disease need to “meet”).

And negative emotions in this tandem can play the role of a catalyst that triggers the mechanism of cancer cell division.

Character

What do you call a principled person and an unprincipled one? This image can be “broken” into several components.

What does it mean to be a person of principle?

We often hear about ourselves or other people such phrases as “follow the principle”, “be principled”; these phrases have become firmly established in everyday life and are used almost every day in the most ordinary conversations. Principled people are those who act exclusively in accordance with their beliefs and life attitudes. But this does not mean at all that actions in accordance with personal principles can be 100% appropriate and their positive or negative coloring depends on the beliefs held by a particular person.

What is integrity? For example, a person’s life attitudes presuppose that he fights for the truth, knowing that this fight will bring some problems, but nevertheless does not abandon his principles. This behavior can only be approved, the person did not chicken out, was not afraid of troubles, we can conclude that the truth for this person is more important than his own comfort and well-being.

Interesting Facts

• There is a simple way to understand whether a person is principled or not. The speech of a principled individual will be filled with phrases: “I am sure of this,” “I always do this,” “I said it will be like this,” and others.
• It is difficult for such individuals to establish communication even with the closest people.
• Principled people are selfish. As a rule, in most cases, they are unhappy.
• An unprincipled person is the most unreliable.
• Principled people are negative characters who always stick to their own opinions in order to satisfy their demands. They rarely think about the feelings of others.

Do what life expects of you

Look around you - life is uncertain. Why were you born to your parents? Why do you live here? Why were you bullied at school? A million questions.

Do you know the answers to them? I doubt it.

Instead of fighting reality, accept your life circumstances. No matter how bad they are.

Everything is exactly as it should be. Look at life from the perspective that no matter where you are, there is always a reason for it. God, the universe, invisible forces.

It doesn’t matter what is happening right now, but if life requires some action from you, be kind enough to play your role.

How does positive integrity manifest itself?

What is integrity and how to detect it? Most often this manifests itself in the details. For example, many people, as a matter of principle, do not give bribes, do not bring gifts to managers, even if they know that such an act may be necessary, may help advance their career, and so on.

But the fact remains that a person cannot deviate from his principles only if these are true and correct beliefs. This integrity and honesty can be considered positive and should be accepted and supported.

How can good turn into evil?

There are often situations when the principles seem correct, but something goes wrong, and good turns into evil not only for the person himself, but also for those around him. A good example of the problem of integrity is the story of a monk who, as a matter of principle, spoke only the truth all his life. Seems like nothing bad, right? But not everything is so simple, one day he saw people hiding in a cave from forest robbers, the entrance to which was disguised by bushes. The robbers were confused and turned to the monk asking where the fugitives had gone. In fact, the monk had to save innocent people, but due to his principles, he, without hesitation, revealed the place where the fugitives were hiding.

It turns out that the monk did the wrong thing, it seems that he did not betray his principles, but violated much more important principles in life - the need to be faithful to goodness and justice. There is also such a thing as male integrity. Here a lot of questions arise for the fair sex. Male integrity or excessive jealousy? These concepts are sometimes intertwined. To thoroughly understand the issue, we recommend reading the book “Male Integrity, or How to Catch Your Betrothed” by Queen Margot. It will be interesting.

What is integrity? Discussion: integrity

Integrity - (lat. principium - foundation, origin) - a positive moral quality that characterizes a person and his actions; means loyalty to a certain idea in beliefs and consistent implementation of this idea in behavior. P. in itself is not yet a meaningful moral characteristic of a person, for it concerns only the form of his moral consciousness (inner conviction) and method of behavior (consistency), but does not affect their social orientation. Therefore, while condemning unprincipled behavior under all conditions, when assessing the behavior demonstrated by people, communist morality necessarily takes into account the specific content of those moral principles that are professed and practiced. You can recognize the behavior of your ideological opponent, but at the same time condemn its inhumane nature in content. The highest form of P. is consistency in the beliefs and practical activities of supporters of communist ideals, because in their content these ideals are the most humane and fair of all the ideals that humanity has known. For modern The enemies of communism, on the contrary, are characterized by unprincipledness, readiness to resort to any means to achieve a goal (Goals and Means), slander, and demagoguery. Communist philosophy is hostile to fanaticism and dogmatism, because the moral principles of communism are based on a scientific analysis of the laws of history and require their creative application. Communist politics excludes opportunism and opportunism in politics. Communist morality condemns the practice of deceiving the masses, allegedly committed “for the sake of their own interests,” and other immoral means of achieving set goals, characteristic of reactionary ideology and politics.

Search for principles

The basic principles of life should be formed according to two main positions:

1. What will I not do under any circumstances?
2. What I should do?

To determine the principles, it is worth using the method of limiting situations. Everything is done very simply. We take each of our values ​​in turn and begin to look for the boundary that we will not cross either to achieve a goal or to avoid problems.

For example, you can take values ​​such as wealth, money, material stability. Next, you should ask yourself: “What wouldn’t I do even for a billion dollars?” And also ask the question: “What will I not do, even if I am at the bottom?”

When searching for principles, don't shy away from uncomfortable and difficult questions. Even if the situations are imaginary, they are always outside the comfort zone, therefore they show where a person’s internal boundaries are. For example, you can ask yourself: “Am I ready to kill an animal, deceive a colleague, a child for the sake of wealth?” On the other hand, you can ask the following question: “In order not to die of hunger, am I ready to commit theft, murder, etc.?” After the pendulum begins to swing from one extreme to the other, the established principle must be expressed in a positive form.