Ray Dalio talks about distilling the way he lives his life into written principles that guide his future actions. He wrote a book called Principles to share some of these with the world.

I read and enjoyed the book – it’s definitely one that I recommend and have gifted.

But I haven’t really grasped how I might create my own principles, though I think I do now, at least in my own small way.

I have been faced with a couple of decisions lately. They aren’t life shattering but are choices about how I want to spend my time and money. I realized that in my life, I tend to desire experiences and adventures higher than some other things. This realization has helped tremendously to guide me in my decision making. Once I realize that I want to choose for maximum experience and adventure, the decision is clear even though it may mean that I can’t also have something else I want.

What are your guiding principles and how do they effect your decision making?