Abide by the natural laws, don’t try to work against them.
One of the innermost core parts of Stephen Covey’s philosophies is to live according to principles. Principles are like natural laws. If this, then that. There is a natural flow & directionality to things. You can try to swim upstream, but you will ultimately fail. Instead, let the waters of the universal truths carry you to where you want to go.
Stephen never really explained principles well enough for me to grasp what he means by them, and how they’re distinct from values. Some examples he’s given definitely are also on people’s lists of “my values” - such as “fairness”, “honesty”, “trust”, and “integrity”.
Principle-Centered Examples
- Do not lie to seem more trustworthy
- Do not cheat in the name of playing fair
- In short, do what Captain America does