{"id":21662,"date":"2020-12-19T09:46:07","date_gmt":"2020-12-19T13:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=21662"},"modified":"2020-12-27T18:37:28","modified_gmt":"2020-12-27T22:37:28","slug":"true-north-principles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/","title":{"rendered":"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are true north principles? How can these principles help you on your life journey?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book First Things First<\/em>, Steven Covey introduces the notion of true north principles. These principles\u2014like true north\u2014give you direction and context for where you are and how to reach your destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading for more about Steven Covey’s true north principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Understanding \u201cTrue North\u201d Principles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of fundamental principles that govern the world, and if you lead your life in accordance with these, you\u2019ll have a much smoother experience. While you can control your actions, you can\u2019t control the external consequences to those actions; principles<\/em> determine those consequences. True north principles include integrity, moderation, self-discipline, loyalty, responsibility, honesty, and patience.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like true north is the same regardless of where you\u2019re standing in the world and which direction you\u2019re facing, principles are the same no matter your paradigms, culture, or generation. And principles\u2014like true north\u2014give you direction and context for where you are and how to reach your destination. True north principles are the key to the First Things First<\/em> method of time management.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Principles Are Not Practices<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To better understand true north principles, let\u2019s look at what they\u2019re not<\/em>. Principles are not practices: Practices are skills and actions that emphasize methods but fail to create foundational change. Practices can help you achieve short-term results in certain situations, but they won\u2019t be universally applicable and their effectiveness tends to dissipate in the long term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, you can develop and implement practices to make you appear more trustworthy that may garner short-term positive results. However, if you don\u2019t have a paradigm based on the principle of honesty, people will eventually see through your act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People are often tempted to cling to practices in an effort to impose some form of structure and stability on their lives. People tend to develop a practice based on what works in one situation, but when they try to apply it to the next situation and it doesn\u2019t work, they\u2019re at a loss or they try stubbornly to make a square peg fit in a round hole. This can create major problems for both institutions and families: Think of parents who try to apply the same parenting practices<\/a> that worked with their first child on their second child, who is totally different in character and temperament. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implementing a practice is like getting a fish, whereas implementing principles is like learning how<\/em> to fish. You can apply true north principles to any situation in life, and you can then develop<\/em> practices for individual situations that are based on those universal principles.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There Are No Quick Fixes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We all like to believe in quick fixes, but if you want to make substantial change in your life\u2014even in one area of your life\u2014you need to address the root cause of the issue, and this always comes back to paradigms. Your principles govern your behavior, and if your behavior is creating an undesirable result, the only way to change it in the long term is to shift to an importance paradigm and focus on true north principles such as integrity and patience. <\/strong>This isn\u2019t a quick process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of how true north principles pertain to each of your four fundamental needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The well-being of your physical needs\u2014which include your body as well as your finances\u2014depends on healthy habits that you maintain over time. This requires the principles of self-discipline and thrift. <\/strong>To keep your body healthy, you must exercise, eat well, get enough sleep, and try to avoid stress; attempting to shortcut this process with quick-fix diets, energy drinks, and makeup won\u2019t actually benefit your health. Similarly, your financial health is determined by your ability to save and manage your money<\/a> well, not by jumping on get-rich-quick schemes or praying for a winning lottery ticket.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developing deep, intimate relationships to fulfill your social need takes time, effort, and the principle of trust.<\/strong> Trust, in particular, takes time to develop through positive interactions, kept promises, and displays of love and caring. If you try to shortcut your social needs with purely sexual relationships or by using your money or position to gain affection, you won\u2019t feel truly fulfilled and satisfied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satisfying your mental needs is a process of continual growth and learning<\/strong>;  it doesn\u2019t stop when you finish school. However, many people take the short-term view of learning in school in order to get high grades, to get into college, and ultimately to get a good-paying job. But even if you follow that progression and reach your goal, how satisfied do you expect to be working at a job where you don\u2019t feel that you\u2019re challenging or expanding your mind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

True spiritual satisfaction involves finding a higher meaning and purpose and helping others<\/strong>. This requires the principles of reciprocity<\/a> and service.<\/strong> The quick-fix our society tends to promote is achieving spiritual fulfillment through self-focused efforts, like raising your self-esteem<\/a> and working on self-improvement. Although these are valuable practices, you won\u2019t feel a greater sense of purpose<\/a> if your effort doesn\u2019t reach beyond yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are true north principles? How can these principles help you on your life journey? In his book First Things First, Steven Covey introduces the notion of true north principles. These principles\u2014like true north\u2014give you direction and context for where you are and how to reach your destination. Keep reading for more about Steven Covey’s true north principles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":21665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,43],"tags":[176],"class_list":["post-21662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-self-improvement","tag-first-things-first","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nTrue North Principles: A Paradigm for Success - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"True north principles are the key to the First Things First method of time management. They guide you in the direction of your dream life.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"True north principles are the key to the First Things First method of time management. They guide you in the direction of your dream life.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-19T13:46:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-27T22:37:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1220\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Darya Sinusoid\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46\"},\"headline\":\"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-19T13:46:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-27T22:37:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/\"},\"wordCount\":884,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"First Things First\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/\",\"name\":\"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-19T13:46:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-27T22:37:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"True north principles are the key to the First Things First method of time management. They guide you in the direction of your dream life.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg\",\"width\":1220,\"height\":650},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46\",\"name\":\"Darya Sinusoid\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png\",\"caption\":\"Darya Sinusoid\"},\"description\":\"Darya\u2019s love for reading started with fantasy novels (The LOTR trilogy is still her all-time-favorite). Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. She has a degree in Psychology and a deep passion for the subject. She likes reading research-informed books that distill the workings of the human brain\/mind\/consciousness and thinking of ways to apply the insights to her own life. Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/darya\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success - Shortform Books","description":"True north principles are the key to the First Things First method of time management. They guide you in the direction of your dream life.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success","og_description":"True north principles are the key to the First Things First method of time management. They guide you in the direction of your dream life.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2020-12-19T13:46:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-12-27T22:37:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1220,"height":650,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Darya Sinusoid","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Darya Sinusoid","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/"},"author":{"name":"Darya Sinusoid","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46"},"headline":"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success","datePublished":"2020-12-19T13:46:07+00:00","dateModified":"2020-12-27T22:37:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/"},"wordCount":884,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg","keywords":["First Things First"],"articleSection":["Lifestyle","Self-Improvement"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/","name":"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg","datePublished":"2020-12-19T13:46:07+00:00","dateModified":"2020-12-27T22:37:28+00:00","description":"True north principles are the key to the First Things First method of time management. They guide you in the direction of your dream life.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg","width":1220,"height":650},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/true-north-principles\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"True North Principles: A Paradigm for Success"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46","name":"Darya Sinusoid","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png","caption":"Darya Sinusoid"},"description":"Darya\u2019s love for reading started with fantasy novels (The LOTR trilogy is still her all-time-favorite). Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. She has a degree in Psychology and a deep passion for the subject. She likes reading research-informed books that distill the workings of the human brain\/mind\/consciousness and thinking of ways to apply the insights to her own life. Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram.","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/darya\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/north-direction-destination.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21662"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22073,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21662\/revisions\/22073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}