In the beginning I created layers of rules to manage my self, now I use them primarily to manage others. If you’ve been around me long enough, you’ll see me use hand signals to others close to me.
All posted rules follow the same format:
"rule #" "rule name"
"what the rule means"
"what I'm probably saying to you when I signal the rule number with my hands"
1 . “Loyalty”
…is a two way street. Remember it supersedes all else, and if you’re giving it, you better be getting it.
“You’re giving the wrong person the wrong amount of power”
2. Good feelings first-around”
…when anyone you’re talking to is negative they’re telegraphing they’re their hostility to you, and anything you give an enemy is ammunition against you. Not everyone can self regulate their own emotions and letting a conversation go negative or become negative removes any good you were trying to impart. It takes more than five (5) good experiences to remove one (1) negative experience. People often don’t remember what you said, but do remember how you made them feel. As a species people follow people more than they follow ideas.
“Don’t fuck up a good time to make your self feel better” - “these people are children, focus on little win-wins”
3. “Keep people in the loop.”
Any failure you knowingly could have prevented is a failure you are responsible for. A team can only support a mission if they know WHAT to do.
“these people are confused or demotovated, please breif them”
4. “Remember your mission.”
Anyone can get sidetracked by your environment, but doing what you came here to do is the only result you were looking for. If you have a 10-year plan of how to get somewhere, you should ask: Why can’t you do this in 6 months?
“Stop getting distracted” - “You’re spending energy in the wrong areas, at the end of this it’s going to suck but a mission is only complete at 100%, not 98.”
5. “Excellence matters”
When you do something, if you have to do it again or, if it’s failure lets someone else unacquainted to hurt themselves, did your actions cause more harm then good?
“Stop nigger-rigging that” - “This may cause you issues in the future” - “Don’t let this hurt you” - “Put on better clothes, stand up straight” - “Stop shortcutting that fundamental failure point” - “remember: ‘what is max theoretical efficiency?’”
6. “IQ means noting.”
Some of the highest scores I’ve seen gifted come from some of the least gifted as many have terrible processes of reasoning and poor decision matrixes. What is good about being a smart kid if you are still only a child? Your effective efficancy in an enviroment comes from process compleation, workflow maximization, and is measured by team success.
“Write that down, and hold onto it until it’s processed” - “Stop being an idiot.”
7. “Never pass up a good thing”
You’re only going to get so many opportunities in life, if you don’t take them, you may not get them again. If you want something negative wait two weeks and if you still want it you can buy it.
“I wouldn’t say no” - “you don’t know where this will lead you” - “I know you’re tired, but this opportunity may not come up again” - “It’s important to try everything once.”
8. “Breaking the social order only hurts the team”
You can do whatever you want to anyone, AND anyone will do whatever you say so long as they see it as a win and you don’t break the social order. Say something insane in a slow, confident, methodical way like Dick Chaney and you can start a never ending war. Posit a superior method to DC current in a socially unbecoming way and you’ll be laughed out of the room like Nikola Tesla.
Breaking the rules is not a bad thing you just need to know which ones to break. Break them in the right order and no one will bat an eye, bounce into the wrong one at the wrong time and you’re the enmey of the people. Breaking the rules is not a bad thing you just need to know which ones to break.
“We’re doing something right now, and you are right, but it’s important no one knows that right now” - “people are weak, play the game”
9. “Some things aren’t worth it.”
Sometimes opportunities come up, and sometimes the risks are not worth the reward.
“don’t fucking do that you stupid cunt”
10. “Always have a backup plan.”
2nd order effects need to be considered. Every decision you make enables or limits further decisions.
“Did you think about this, yes OR no?”
11. “Muscle memory MATTERS”
Humans under stress have a flight or flight response that manafests as an interest in following paths they’ve already taken, even if they know they’re wrong because the outcome is predictable. In a freshwater cave at a 100ft that may just get you killed.
later you’re going to need to be able to react appropriately… please do the ‘useless’ thing you just disregarded” - “you can only reliably do what you have practiced” - “when tired, you’re going to make a mistake, don’t make a mistake here”
12. “Early to Bed, Early to Rise”
IF you wake up early you’ll often do way more before noon than you normally do in an entire day.
“There’s a man with a machine gun hiding in a hillside. He has high ground. He is waiting to kill you, you need to get up at 4:00am and workout or you and everyone you love is GOING TO DIE”
13. “When placed in command, take charge.”
Failure to do so is worse that not taking command at all, and leaves an irreversable stain on your record and the teams.
“You have an opportunity, in 30 seconds they’re not going to trust you and you’re going to lose this opportunity” -
14. “Do as you ought to”
When in doubt, be impeccable, do as god would want you to do.
“Take the high road” - “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right”
15. ”You do not own your children”
While the things you make require your rule and energy to produce, a well built device will rule your thoughts, and a poorly built device will rule your actions.
USE: “You were his creator, now he is your master” - “You don’t own anything, you only have obligations.”
16. “Slow cooking makes things tender”
Tenderness in meat comes from the melting of collagen. Subconscious indoctrination comes from extended exposure to ideas.
“His training can be better done this way, please don’t do that” - “Please let him catch up, it will pay both of you dividends” - “Todd, this insta-pot cooks it in half the time and tastes better, stop unplugging it”
17. “Even if the solution is simple, don’t forget to think creatively”
Don’t forget the Pareto distribution. Always get the most bang for your buck. Be tactical with your goals. Remember the 2nd hottest girl at the party.
“There are other options available”
18. “It’s not about what you say it’s about what they hear”
Language is mind control. Explaining a situation correctly does not mean everyone will understand it.
“Choose your words here, if you’re not understand it’s not that they won’t hear you, it’s that they’ll devalue you”
19. Emergency access to food and water
Prepping is costly, but it is key to continued success and going farther than anyone else.
“It’s not that bad to sleep on a street for a night, but without food and water your mental capacity is deserving of living on the street”
20. “No accidents, just fatalities”
Every action you take is a conscious choice. The casualties of that action can be measured back to you whether you want them to or not.
“You choose your lines, choose wisely, you don’t have to follow my line”
21. “Pack your bags the night before”
If you don’t prepare, you’re preparing to fail. Prepare when it’s time to prepare. Reduce stress as often as available.
“Get setup now, we won’t have time later.”
22 “There are possibilities you are not going to have later due to the choices I make now”
Constantly acquire optionality. Count your man-minutes. If you make your bead you’re going to have to sleep in it.
“You’ll be removing your ability to do things later if you do that”
23. “People notice social markers, wealth, status, how you speak”
Your ego will tell you what to do, don’t let it run away from you. It’s the books you read the friends you keep and the way you dress that determines who you are.
“Button your fly” - “You can’t bring those people where we’re going.”
24. “You are what you eat”
Diet is the only thing about your genetics you have reasonable control over.
“I’m watching you throw away your 20s and your 60s”
25. “Assets (not liabilities)”
If something is going to depreciate, you may want to buy it somewhere in its deprecation curve. Wasted material is fine if it achieves your functional goals.
“That could be a dumb purchase.”
26. “Don’t take things personally”
Most people don’t think as much as they should, their disregard and hostility towards you is mearly an expression of the trauma inside their head. Don’t hate them for their poor decision, pray for them.
“He didn’t mean that, and don’t worry… what goes around comes around.”
There use to be more, but one time I mixed up rule 23 and 32 in field and got my team in trouble.