Allow me to explain:

What’s a principle?

The technical definition of a principle probably depends on which dictionary you consult. I believe the best way to look at a principle is as an idea or rule that determines or controls how something or someone works, acts or behaves.

To put it another way — a principle defines the course of action. The reason I value principles over routines is because the principle is the driving force. My alarm still goes off early every morning even though I don’t get out of bed because physical touch is a principle of my relationship. I love smacking that alarm and then rolling over for bulk cuddles. It’s the best way to start a day.

Some of your principles may include a principle of healthy living, or a principle of mental clarity, or a principle of education. If you cultivate and establish clear principles for existence they will drive your actions. These driven actions will outweigh the need for any sort of routine.

Do you have goals?

Of course I do, who doesn’t? However, my goals are probably more broad than the average humans. They’re more about how I want to exist than things I want to achieve.

For example, I enjoy writing and my goal is to be a writer. My goal isn’t necessarily to publish ‘X’ amount of books, or be able to live off writing. It’s just to be a writer. To develop the skill of writing. I achieve this goal almost every day, then start again the next day.

Having a broad target works well for me. It provides me with a direction to sail the ship of my existence but saves me from mental anguish should my ship get caught in a head-wind or drift off course a little.

But billionaires have routines, aren’t routines the key to success?

I guarantee, without a doubt in my mind, that when a Billionaire talks about their ‘morning routine’ they’re talking about what their ideal morning looks like. I’m sure they see their ideal morning once or twice a week if they’re lucky, but there’s no way it’s how they start every day. Let me just spell this out for you — a good morning routine will not make you a billionaire. It is not the defining factor.

Billionaires are busy people, and they didn’t get that way off the back of a perfect morning routine, they got there by working hard, being talented, and having a vision they wanted to realize. I’m positive their overloaded calendars see their plans and routines constantly changing. Stop focusing on the morning routines of extraordinary people. The morning routine wasn’t the determining factor — it was their principles. This I promise you.

I don’t know, it all sounds too loose to me, what does your day look like?

My days change. Every day is different — both at home and at work. Some days I get my exercise at the gym, other days I get it at home. Some days I’ve got healthy, homemade meals. Other days I buy healthy meals that I eat on the go. Other days I eat junk — I enjoy comfort eating sometimes and I find it’s good for my sanity (as long as I don’t do it too often).

Having a clear understanding of the principles I want to live by provides me with a framework for existence. Does that mean that I live a perfect life? Far from it, we all have our challenges and battles. But it does mean that if I never feel guilty for failing to follow a routine, it never weighs me down to a point that I want to give up on a project or a dream, and I’m never at risk of throwing in the towel for the rest of the week and ‘starting over on Monday’ as a lot of people do.