Modern WisdomDiscover Your Core Values & Operating Principles | Taylor Pearson | Modern Wisdom Podcast 199
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 2:03
Values vs. principles: the abstraction ladder (and why integrity is a weak value)
Taylor explains that everyone already operates with implicit rules—even if they can’t articulate them. He distinguishes core values as abstract ideals (like courage) and operating principles as practical heuristics ("if this, then that").
- 2:03 – 3:35
Why write them down: externalizing your decision ‘algorithms’
Chris asks whether people still have values/principles if they haven’t documented them. Taylor argues we all use internal decision algorithms, and writing them down enables reflection, consistency, and spotting hypocrisy across life domains.
- 3:35 – 6:06
Operating principles as mistake-prevention: ‘don’t multiply by zero’
Taylor shares how principles began as a way to stop repeating the same mistakes. He reviews his list during weekly planning to catch predictable errors before they recur.
- 6:06 – 9:30
Alignment and the navigation system metaphor (geneticists vs. journalists)
Taylor uses a study comparing geneticists and journalists to show how alignment between incentives and meaning drives satisfaction. Principles and values act like a navigation system that continually corrects course and forces deliberate choices.
- 9:30 – 12:35
Defining core values clearly: from company slogans to personal heuristics
Taylor returns to the business-origin of the framework and clarifies the difference between corporate “values” posters and real operating behavior. Chris adds an “ingredients vs meals” analogy to separate values from principles.
- 12:35 – 15:46
Taylor’s five core values: agency, learning, courage, soul-in-the-game, reciprocity
Taylor lists his core values and explains what they mean in practice. Several are discovered by noticing what bothers him, what consistently improves his life, and what resonates from other thinkers.
- 15:46 – 21:41
Courage as a North Star: the hero’s journey and crossing the threshold
Taylor explains how courage isn’t just a trait but a directional value—one that helps him choose better when facing uncertainty. He uses Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey to describe the moment of refusing or accepting the call to adventure.
- 21:41 – 27:19
Chris’s values exercise results: using acronyms to remember and balance values
Chris shares his own core values (CASES) and how the exercise shaped his daily decision-making. They discuss how values function like a checklist and a third-person lens for self-correction across situations.
- 27:19 – 30:06
Building operating principles: the Vietnam/Thailand beach dilemma and weekly reviews
Taylor describes the moment he realized he was wasting too much time on minor decisions and needed better rules. He started with a short list and grew it over time by capturing repeated patterns and learnings in an ongoing system.
- 30:06 – 36:48
Fighting ‘the resistance’ and finishing work: Terminator mode at 85%
Taylor draws from The War of Art to explain the inner resistance that blocks meaningful work and hard conversations. He and Chris discuss why finishing is psychologically harder than starting, and the “85% rule” as an anti-self-sabotage principle.
- 36:48 – 42:35
10x thinking and predictable failure: power laws, risk aversion, and social lions
Taylor introduces power-law framing as a forcing function to escape incremental grinding. They explore why people prefer predictable failure over uncertain experimentation, linking it to evolutionary fear of the unknown and social rejection.
- 42:35 – 46:44
How to start your own principles library: borrow, review, and iterate
Chris asks for a practical starting method. Taylor recommends reading others’ lists to borrow what resonates, then establishing a cadence (weekly/monthly) to review and add new principles as life reveals them.
- 46:44 – 1:01:49
Working smarter, not harder: energy-based scheduling, learning loops, tools, and courage
They walk through Taylor’s “work smarter” framework: match tasks to energy, deliberately build skills, use productivity hacks, automate/outsource, and cultivate courage. Taylor argues courage often beats hacks because it removes the root bottleneck (avoidance).
- 1:01:49 – 1:05:39
Books and closing: Boyd, War of Art, and Finite vs. Infinite Games
Taylor recommends a few influential books and explains the key idea from Finite and Infinite Games: some games are meant to be won, others to be continued. They close with where to find Taylor’s writing and newsletter.
