I met with a rare fellow INTJ last night, and he mentioned an interesting self-assessment practice that he did recently. He wrote down a list of First Principles he believes he lives his life by and sent them to friends and past/present coworkers asking them to provide feedback into their validity, i.e. if he truly operates from those principles and if not, how he deviates from them. I found this to be a powerful feedback practice that could offer a more incisive, deep look at how you’re perceived by others.
I’ve taken the 16personalities test a few times and always result in INTJ. Reading through the explanation, this doesn’t surprise me. It’s frighteningly accurate and aligned with how I operate, or at least how I perceive myself. I’ve always been fascinated in personality tests, partially because my analytical mind seeks to have concrete explanations for the way I think. It provides a lot of clarity, having succinct paragraphs basically describing my operating system. It’s one of the reasons I write, putting my many thoughts to words is fabulously therapeutic and explanatory. It’s so useful that I already had my own set of First Principles written out, so after hearing about my friend’s feedback tactic I thought I should put my own out there. Here they are,
Be steadfastly open minded.
Maintain a curiosity and hunger for knowledge.
Take ownership whenever possible.
Maintain exceptionally high standards and surround yourself with those who are just as intrinsically motivated to meet them and feel similarly.
Never follow the prescriptive or conventional, form conclusions and decisions based on rationality, logic, and independent thinking.
Avoid reactive behavior and thought.
Be useful. Ensure that your actions contribute some value to the world.
Consistency and compounded interest are life's most powerful tools.
Assign credibility via meritocracy only, not titles, credentials, or labels.
Efficiency, competency, and results trump all.
Lack of progress is death. Regularly check in that growth is occurring and change course if not.
Speak ill of no one. Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.
Trust and respect are earned with time and repeated, diverse circumstances.
Acknowledge context, differing individual perspectives, and circumstance rather than taking all words as I perceive them.
The mind is our director in life. Change your mind, change your life.
Do things that are hard and uncomfortable. If it’s difficult, it’s likely good for you. If it’s easy, it’s likely not useful.
Health is the number one priority.
Value action over words.
Utilize intuition when conflicted. The unconscious mind often knows more than the conscious.
Seek simple, elegant solutions over complex.