Page 157 - Ray Dalio - Principles
P. 157

Because we are capable of conscious, memory-based learning,
                       we  can  evolve  further  and  faster  than  any  other  species,
                       changing  not  just  across  generations  but  within  our  own

                       lifetimes.

                          This  constant  drive  toward  learning  and  improvement
                       makes getting better innately enjoyable and getting better fast
                       exhilarating. Though most people think that they are striving
                       to get the things (toys, bigger houses, money, status, etc.) that
                       will  make  them  happy,  for  most  people  those  things  don’t
                       supply  anywhere  near  the  long-term  satisfaction  that  getting

                                                       20
                       better  at  something  does.   Once  we  get  the  things  we  are
                       striving for, we rarely remain satisfied with them. The things
                       are just the bait. Chasing after them forces us to evolve, and it
                       is the evolution and not the rewards themselves that matters to
                       us  and  to  those  around  us.  This  means  that  for  most  people
                       success is struggling and evolving as effectively as possible,
                       i.e., learning rapidly about oneself and one’s environment, and

                       then changing to improve.

                          It is natural that it should be this way because of the law of
                                               21
                       diminishing returns.  Consider what acquiring money is like.
                       People who earn so much that they derive little or no marginal
                       gains from it will experience negative consequences, as with
                       any  other  form  of  excess,  like  gluttony.  If  they  are
                       intellectually healthy, they will begin seeking something new

                       or  seeking  new  depths  in  something  old—and  they  will  get
                       stronger in the process. As Freud put it, “Love and work are
                       the cornerstones of our humanness.”

                          The  work  doesn’t  necessarily  have  to  be  a  job,  though  I
                       believe it’s generally better if it is a job. It can be any kind of
                       long-term  challenge  that  leads  to  personal  improvement.  As
                       you  might  have  guessed,  I  believe  that  the  need  to  have

                       meaningful  work  is  connected  to  man’s  innate  desire  to
                       improve.  And  relationships  are  the  natural  connections  to
                       others that make us relevant to each other and to society more
                       broadly.

                       b. Remember “no pain, no gain.” Realizing that we innately want to
                       evolve—and that the other stuff we are going after, while nice,

                       won’t  sustain  our  happiness—has  helped  me  focus  on  my
   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162