LEADERS ARE POWERFUL
that thousands of years of history have seen them triumph,
time and time again. Even more important, we can be secure
in the knowledge that we can validate them in our own lives,
by our own experience...The principles don’t change; our
understanding of them does...The only real limitation of
power is the natural consequences of the principles themselves.
We are free to choose our actions, based on our knowledge of
correct principles, but we are not free to choose the consequences
of those actions. Remember, ‘If you pick up one end of the
stick, you pick up the other.’
Principles always have natural consequences attached to them.
There are positive consequences when we live in harmony
with the principles. There are negative consequences when we
ignore them...By centering our lives on timeless, unchanging
principles, we create a fundamental paradigm of effective living.
It is the center that puts all other centers in perspective...^20
- THE HUMILITY OF PRINCIPLES: Out of the paradigm
that principles exist – and that we’re only effective to the degree
to which we discover and live in harmony with them – comes a
sense of humility. We’re not in control of our lives, principles
are. We cease trying to be a law unto ourselves. We cultivate
attitudes of teachability, habits of continual learning. We
become involved in an ongoing quest to understand and live
in harmony with the Laws of Life...Our security comes from
our own integrity to true north...Humility truly is the mother
of all virtues. It makes us a vessel, a vehicle, an agent instead
of ‘the source’ or the principal. It unleashes all other learning,
all growth and process. With the humility that comes from
being principle-centered, we’re empowered to learn from the
past, have hope for the future, and act with confidence in the
present.^21
- “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring
you peace but the triumph of principles.”^22
