What Is Your Life's Operating System?
We all have a certain way that we live our lives. I call this way our life’s operating system (though personal philosophy is another apt term). By operating system, it simply refers to a sort of compass that guides you and how you live. Whether we realize it or not, we already have such a system in our lives, though of course it may not be as fully fleshed out as other people’s.
At every moment, we make the choice to implement certain ideals on our personal life path. I’ve identified four key aspects of our lives that more or less drive our actions:
1.) Religion/Spiritual Path/Personal Philosophy (Beliefs)
This is one is easy enough to understand. Maybe you adhere to Christianity, or Islam, or Theraveda Buddhism. Maybe you’re a lay Daoist or non-dualist. Maybe you’re simply an atheist with strong humanist values who also follows Stoic principles.
With every belief system comes a basic set of core values. For Christians and Muslims, these could be the 10 Commandments, or the Five Pillars of Islam. Buddhists have the Eightfold Path. Daoists and non-dualists believe in the oneness of reality. Stoics have the Four Stoic Virtues. Even if you’re someone who’s never heard of any of these things, at the very least, you should be someone who believes in harming no one, being of service, and generally doing good.
2.) Habits (Actions)
Along with beliefs on how to live, we must necessarily have corresponding actions. Actions can of course be based on your belief system, but they can also be independent and smaller scale, as well. For example, if you believe that it’s of utmost importance to live as healthy as possible, you might make it a point to exercise or visit the gym a few times a week. Or if you’re diligent about your meditation practice because it’s brought lasting benefits to you, you set aside a block of time every day dedicated to it. Or maybe you’ve got a passion for creating things for others to enjoy, so you share your work online.
In short, we do things because we’re motivated to do them (classical psychology asserts that motivation lies in the avoidance of pain and/or the seeking of pleasure, but that’s an entirely different topic for another time).
3.) Identity
This category is exempt for my non-dualists out there (because there is no such thing as identity for them). But for others, they may assign labels to themselves because that’s who they see themselves to be and because it makes up such a significant part of their being. This could mean pastor, vegan, activist, teacher, creator, nurse, artist, the list goes on.
In his book Atomic Habits, Jame Clear gives an amazing tip to those looking to make or break a habit: associate it with your identity. The crux is that it becomes easier to follow through on a habit change if we tie it to who we are instead of just some action that we do. For example, if you want to study more, tell yourself (and follow through!) that you’re the type of person who is disciplined and studies for two hours per day. If you want to quit smoking, tell yourself that you’re not a smoker (as opposed to saying that you do not smoke).
Identity sort of feeds off of the first two aspects, because what you think combined with what you do will dictate who you become.
4.) Life Attitude
So far we’ve dealt with things within our control. Now comes the part where we deal with things outside our control. The good news is that we can tweak this slightly so that we can still maintain some semblance of rule in the face of life.
Life attitude is all about reaction. How do you react when things go downhill? When situations don’t pan out as you had hoped? When one bad thing after another happens? If you ask me, this is the foundation for a truly effective life philosophy. You can
Control your beliefs, your actions, and your identity all day, but what happens when shit hits the fan? Your response to the world and the cards it deals you is absolutely key to how you move forward.
The simplest (which doesn’t mean easy) solution is radical acceptance. Come to terms with things as they arise, and keep moving forward. As Marcus Aurelius says, “There are thorns in the way? Go around them.” No situation is unfavorable unless you make it so. Every experience, whether it’s good or bad, can teach us something important about ourselves.
So here’s the equation: beliefs + actions + identity + life attitude= personal philosophy.
Here’s another way to reframe it:
If I wish to have an effective personal philosophy for living a life that’s closely aligned to my values, I must examine and change my beliefs, actions, identity, and/or life attitude.
It’s also worth noting there already exist pre-established schools of thought that you can dip into for as much or as little inspiration as you like. Some of these include minimalism, existentialism, and simple living, just to name a few.
Do you have anything to add to this list? Would you remove anything I’ve said? Let me know!
Thanks for reading,
Alan
Additional Resources
A short but highly effective PDF by James Clear himself on the science of identity-based habits.
On Personal Philosophy, a work by one of my favorite Substack writers, Two Minute Treatise.
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