Just got Ray Dalio’s Principles as a gift. I have been flipping through it to get a flavor of what it is about. I love the brief commentary in huge font on page 164, which is as follows:
BAD: Worry about appearing good.
GOOD: Worry about achieving the goal.
My take: While appearances are important, if there is no substance behind the appearances it will produce a lack of credibility. This is the equivalent of talking the talk but not being able to walk the walk. For me, “achieving the goal” is similar to doing the right thing. Better to do the right thing than to focus a great deal of energy to keep up a mirage. Doing the right thing seeks to serve a higher purpose than the self and will often cost something of value to carry out.