Refuse to compromise on your core beliefs about your work, your organization, and your personal values, even if it comes at a significant cost, to stay true to yourself.
Cultivate unwavering self-belief and resist popular opinion, seeing the world in ‘grayscale’ by being open, objective, and conducting factual studies like a scientist, rather than being swayed by black-and-white thinking or the crowd.
To innovate, think beyond conventional constraints and artificial limits, embracing ‘grayscale thinking’ to conceive of truly novel and world-changing ideas that others haven’t considered.
For true inventors and ‘artist-engineers,’ work alone on personal projects, even if it means moonlighting with limited resources, to foster deep passion, ownership, and the creation of revolutionary products.
Be deliberate and slow in forming opinions, and avoid prematurely committing to a position or letting ego drive you to seek only supporting evidence for your initial stance.
Trust your internal judgment, intuition, and understanding regarding your own creations and what your invention needs to be.
Prioritize engineering feasibility and functionality in product design, rather than letting marketing or aesthetic visions dictate design without regard for technical constraints.
Develop patience by focusing on one small step at a time, concentrating on perfecting the current step without worrying excessively about the final outcome, as trying to skip intermediate steps in learning or development is ineffective.
Focus on fundamental understanding, not rote memorization, by learning the underlying principles (e.g., where electrons flow) to truly internalize and understand how things work, rather than just memorizing connections or reading blueprints.
Embrace constraints as a catalyst for innovation and self-competition; when resources are limited, challenge yourself to achieve more with less, leading to unique and efficient solutions.
Implement an open architecture to foster an ecosystem of third-party innovation, allowing others to build upon your product to create a virtuous cycle of development, marketing, and increased value.
Prioritize personal happiness and authentic identity over conventional notions of success (e.g., running a company, accumulating more wealth), pursuing activities that genuinely fulfill you.
Find intrinsic motivation in discovery and problem-solving, recognizing that the ‘prize’ and ‘kick’ come from the pleasure of finding things out and seeing others use your creations, not from external honors.
Prioritize the act of creation and bringing an idea to fruition, as the completion of a project, especially a first, holds significant importance regardless of its immediate success or failure.
Define your professional identity and aspirations early, as knowing exactly what you want to be can provide clear direction and purpose.
Strive for original creation, not just replication, by focusing on inventing novel solutions and ideas that haven’t been conceived by others.
Cultivate a continuous drive for the next challenge, immediately seeking out new problems to solve and things to create after completing a project.
Prioritize the learning process over external validation or glory, recognizing that the true value lies in the self-directed effort of figuring things out through engineering.
Uphold ethical duties and transparency with employers regarding intellectual property developed during employment, informing them of designs created on their time.
Nurture new ideas carefully, especially in corporate environments, by avoiding immediately tearing them apart with skepticism and instead providing support and a conducive environment for their development.
Design products to be open and inviting for user modification and exploration, making it easy for users to look inside, understand the engineering, and add their own components.
Act on your ethical convictions, even when it involves personal financial sacrifice, by sharing success with those who contributed but were overlooked, simply because it’s ’the right thing to do’.
Acknowledge and support the products that are genuinely successful and profitable, rather than pretending a struggling product is the company’s future, aligning marketing and internal focus with actual market success.
Ensure fair recognition and reward for all contributors, especially those who put in significant effort, even if they joined slightly later.
Take ownership of your own learning journey, implying self-direction and initiative in pursuing knowledge.
When teaching or explaining, start from the very beginning and break down complex topics to help the learner truly internalize and understand.
Strive for a life balance of personal happiness and contributing to the happiness of others, as this dual focus is presented as a ‘secret to life’.
Adopt a simple personal metric for happiness: maximize positive experiences (‘smiles’) and minimize negative ones (‘frowns’).
Counter self-doubt by trusting your power of objective reasoning, especially when your ideas contradict popular opinion, as this self-reliance is a key to happiness and confidence.
Cultivate a relaxed approach to disagreements by trusting your own reasoning, recognizing that you don’t need to intensely argue or convince others, which reduces pressure and contributes to happiness.
Use external motivators or rewards (like attending a desired event) to drive intense, focused work on challenging projects.
Find unconventional ways to connect with peers, especially if you struggle with traditional social interactions.