《原则》这本书是雷·达里奥的经典之作。达里奥是美国著名的投资家，创办了“投资界的苹果公司”——桥水公司，既超级赚钱，又在公司管理上有诸多创新。
《原则》这本书顾名思义，讲的就是达里奥的生活和工作原则，其实文风有点像法律典籍，一条条来列举，每条都是开始是概念，后面是解释，整体的感觉是很严肃的；只有第一部分活泼一点，是达里奥的自我剖析，按时间阶段来讲他人生中经历的重大事件，还是有点像编年体的史书。
这种风格跟达里奥的职业和人生信条是密不可分的，他是职业投资人，从小就喜欢挣钱，长大之后分析各种经济数据指标，在其中找规律，从而在投资上发大财。这样的人的特点就是严谨、直接，有时候显得不那么放松和通达情理。但这本表面上非常严肃的书，读起来却可以很随性。
这本书我目前读了一半多，第一部分达里奥的人生故事就给了我很多震撼，还有第二部分的生活原则，结合了脑科学等等很硬的科学知识，可以很快地浏览，把他讲的这些原则在自己的头脑中留一个大概印象，等到生活中真正用得上的时候，再细细研读使用，我想肯定会有更好的收获。
1
达里奥的人生故事中我印象最深的是什么呢？
——牛人的真实生活。
达里奥不是“金手指”开挂，买什么什么涨，而是好不容易艰难地总结了点规律，又很轻易被市场打脸，在这种情况下还能总结出原则，这心智是很高超的。
他经历了破产，公司管理不善，接班人难选，投资界出了名又被说是要么天才近妖，要么是邪教首领，有时候两者兼有。
他自己立的规矩让大家有话直说，结果就被一封信diss了——信上说他让员工压力大、感觉被羞辱。
天呐，真是欲哭无泪，看来flag不可轻易立…
达里奥第一位的选择就是接受现实，成为一个超级现实的人，对我最直观的冲击。
就比如面对员工写信批评他，他行动上就去改变：让员工简单、直接、奔目标地做事情，与让员工轻松、快乐、收获和谐的人际关系尽量找合集，任何选择中的两条路不是只能沿着一条走，会有更好的第三条路。
读这一部分，收获的是真实。原来这么聪明的人也会犯傻，起起落落，他的生活根本也不是容易的生活。
2
在第二部分人生原则中，达里奥讲了一个分析应对缺点的四个方法，我觉得非常好。在这里摘要出来：
1） 你可以否认缺点；
2） 你可以承认缺点并应对缺点，努力把缺点转化为优势（能不能成功取决于你的自我改变能力）；
3） 你可以承认缺点并找到绕过缺点的方法；
4） 或者，你可以改变你的目标。
我想到一个例子，假如有这么一个困局：在家乡三线城市想进体制内，送礼之后暂时还是个编外人员，这么做呢？
1） 否认现状，继续焦虑，时间花在思考没用的事情上，送礼超过年收入，相当于父母养自己；
2） 承认编外人员的钱少事多，是坏事，努力工作，把业务能力先练上去，再找对领导，谋求上升；
3） 承认编外人员的钱少事多，绕过在体制内熬编制，在体制内就混着，找兼职，或者在本地开公司；
4）改变安逸的目标，制定离职计划，可以换到挣钱更多、更辛苦、更少拼关系的地方或行业。
应该对缺点的四种方法，我感觉是1和2比较容易想到，这是直线思路，3和4还是提供了很好的思维的拐点。有时候殊途同归，不一定要硬碰硬，换个角度，也能达成目的。更厉害的，是换个目的咯，反正人生怎么活，自己说了算。
3
在第二部分的人生原则中，有一个一直贯穿的主题，那就是人。
1）人际关系之重要
比如达里奥说：“尽管赚钱很要，但是拥有有意义的工作和人际关系要比赚钱好得多。有意义的工作是指一项我能够全身心投入的使命。有意义的人际关系是指我既深深关心对方，对方也深深关心我。”
2）什么是可信的人？
——达里奥的判断是有数据支撑的。
可信的人的两条标准——
A：相关领域成功过三次及以上，有过硬履历；
B：在被问责的情况下仍能对自己的观点做出很好的解释。
3）应对与人的分歧
大多数时间，分歧与其说是威胁，不如说是学习的机会。把和你有分歧的人的观点向对方复述一遍。如果对方说你说得对，说明你做得很好。
如果忍不住要吵架，那就上“两分钟法则”——每人轮流说两分钟，两分钟内不许打断对方，以便对方有时间把意思说清楚。（感觉可以去买个沙漏了~）
小结
《原则》，是一本好模仿的书。达里奥的风格是写得很直白，很清晰，有时候觉得不够精彩不够好看，但能够仿着做就是最大的优势了。
学习他思考的过程，看他是如何按点整理，条理通顺了；一些要点看了心有戚戚焉的，就做一做。
看书很重要，落实更重要。要结合我的故事、我看过的故事，写出我的“原则”才是最好的消化和吸收。
以下是本文的英语版：
Principles is Ray Dalio’s classic work. Dalio is a famous investor in America who has built Bridgewater—a company which is called “Apple in investment area”. This company has made tremendous money as well as innovation in management.
The book is named “principles”, so the main content is Dalio’s life and work principles. The book which is like a code, has many clauses. Each clause begins with a concept, and ends with explanations and examples. Chapters in the book are all very serious except the first one about Dalio’s life, while in the first chapter I feel like reading an interesting historical annals.
This character of the book is due to the writer Dalio’s career experience and life motto. Since he is a professional investor who likes earning money in early age and doing jobs such as reading data of all kinds of economy affairs, his personality is direct and serious, at the same time not so relaxed and considerate. But reading this serious book, I use a quite leisure attitude.
Up to now, I have finished half of the book. I was stirred by the first chapter of Dalio’s life. And in the second chapter, Dalio talks about life principles with the latest technology of brain science. This part is a little bit hard to understand and is suitable to read fast and just leaves a rough idea in mind first. Then when we meet certain problems in real life, we can read the related content more deeply and that will yield better results.
1 What does Dalio’s life impress me most?
I think it is real life in no matter who has a very success life.
Dalio’s story is not a legend. He is not a ”god” who can buy things that forever increase in price. In fact, he takes years to calculate and summarize to find what to invest and which kind will earn a lot but he also fails a lot. In this difficult situation, he can also write down his principles and keep on summarizing, so he has a strong heart and clear mind.
He has experienced bankruptcy, company-managing crisis and difficulty to find the second leader of Bridgewater. He doesn’t like to be famous since every time after being reported, he will be written like a monster in investing or an evil leader or both.
In his company Bridgewater, he told everybody to tell the truth. So he received a critical letter later. The letter said he made the employees feel huge pressure and being humiliated.
Oh my god, Dalio wanted to cry…
But his reaction was really good. He chose to take reality and be a real man, which is the most direct shock to me.
As for this critical letter, he changed a lot: he kept the aim of letting employees do things simply and directly, but he found another way to combine nice communication, relaxation and consideration in it to make them feel happy.
My feeling of this part of book is being realistic since a man clever as Dalio is also making huge mistakes and everybody’s life is not easy.
2 Dealing with shortcomings
In the second chapter, Dalio writes a principle which deals with shortcomings. I like it very much. It has four aspects:
1） you can deny your shortcomings
2） you can admit your shortcomings and try your best to turn shortcomings to strengths (this depends on your ability)
3） you can admit your shortcomings and cop out
4） or, you can change your aim
As for the four aspects of the method, we usually think about 1 and 2 because they are direct. 3 and 4 give us a switch of mind. All roads lead to Rome. We can change a way to reach the goal or we just change the goal. Always remember: our life all depends to us.
3 Dalio talks about three themes in chapter 2 which are all related to men.
1）interpersonal relationship
Dalio says, “Although earning money is vital, having meaningful work and interpersonal relationship is more significant. Meaningful work means the work which I can put my heart and soul into it. Meaningful interpersonal relationship is a situation that I care about them deeply and they care about me deeply too.”
2）who should be trusted?
Dalio is very impersonal, so people whom he trusts should have two standards.
A: they have succeeded three times or above in a certain area
B: they can explain their opinions well even under questioning
3）how to deal with conflicts among people
Dalio says there is a two-minute-law to solve the problem. The two-minute-law means that each person takes turns to speak, can and only can speak for two minutes and others cannot disturb him or her during that time.
It will ensure that we can express ourselves and listen to others. Usually conflicts are not threats but opportunities to learn. There is a good way to learn which is repeating the words said by others.
4 Conclusion
Principles in Principles are easy to follow due to the distinct way of writing. Some points Dalio mentions touch me a lot, so that I can do things both combine them and my own experience to come up with my own “principles”. That is great.