Now it’s your turn. The real work begins here, with a project that’s about you — your purpose, your ideas, your way of changing the world.
Last episode, I teased you by give hints of the project you'll be doing as part of the course. Now is time to introduce it.
Let's give a cool title to the project. Maybe something like "My own way to change the world".
That should work.
Basically, we'll be looking at two things.
- Changing the world
- Something in the world that you have a strong desire to change. Being familiar with that system may help, but it's not a requirement.
Examples would be: the education system, political system, healthcare system, justice system. It can also be sub-systems of those systems. Like the media, social media, academia. Anything that you want to see changed, but make sure that you are emotionally invested in the what you pick. Let's call it your purpose.
Take some time to think about it and once you've made a decision, it's time for you to think.
Then find a notebook and reserve 12 pages, one for each episode of the course, that's 6 sheets. Once you have that done, sit down with a pen or pencil. Put aside distractions - including your phone, that should be out of vision. Once done, set a timer for 20 minutes and get started.
First, divide the sheet in two. At the top of the page, write "Changing the world, and in the middle, your purpose.
You'll then write for both of them 3 things:
- The goal that are trying to achieve
- The Assumptions and barriers related to them
- First principles related to them
So, what is the goal of changing the world. What are the assumptions are barriers about changing the world, and what are the first principles of changing the world. Do the same for your purpose.
Then you'll think and write down ideas and bullet points for 20 minutes. Think, but don't overthink it. If you struggle a bit, that's good. We need to struggle to learn.
We need to struggle to learn
This is not graded. There are no wrong or right answers as long as they feel right to you. The goal is start thinking about first principle thinking and building awareness.
After the timer rings, you're done.
And before I leave you let me ask one last question: can you spot anything about this course that reflects first principle thinking?
The first one is about marketing and advertisements. The assumption is that I need to pay to get more listeners. Then, as a content creator, my job is to be interesting enough to retain listeners - what is called in the jargon as retention rate. Marketing is done to get more first time listeners.
Going back to the fundamentals, all I need is for listeners to tell some of their friends about this course to get more listeners. Every couple episode, if you're still around, I ask you to tell a couple of friends, or family member, or a colleague that might be interested in this. So over 12 episodes, that's 12 people. I'll try to be interesting enough so that one out of 12 will stick around. But only do that if you think this course is interesting. If it's valuable for you, it might be valuable to others.
The second first principle about this course is the platform I am using. I don't know anyone else that does courses like this. Does that mean it's going to fail? Maybe. But I wanted to try something different and innovative. I wanted this course to be easily available and free for everyone. Also, I enjoy this audio format myself, and so I decided to go with what I like - it makes sense to me.
I could have done in-person courses, but with it, reach is limited and it's a lot more time commitment.
I could have gone on a pay platform like skillshare, but reach is also limited because it's hidden behind a paywall. I'm not here to make any money, I'm here to share things that I think are important. So audio it is!
The third first principles may be harder to spot. Have you noticed that I didn't mention about my expertise or what I do for a living? Actually Malcom Xavier is not even my real name.
It seems that these days, you need to be famous to get attention of people. Well, I want to get attention not because of who I am, but because of my ideas.
First principle thinking tells you that it doesn't matter who teaches you something if there is wisdom in it. Sometimes, even your worst enemy can teach you a valuable lesson. Kids surprises us by telling things we would never think of. Does the fact that they are young and have limited life experiences mean that they have no valuable insights? No! Of course not!
This anonymity is a luxury that only technology can provide, and I value it. I'm not aiming to become famous from this - even the opposite - I don't want to be famous at all for it comes with a cost. I just want to leave that here, so that people can listen if they want. So there you are, I am Malcom Xavier for you so that I can be my real self for myself.
But more to come on that.
And I’ll leave you with this:
May you learn to pause before accepting “that’s just how it’s done.” May you peel back the layers of assumptions in your life and your world until you find the principles that govern them. From there, may you give yourself permission to rebuild—whether it’s how you define success, how you care for yourself, or how society organizes itself. Remember: tools are meant to serve you, not trap you. And sometimes the bravest act is to set aside the old toolbox and craft a new one.
To question what’s assumed as true,
Is how fresh paths are made by you.
Strip it back, rebuild, renew—
From first principles, the world feels new.
But anyways, it is now time to conclude. Thank you for listening, it really warms my heart that some of you are taking this course. If you this valuable for now, please, let two people you know about this course. Not for me, but for them and for you. I invite you to join the discussion online. The link should be in the description.
A mind is a precious thing to waste, and so is our life. Use both fully, so that when comes the times for us to end our amazing journey, we can be proud of what we've built: something that changed the world."