#122 | Life Razor: The One Sentence That Guides Every Decision You Make

A collection of the best hidden gems, mental models, and frameworks from the world’s top thinkers; to help you become 1% better and live a happier life ❤️

Hello curious minds 🧠

Life is unpredictable. And it throws a lot at you; opportunities, challenges, and chaos; all of which will test you.

It’s easy to lose yourself in these encounters. A new job that pulls you away from your loved ones. The tough breakup that makes you close yourself off. Health problems that affect those around you.

In these moments, you need a single point of focus; your own rule of thumb to simplify decision making and to help you navigate the uncertainty of life while staying true to yourself and what matters most.

This single point of focus is called the Life Razor.

Today, I will show you how to create your own. If you want to dive deeper into this idea, check out The 5 Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom.

🚀 If you are new here…

Hi, I’m Ryan 👋🏼 I am passionate about lifestyle gamification 🎮, which it’s just a fancy way saying I approach life like a video game, designing my character intentionally, and strive to level up every day. I am obsesssssssss with learning things that can help me live a happy and fulfilling life.

Every Sunday, through The Limitless Playbook newsletter, I share 1 actionable idea from the world's top thinkers 🎯

Oh, and fun fact: I am a PhD candidate in AI 👻 I am deeply interested in how AI can help us 10x the way we live, learn, and thrive; so expect me to share some cool AI tools, insights, and research 🤖

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🫀 Life Razor

Your life razor is a single statement that will guide you through the current season of life.

A powerful life razor has three things:

1. Controllable

2. Positive second-order effects in other areas of life

3. Align with who you are and how your best self shows up in this current season of life

Here’s how you can define your own life razor. The goal is to complete the following sentence:

I am the type of person who…

To do this, list out all the actions and character traits that capture your ideal identity. A good way to do this is to imagine what you would want other people who know you well to ideally say about your actions, who you are, and how you lived.

Once you have this list, zoom out and think about how all of these items all connected. Your goal here is to come up with a single action that would imply all the actions and traits.

Your life razor is a broad and identity-defining rule that covers all the actions and traits. With this one sentence, it helps you to make decisions in different life situations; keeping you aligned with your values and identity.

Once you have defined your life razor, place it somewhere visible. When opportunities and challenges come your way, use your life razor as a reflective point. Ask yourself:

What would the type of person who [blank] do in this situation? How would that person handle it?

One final important point to note about the life razor: they can and will change across the seasons of your life.

Your life razor will evolve as you do. The one that guides you in your early 20s, when you are starting out your career and possibly single, won’t be the same one you need in your mid-30s with a spouse and kids.

When life changes and you are still using an old life razor, it can create friction and lead to choices that no longer fit who you want to be. Someone with kids, for example, who still follows a rule about working crazy hours, one that made sense in their 20s, might end up missing out on their children’s upbringing.

That’s why it’s important to revisit this exercise every few years. Check in with yourself. See if your life razor still fits. If not, adjust accordingly.

So, what is your current life razor? 🚀

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I am always curious about what others are passionate about and what they are currently working on. Hit reply and share what’s been keeping you busy these days. I would love to learn!

With love,

Ryan O. 🎮

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