Peter Diamandis’ Laws: The Creed of the Persistent and Passionate Mind

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Peter Diamandis for Singularity 1 on 1.

During our interview Peter touched briefly on what he calls Peter’s Laws — the core foundation that allows him to overcome problems and obstacles and ultimately brings him success.

I find Peter to be one of those very rare and totally inspirational people who have the resume to prove that the best way to predict the future is to create it yourself. It is for this reason that I decided to post the full list of Peter’s Laws. I believe that we can all benefit from adopting these laws as guiding principles in our lives.

Enjoy!

Download the .pdf poster with the latest version of Peter’s Laws.

Peter’s Laws: The Creed of the Persistent and Passionate mind

 (circa July 2011)

1. If anything can go wrong, Fix It!!… to hell with Murphy!
2. When given a choice…  take both!!
3. Multiple projects lead to multiple successes.
4. Start at the top then work your way up.
5. Do it by the book … but be the author!
6. When forced to compromise, ask for more.
7. If it’s worth doing, it’s got to be done right now.
8. If you can’t win, change the rules.
9. If you can’t change the rules, then ignore them.
10. Perfection is not optional.
11. When faced without a challenge, make one.
12. “No” simply means begin again at one level higher.
13. Don’t walk when you can run.
14. Bureaucracy is a challenge to be conquered with a righteous attitude, a tolerance for stupidity, and a bulldozer when necessary.
15. When in doubt: THINK!
16. Patience is a virtue, but persistence to the point of success is a blessing.
17. The squeaky wheel gets replaced.
18. The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live.
19. The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself!
20. The ratio of something to nothing is infinite.
21. You get what you incentivize.
22. If you think it is impossible, then it is… for you.
23. An expert is someone who can tell you exactly how it can’t be done.
24. The day before something is a breakthrough it’s a crazy idea.
25. If it were easy it would have been done already.
26. Without a target you’ll miss it every time.
27. Bullshit walks, hardware talks.
28. A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.
29. The world’s most precious resource is the passionate and committed human mind.
30. Fail early, fail often!
31. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

Copyright, 1986, 2009, Peter H. Diamandis, All Rights Reserved.  Laws # 14 & #18 by Todd B. Hawley.  #19 Adopted from Alan Kay.

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