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If you browse the self-help section of almost any bookstore, there seem to be nearly infinite principles, strategies and tips for living well.

But it goes deeper than self-help. Psychology, philosophy, religion and other fields also offer advice for how we ought to conduct ourselves and treat others.

But what if there are far fewer self-development principles than we think?

Although there may appear to be endless pieces of advice out there, there is a lot of overlap between seemingly different ideas.

Having been a student of self-development and other related fields for the past 15 years, I’ve been exposed to a massive amount of ideas. Recently, I’ve been thinking about the best way to organize this information order to make sense of it all.

To that end, I’ve identified three distinct categories into which most life advice/wisdom can be sorted. You can think of these categories as the principles behind the principles of self-development, psychology, philosophy and even religion to a degree.

In this episode, I attempt to explain these three overarching categories, or what I call “meta-principles.” It’s a simple framework and is still under construction but there does seem to be something to it. At the very least, organizing information helps your brain remember it more effectively.

Prefer to read?

I’ve also written blog posts for each of these meta-principles, which you can read here:

#1: Pay attention

#2: Get clarity

#3: Maintain balance

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Ruben Chavez is a writer, personal development educator, and host of The Think Grow Podcast. He has created a community of over 3 million readers across his collective platforms, including his popular Instagram page ThinkGrowProsper. Along with this blog, these platforms are his way of inspiring and connecting with thoughtful, creative, and ambitious people just like you.