What is Compounding Integrity?

I like the idea of Compounding Integrity as a way of life. As a person who is in the midst of or approaching some meaningful (but "normal") transitions in life, I aim to refer to it as a guide or North Star and ingrain it over a long period of time.

What does Integrity mean?

After a bit of struggle, it became clear that an attempt at showing what Integrity means is more useful than simply telling what Integrity means. Integrity is such a loaded and dynamic idea that condensing it into a simple characterization or explanation would be incomplete. To that end, I did a multi-day meditation on what I think Integrity means, and the results of that meditation are below (with excitement, I discovered from Chris Begg the idea of doing an extended meditation for subjects like this, and this is my first crack at it. Credit also due to the Nick Sleep Long-term vs. Short-term analysis. The practice of this particular exercise shed light on the possibility that Integrity is closely entangled with other similar ideas or mindsets like Quality, Independence, Thinking Long-term and Win-Win.

When I think about Compounding, it's one of the very few things that often is felt as something above language and is abstract. It's more than the simple but non-humanly-instinctual math of exponential growth. It's the awe that small, incremental, consistent progress can create something stunningly large over time, and at times with seemingly little effort. 

Compounding can take place on many interesting and high-leverage things: capital, knowledge, learning and training and relationships (not necessarily prioritized in that order!). 

So, Compounding Integrity as a way of life is designed as a North Star to encourage a life well-lived. No doubt, it's easier said than done.

One last thing, I feel a mental dissonance when I think about talking or writing about concepts like Integrity. It's the same feeling you get when you hear people tell other people about how humble they are. So, there's a certain awareness of that when talking about a topic like Integrity, but that said, I think the usefulness of thinking through this lens far outweighs that dissonance. I'll admit upfront that I'll always have work to do myself, but that is why this is a guide, not a weapon for negative self-talk.

Additions to the meditation are welcome.


A Meditation on Integrity (Last updated May 2, 2025)


High Integrity




Low Integrity

Freedom to be who we want to be

Trapped in believed limitation

We have our own unique gifts to uncover

We might not have our own unique gifts

All you need is within you

What you need is out there

Unlock your gifts through practice

Suppress your gifts with believed inferiority

Joy as a path to Mastery

Going through the motions

Nurturing curiosity

Suppressing curiosity

Doing things for the sake of doing them

Doing things for specific utility

Embracing intuition; right brain

Reliance on logic; left brain

Be the only

Be the best

Creativity

Guidelines and procedures

Feeling and sensing above language

Trapped in language and labels

Care for quality

Apathy for quality


Independent thinking

Going with the group

What do I think?

What do they think?

Truth provides validation

Opinions provide validation



Adventure to find Truth

Sprint to find an answer

Practice and training as a path to freedom

Means to an end

The World has it figured out

I have it figured out

Hunger for learning

Fear of learning

Delayed gratification

Instant gratification

Patience for progress

Eagerness for results

Deliberate practice in private

Showtime in public

Learning never stops

Learning has a limit

Smaller circles (idea from Josh Waitzkin)

All at once

Numbers to leave numbers (Waitzkin)

Numbers to know numbers

Complexity to simplicity

Simplicity to complexity

How you do anything is how you do everything; all reps matter

Taking reps off

Ask a question

Make a statement

Asking questions

Spitting facts

Asking better questions; unknowing (idea from Chris Begg)

Seeking all the answers; knowing

Preempting questions

Waiting for others to ask the questions

Finding out by doing

Finding out by asking

Try first, then seek guidance

Seek guidance first, then copy

Hypothesis (idea from Chris Begg)

Thesis

“Beliefs are hypotheses to be tested” (Tetlock)

Beliefs are treasures to be guarded (Tetlock)

Hold multiple perspectives

Hold one perspective

Change your mind

Hold on to your original ideas

Relentlessly resourceful; paths less traveled

Follow the book; travelled paths only

Mistakes and failures are part of learning

Mistakes and failures are conclusive evidence

Injury as opportunity for growth (Waitzkin)

Injury as excuse to let the mind rest

Grow at the edge of ability

Stagnate at the center of comfort

Choosing to practice and learn

Deciding you’re not good enough

Doing little experiments

Deliberating a mountain of work

Generate content

Consume content


Long-term mindset

Short-term mindset

Growth mindset

Fixed mindset

Open-mindedness to possibility

Fixation on flaws

Beginning your practice

Not believing until seeing

Strive for excellence

Accept the ordinary

Increasing surface area for luck

I’m not lucky

Perfection is a journey from within

Perfection is a measurable goal at a point in time

Success IS failure

Success OR failure

Thinking in gradations and nuance (idea from Chris Mayer via Korzybski)

Thinking in either-or

 

Admiration as an invitation to practice

Admiration as proof of inadequacy

Teach what you’ve learned

Hoard your wisdom

Share your wisdom

Bask in your glory

Inspire through companionship

Mislead with doctrine

 

Lead with love

Lead with contempt

Deserved trust

Quid pro quo

Meeting nature with awe and presence

Ignorant to nature

Practicing gratitude

Focus on what you don’t have

Kindness without expectation for something in return

Not acting on kindness because there’s not expectation

Delayed reaction and thoughtfulness (idea from Mayer)

Automatic reaction and judgment

Values shown through actions

Values told with words

Philanthropy from Joy

Philanthropy for show

 

Blank canvas

Paint-by-number

Autobahn

Speed limit

Decline cookies (the internet ones)

Accept cookies (the internet ones)

Ceramic coffee cup

Paper/plastic coffee cup

Praise

Gossip

Write and Read

Read

First principles

Memorization

Et cetera (idea from Mayer)

Period

Seek experience

Seek promotions

Source information

“Summarized” information

Collecting great businesses

Gathering more assets (AUM)

Local restaurant; meet the chef

Chain restaurant; order DoorDash