Blood & Ink: The 3P Warrior Framework

Came across a simple framework. Delightful in its simplicity, powerful in its depth.

3 pillars. I argue in this order, but switch them up depending on your needs.

1. Purpose

You need a direction. You need a reason to get out of bed. You need a vision so compelling it’s worth suffering for.

Only deep purpose—and its meaning—is strong enough to overcome your natural preference for short-term, hedonistic indulgence.

Your purpose can change. It’s not a prison. But you need something. Choose a direction. Create a vision. Pick a path.

Equal parts inspiring and realistic.

2. Patience

Anything truly worthy of your character takes time. All real gains come from compounding interest.

Playing long-term games requires two things: patience to wait for results despite putting in effort, and the persistence to keep going.

Learn the art of patience.

Patience doesn’t mean sitting around waiting for the world to deliver you something. Patience might be best considered the willingness to continue putting in effort without seeing immediate results and without a loss of enthusiasm.

Fulfilling your purpose requires patience. You can cultivate patience.

3. Persistence

It’s cliché at this point, but it’s true: 90% of success is not quitting.

When you truly look into it, it’s astounding how many inventions, masterpieces, and monolithic companies only got to their peak because they didn’t stop.

The famous example is Edison’s 1000 iterations of the lightbulb. Can you honestly imagine that? 1000 distinct failures. God only knows how much effort, sweat, frustration, confusion, and thinking went into each attempt.

12 failures would knock most people out of the game.

Become hard to kill.

It might seem like wishful thinking, an overly pretty picture of the reality of things. Try it on. Pick an aim. Adopt a long-term orientation. Do not give up.

Pour yourself into each one of these, and give it your all:

1. Define an inspiring and possible vision with absolute clarity. Be specific.
2. Find a sustainable maximum effort, prepare for years instead of months, and do whatever it takes to not lose your enthusiasm.
3. Become impossible to kill. Do not remove yourself from the game. Never surrender.

Each of those is challenging.

But when properly combined — this energy builds nations. It alters the course of human history. It defines centuries.

Let’s get to it,
EB.