The ACE Principle - Murali Murthy

A good teacher is not necessarily one who knows her subject well; she’s one who is able to engage her students into the learning process by making the dense and the dull exciting and accessibly. Often, the distinction between a brilliant and a good teacher is the ability to communicate.

Murali Murthy is a communicator par excellence. His felicity at transforming complex ideas into simple factoids makes his ACE Principle an immensely readable book. What Murali says in the book may not be new but the way he says it is completely unique. He brings diverse ideas together and organizes them into a cohesive action plan to change one’s thinking and approach to life and living. And he illustrates every idea of his with plenitude of examples.

The ACE Principle is a life guide to 15 Success Principles to Absorb Comprehend Excel in Every Area of Life.  For each of the 15 principles, Murali gives a three point action plan. Together, the principles and the action plan form a comprehensive strategy to evaluate one’s life and try to reorient one’s thinking to achieve success. Each principle is illustrated by a biographical example that illustrates success in achieving that particular principle.

The simplicity and the effective way in which the message is conveyed belie the complexity of the structure of the book. It also reveals the multiple levels at which the author has marshaled his arguments, weaving a myriad web of ideas.

The book (re)introduces us to simple principles that we have known all along, but didn’t really think of putting them to form a strategy. I haven’t read a book that is as useful as the ACE Principle in a long time, and I don’t say this because Murali is a friend. It’s a genuinely good work guide to success. I also strongly recommend it to newcomers to Canada, who have to restart their lives and careers from scratch.

The book is published by Friesen Press. You may buy the book here:  ACE Principle

The 15 principles with their action plans are:

Be hungry – desire success

Staying focussed on the end reward
Creating more opportunities
Practicing self-discipline

Be focused – set goals

Committing to a specific goal

Taking action

Believing failure is not an option

Be proactive – Take initiative

Staying in control

Building momentum

Vanquishing fear

Be disciplined – Master habits

Loving what they do

Making it happen

Being patient

Be tenacious – build resilience

Autosuggestion

Impossible is nothing

Building the will power muscle

Be responsible – take charge

Taking 100% responsibility

Knowing what they want

Productive actions

Be imaginative – dream big

Dreaming big long enough

Exercising the power of the spoken word

Excuses versus results

Be moneywise – control finances

Living within their means

Focusing on net worth

Planning ahead

Be choosy – associate right

Being around the right people

Getting a mentor

Excelling at networking

Be sharp – stay teachable

Ability to be a sponge

Aligning with a pro

The ABC of success

Be assertive – display posture

Moving fast on opportunities

Keeping a positive attitude

Building a credible personal brand

Be high quality – deliver excellence

Constant self development

Managing time efficiently

An attitude of gratitude

Be leading – exercise influence

Thinking like one

Acting with prudence

Servant leadership

Be bold – demonstrate courage

Resilience

Acting to impact

Stepping up and claiming it

Be happy – celebrate life

Believing that it’s not what happens, it’s how we react

Building a healthy mind and healthy body go hand in hand

Identifying a life purpose and celebrating life