Why Understanding Life’s First Principles Changes Everything
Untriggered: Discovering the Three Principles That Dissolve Triggers, Anxiety, and Stress
A six-part blog series for regaining the power to live your life how you want.
Part One: Why Understanding Life’s First Principles Changes Everything
I'd always been trained to look to first principles if you wanted to truly understand something.
It's a way of thinking about the world around us that begins with the foundation of something. If you have a problem, look to the first principles or rules about the subject to see where the cause of the problem originates.
First principles thinking can be applied to anything and everything. If you want to use a new appliance effectively and calmly, learning how it works gives you confidence and ease like no other.
Take Bluetooth, for example. When it first appeared, I didn't understand what it was. I could never get it to work. Well-meaning people would say to me, “Just connect your phone and play your music at the gym,” or “You can stream a podcast wirelessly to this speaker.” But no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't connect—or it would for a bit and then stop. Most often, it just said it couldn't find anything to pair with.
It was frustrating.
My “bluetoothing” results were limited and variable because I didn't understand the principles behind how it worked.
I was doing random actions and attributing cause to them.
I started believing things I'd made up, like: Bluetooth just isn't for me, my phone isn't powerful enough, I'm not the kind of person who can do tech things, life just doesn't work out for me… All of which looks hilarious now.
I'm using Bluetooth seamlessly all the time, whenever I want. 100% of the time.
The difference came when my husband heard me complain. Something I said prompted him to go, “Wait a minute!” He explained it's not internet-based—it's a radio signal. OMG! Everything changed. It all made sense. It was so easy. I knew exactly what to do to connect it.
I'd been operating on a misunderstood premise and acting in ways that made no sense and were ineffective for what I wanted.
That's how most people approach life. We're utterly unaware of the principles that govern how life works for us as human beings. These principles are constant. They're always at work, whether we understand them or not.
We don't really “use” them—it's more useful to be aware of them and how we operate within that system. Then we can work with life to get outcomes we want instead of outcomes we don't.
It's insanely simple. We humans create the complexity. And the best part? It's effortless. If life feels like a struggle or full of effort—like my early Bluetooth days—you can be certain you're not understanding these basic foundational principles.
There are three of them. They're constant and never change—like gravity.
These three principles that describe the foundation of how life operates are called Mind, Consciousness, and Thought.
In this series, we'll explore each one and how seeing them clearly undoes triggers, anxiety, and stress from the inside out—no techniques required.
What in your life feels mysteriously hard or frustrating right now? Could a simple misunderstanding of the “how it works” be at play? Drop a comment—I'd love to hear.
(Stay Tuned for Part 2 next: The Energy Behind Every Moment – Discovering Mind)
With Love,
Sara Joy
Upcoming Events
Save the Date! Immersion Retreat - September 19, 2026
We are hosting our annual Immersion Retreat at Ignatius Jesuit Centre on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Mark your calendars to join us for an expansive day of peace and joy.
More Content Like This
Wondering what Sara Joy is seeing fresh and new each day? Check out the Daily Muse - https://www.liveyouralivelife.com/daily-muse
The Peace We Already Have - This is a presentation I gave at the Fearless Women's Online World Summit Holiday Celebration, December 4, 2025. Women from all over the world were in attendance. https://youtu.be/9g8TShjb81A
Insight Cafe Podcast Ep 58 - A Deeper Feeling of Life with Sara Joy O'Neill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR5NZjZGn_c&list=PLkZYwci8aKNAvSc28uXDmGm3tr9bUUW09&index=58
Growing Pains With Andrew Heckman Ep 23 With Sara Joy O'Neill - *Caution: Explicit language, alcohol, and cannabis use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Wl_F4LLUQ&t=9s or https://open.spotify.com/episode/7ksYWvIBvgU37vSbYUHSDz?si=tmyoY9FzR_e6wCnQGgBTlg
Wildspire Podcast: Bliss and The Bigness of Who You Really Are With Dr. Sara Joy O'Neill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s1Ms-ke_40