How can first principles thinking help avoid blindly following trends in goal setting?

No problem, let me break this down for you.

You can understand it this way:

Imagine you and a group of friends are going on a long trip.

In this situation, most people would "follow the crowd": "Hey, everyone else is flying, so let's fly too, it must be the fastest!" "I saw in the guides that everyone recommends that popular hotel, let's book it too!" "They're all checking in at that trendy spot, we absolutely have to add it to our itinerary!"

This is analogy thinking. Because others have done it, and it seems to work well, we follow suit. This is often effective and convenient. But if your goal is just "to travel," not "to replicate someone else's trip," then there's a problem. What if you're afraid of heights? What if you have a limited budget? What if you're more interested in history and culture than trendy check-in spots? Blindly following trends might lead you to spend a lot of money and time, only to have an unhappy trip.

So, how does first principles thinking work?

It's like that friend who's really good at "getting to the bottom of things." They'll stop your impulsive self and ask a few fundamental questions:

1. "What is the core purpose of this trip?"

   • Not "to go to that place," but "why are we going?" Is it to relax? To explore the unknown? To strengthen friendships? Or to take great photos?

2. "Based on this core purpose, what are the constant, unchanging elements?"

   • If the purpose is "relaxation," then the core elements are "comfort, quiet, no pressure."
   • If the purpose is "exploration," then the core elements are "novelty, challenge, learning."
   • At the same time, there are objective constraints: What's our budget? How many days do we have off? What's everyone's physical stamina like?

See? First principles thinking breaks down a complex goal (going on a trip) into its most original, fundamental components (our purpose, our constraints). It sets aside the distraction of "how others do it."

After breaking it down, you then reassemble it to form your own plan:

• If your core purpose is "to completely relax with friends," and your budget is limited. You might find that flying to a crowded, trendy city and staying in an expensive, noisy popular hotel is completely counterproductive. The best solution might be to find a suburban Airbnb with a hot spring and a kitchen, where everyone can cook, soak, and chat together. You see, this plan might not involve "planes" or "trendy spots" at all, but it perfectly achieves your core goal.

• If your core purpose is "to take unique photos," then you shouldn't go to those popular photo spots that have been photographed countless times. You should study the local light, maps, and unique cultural elements, and create a brand new, unique "check-in spot" of your own.

Back to your question: How does first principles thinking help avoid blindly following trends?

To summarize, it's essentially three steps:

1. Ignore trends, ask why: When a new goal or trend emerges (e.g., all companies say they want to do "private domain traffic"), don't rush to follow. Ask yourself: What is the most fundamental purpose of our business? Is it to increase repeat purchases? Or to acquire new customers? What is the essence of "private domain traffic"? (It's about establishing a low-cost, high-reach customer communication channel).

2. Examine yourself, find the match: Who is our core customer base? What communication methods do they typically use? Do we have the capacity to operate a community that requires continuous content output? Does the essence of this "new thing" match the essence of our own business?

3. Make independent decisions, build your own wheel:

   • If, after analysis, you find that the essence of "private domain traffic" perfectly matches your needs, then you're not "following a trend," but "making a wise decision based on deep understanding." You'll know why you're doing it, not just because "everyone else is doing it."
   • If, after analysis, you find no match at all, then you can confidently reject the trend and invest resources in what truly matters to you. You will have successfully avoided blindly following a trend.

So, first principles thinking is like a "goal filter." It helps you filter out the noisy, external, successful paths of others, allowing you to look inward at what you truly want and what you truly possess, and then, using the most direct and fundamental logic, build a path that is uniquely yours.

Goals set this way are solid and won't leave you flustered when the winds of change shift.