There’s nothing inherently wrong with how-to information. Classic self-improvement guides like How to Win Friends and Influence People can transform your life—if you apply what it says.

The problem with how-tos and step-by-step strategies is that they tend to strip out context. One person’s (or company’s) recipe for success may not work for someone else. For example, if Microsoft tried to copy the artistic style and elegance of Apple products, it would fail. Why? Context. Apple’s DNA is different than Microsoft’s, with a unique culture, talent and strategic partnerships that support design-centric innovations. Any strategy Apple uses to develop products works for Apple; it may or may not work for your company.

The alternative to trying to capitalize on tips and how-tos is to focus on principles. Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People offers many tips on how to build relationships, but the power of the book is that each chapter is illustrating a specific principle. There are 30 chapters and 30 principles. Ultimately, the book is founded on a single, guiding principle: Focus on others instead of yourself if you want to win friends and influence people.

Principles are timeless and effective at achieving long-term results and inner fulfillment. Once you understand, adopt and integrate a new principle into your life, your mind will find ways to utilize it in your daily business and personal interactions.

In addition to Carnegie’s classic text, Og Mandino’s The Greatest Salesman in the World and Andy Andrews’ The Traveler’s Gift offer powerful principles to help increase your success and happiness in life.

Even when you read an article on how someone else made it work, look for the underlying principles that led to their success. It takes a thoughtful Creative Professional to seek out and uncover the principles operating in the world around him.

Take great care and satisfaction in aligning to and living divinely-guided principles along your journey.

Related posts:

1. Six Principles for Effective Communication at Work
2. Don’t Just Think It, Live It
3. The Greatest Secret to Effective Communication