We live in the age of social-super-performance—an age of speed, scale, and relentless optimisation. People seem to be racing each other: faster sprints, longer marathons, bigger cars, fancier holidays, loftier titles. More this. More that. All showcased online for maximum likes—and maximum envy.
In this rush for function—results, outcomes, status—we often overlook something far more crucial: form. Technique. Foundation. The stuff that doesn’t make headlines, but makes everything else possible.
Let’s begin with two real-life stories.
Case Study 1: My Niece Joins the Gym
My niece, in her early 20s, had been putting on weight—a common side-effect of a sedentary lifestyle and processed food habits. Encouraged by a friend, she finally joined a gym. Just weeks in, she began complaining of back pain, but pushed through it—motivated by social media inspiration, peer pressure, and a spirit of pushing herself beyond the pain.
One day, her back gave up.
She ended up hospitalised for three days and bedridden at home for several more. Unfortunately, she drew the wrong conclusion: “The gym is bad. It’s only for bodybuilders.”
But what was her real mistake?
She skipped the fundamentals. No warm-up to build mobility, no technique coaching, no gradual ramp-up. Pain was seen as progress, and strength was mistaken for sheer effort.
The real lesson? Form matters. Technique protects. Strength is built step by step—not by lifting the mountain straight away.
Case Study 2: My Friend Turns Trader
Around the time of COVID, a friend of mine left his job to become a full-time trader. Armed with a few YouTube videos, some online courses, some backtesting and a few months of market wins, he was all in.
He made two classic mistakes:
- He expected regular, salary-like returns from an unpredictable system.
- He got overconfident, using leverage in Futures & Options to chase faster gains.
Within six months, 75% of his savings were gone. Devastated, he walked away from trading altogether, convinced: “The stock market is a casino. The system is rigged. ‘They’ are out to fleece you.”
Again, the wrong lesson.
The real issue wasn’t the market—it was entering the game without preparation, adequate knowledge, investment philosophy, discipline, understanding risk or the behavioural aspects. He focused on function—profit—without building the form—process, patience, and capital protection.
The Pattern: Function Over Form
Both these cases reveal a familiar pattern across domains: chasing performance without preparing for it; chasing function before form.
It’s like a batsman trying to hit six sixes in the first over of a test match—or worse, someone trying to run before they can stand. What’s needed is the opposite: form before function.
Form Over Function: A Universal Principle
Fitness: Strength Is Built on Technique
In resistance training, good form isn’t optional—it’s a pre-requisite. Whether you’re squatting, deadlifting, or pressing overhead, poor technique invites injury. Good form:
- Reduces risk
- Engages the right muscles
- Builds strength that lasts
The best lifters know: it’s not about lifting the heaviest weight—it’s about lifting the right way. That’s how you grow sustainably.
Investing: Process Before Profits
New investors often chase fast returns, fancy charts, and market timing. But true wealth builders focus on:
- Understanding risk
- Diversification
- Emotional control
- Long-term thinking
Form in investing is discipline. Function is the return. And the former creates the latter—not the other way around.
Swimming: Glide, Don’t Flail
At any pool, you’ll see it—newbies churning their limbs in a frantic effort to stay afloat; call it an egg-beater churn, muscling through ungainly! Seasoned swimmers? They glide with calm efficiency. It’s called SWOLF – a measure of swimming efficiency (Swimming + Golf). It’s (time taken for a lap)/(no. of strokes).
It’s not about moving faster. It’s about moving smarter. That only comes from mastering form.
Entrepreneurship: Nail It Before You Scale It
Startups are sexy. Everyone wants to raise funds, go viral, and scale overnight. But scaling without systems is like launching a rocket from a house of cards.
Smart founders know:
- A great product solves a real problem.
- Culture isn’t an afterthought.
- Systems matter more than speed.
In his bestseller, Zero to One, Peter Thiel asks The Monopoly Question – start with a big share of a small market. It’s one of his most actionable insights. He says that instead of entering a huge competitive market at once:
- Find a very specific niche (a small market – geography or product)
- Dominate in completely (get a big share of the small market)
- Expand from there by replicating the existing successful business model.
“If you think your initial market might be too big, it almost certainly is.” – Peter Thiel
His advice? Dominate a small niche. Then expand.
Start small. Win small. Then scale smart.
Risk-Taking: Courage with Preparation
Quitting a job, launching a venture, traveling solo—bold moves get all the applause. But blind leaps without prep? That’s not courage; that’s ignorant cocksureness.
Form in risk-taking means:
- Knowing the downside
- Nipping the downside in the bud
- Optionality – limited downside, unlimited upside
Once those are in place, function—adventure, reward, growth—follows naturally.
Why Form First?
Putting form first isn’t about slowing down. It’s about thoughtful, deliberate progress. In a world of shortcuts, it’s the long-game mindset that wins.
Across all areas of life—fitness, finance, business, relationships—this principle holds true:
“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”
— Abraham Lincoln
The Takeaway
Form before function.
Foundation before scale.
Mastery before momentum.
Because when the form is right, the function will follow—with robustness, resilience and scalability.