A core value is an ideal quality one strives to prioritize, achieve, and maintain in one's way (Tao) of doing things.

Having read The Art of War for over twenty years, I've come to realize that there are three values that serve as the core of the Sun Tzu Way. These are values that the skilled warriors (shan zhan zhe) of the past upheld in conducting warfare and what allowed them to achieve success on the battlefield.

These values are 

1. Clarity (ming). Prioritize knowledge and understanding in whatever situation you face.
2. Readiness (dài). Evaluate your methods and continually improve them for the life you want.
3. Wholeness (quan). Strive to succeed at minimal cost to yourself or others.

These three values come up consistently in the text and, in my experience at least, can be prioritized in almost any situation to improve one's life. Personally, I try to uphold these values in any major decisions I make - whether it's personal finance, investing, career, or skill development.

Let's go into a little more detail with each value.

CLARITY
"Know the self, know the other, and victory will not be in danger. Know the Heaven, know the Ground, and victory will be complete."
- Sun Tzu

A constant theme in The Art of War is that knowledge - not willpower or size or bravery - is the key to success on the battlefield. The general who achieves total victory (quan sheng) is the one who understands his situation better - who knows the enemy, his army, the climate, and the ground.

For this reason, the skillful general is always trying to develop a clear (ming) understanding of what's going on. He uses spies to gather intelligence on the enemy's situation. He uses local guides to help him understand the various battlefields. He observes the enemy's behavior to discern his condition. He keeps watch over his troops to determine their attitude and morale.

He takes all this information and analyzes it to get a clear picture of his situation. Then he decides a course of action.

To be a skilled warrior of life, you must prioritize the same thinking. We live in a society that emphasizes action and persistence as key values. However, how smoothly life goes for you often depends on how well you understand your situation. You must listen to others, hear and consider their perspectives. You must learn to ask questions and take nothing for granted. You must do your research.

What you are after is clarity. Your aim is always to shine light on your situation before taking any deliberate action.

READINESS
"Do not rely on the enemy not coming. Rely on our ability to await him. Do not rely on the enemy not attacking. Rely on our having a place which cannot be attacked."
- Sun Tzu

For Sun Tzu, continual success on the battlefield is not a matter of luck or fate. Rather, it is a matter of preparation. The winning army is always prepared to deal with anything that comes its way - whether danger or opportunity. It is always ready to respond at a moment's notice.

Such readiness does not come from how intelligent or capable one is. Rather, it comes having the proper methods (systems, training, principles, tactics) in place and utilizing them to deal with changing circumstances, anticipate the potential dangers, and capitalize on the enemy's mistakes or weaknesses.

Likewise, in your own life, your ability to tackle the challenges you face in life doesn't depend on how smart or confident or well-connected you are. Rather, it depends on your state of readiness. It depends on the quality of your own methods - your own systems, habits, principles, and techniques - to deal with the issue at hand.

Look at your systems, your habits, the rules or guidelines you follow, your skills. Evaluate whether they are effective at helping you deal with the challenges or struggles you face everyday, or if they are just a part of the problem.

Put time and effort developing effective methods. With these methods in place, you'll be ready to face any challenge that comes your way.

WHOLENESS
"It is by keeping intact that one contends for All-Under-Heaven. Thus, the army will not be stopped, and its gains will be intact."
- Sun Tzu

For Sun Tzu, the highest excellence in warfare does not come from winning numerous battles. Rather, it comes from knowing how to subdue the enemy without fighting. In other words, Sun Tzu values wholeness - that is, keeping the army and the enemy intact (quan).

At heart, Sun Tzu takes an economic view of warfare. Warfare is destructive by nature. It destroys lives, morale, weapons, nations. Thus, what is gained by conducting warfare should and must outweigh the costs of going to war. The goal for Sun Tzu is not to win, but to make winning pay. This involves minimizing the destruction and maximizing the gains.

This view of war makes up the essence of The Art of War. It is the whole reason why Sun Tzu wrote the text. Thus, value of wholeness makes up the core of Sun Tzu's philosophy. It is what every skilled warrior should strive to attain when conducting war.

As Sun Tzu advises us, wholeness in warfare is achieved through mastery of deception, positioning, and momentum. The skillful general defeats the enemy not through brute strength or ferocious warriors, but through concealing his army's situation from the enemy, avoiding unnecessary engagements, building up a strong offensive position, and striking when and where the enemy is least prepared. This is the way (Tao) of total victory (quan sheng) for Sun Tzu.

In your own life, the same concept applies. Every struggle you face bears a cost. Every endeavor you take on involves risk. Every responsibility requires sacrifice. Assume too many risks, fight too many battles, take on too many responsibilities, and you can find yourself exhausted, overwhelmed, and in a bad situation.

The path to success in life comes from understanding which battles are worth fighting, which endeavors are worth pursuing, and which responsibilities are worth taking on. It involves concealing your intentions and plans, avoiding unnecessary arguments or struggles, building up your skills and resources, and moving quickly to jump on opportunities to move forward.

This is how you make success pay and live a life of calm and security (an).
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In short, these three values make up the core of the Sun Tzu Way. Taken together, they make up the essence of Sun Tzu's philosophy. In incorporating these values into your own life, ask yourself:

1. What must I do to get a clearer understanding of my situation?
2. How can I be more prepared - that is, more protected and ready?
3. How can I 'keep whole' - that is, how can I minimize the costs and maximize the gains for all involved?

Ask yourself these questions in every meaningful situation you face, and you’ll gradually begin to create wonders in your life.

"In general, the winning army prefers the high ground and hates the low, values the sunny side and despises the dark."
- Sun Tzu

For Sun Tzu, the most advantageous position for an army is on the high, sunny ground, facing the enemy. This position offers the army the greatest amount of elevation and visibility, so that they can clearly see the enemy and their situation. 

The high ground is as much psychological as it is physical. It refers to a position where you have the most clarity, allowing you to cultivate a sense of stillness.

In life, we also have a high ground. The reason why so many of us feel lost in life is because we don’t have a strong sense of what’s true to us and what’s not. Your high ground is that purpose and truth.

To identify and take your high ground, ask yourself: What principle, value, or practice do I have that, when I follow it, always gives me a sense of clarity or purpose?

For me, taking the high ground comes often through talking to myself - literally - either by taking a walk by myself or journaling my thoughts. Because my mind is often very noisy, working out my thoughts through self-talk allows me to clear my head and focus.

For other people, taking the high ground occurs through physical exercise. When they exercise, they can see their life more clearly because moving their body helps them process their thinking.

For others, it may occur through meditation. Through deep breathing and clearing out mental clutter, they are able to become in tune with their purpose.

For others, it may be a matter of following your gut, or intuition. When they sense something is right or off, they must follow it.

For other people, it’s the scientific method. They have to observe – see, feel, hear – something for themselves, run experiments, test new ideas out, in order to gain clarity.

For other people, it happens through organization and preparation. They need to map out things, see them physically, in order to gain clarity.

Everyone’s high ground is different and may change as time goes by. The point is that you need something solid, something you know you can rely on, to give you that sense of clarity and balance.

That is the source of your power.

In military strategy (and martial arts in general), there is a powerful approach for engaging and subduing your enemy. In fact it is so important, it pretty much forms the basis of Sun Tzu's approach for winning battles. I call it the PrESS technique, which stands for:  Protect, Entice, Seize, and Strike. 

Protect means to ensure your defense is up and that you are prepared against any attack against you. This means getting in a defensive stance, making sure you have an exit, guarding your vulnerable points. Entice means to open up a vulnerability or opportunity that draws your enemy to attack you in a specific way.

Seize means to trap your enemy, either by grabbing him, ambushing him, or putting him in a vulnerable position where he is left unguarded. And strike means to hit your enemy at a vulnerable spot that injures him or takes him out.

Although this technique has its root in military strategy and fighting, its application can be used in many different areas of life where you are facing competition, conflict, or struggle. Let’s take a look at a simple example.

Let’s say you are trying to raise money from donors for your charity. Here’s one way to use the PrESS technique:

First, protect yourself against “no” by avoiding making a direct request for donation.
Next, entice your prospective donor by asking her simple requests that she can easily say “yes” to (e.g. writing her name down in support, coming to an event for free, subscribing to emails).

Next, seize the opportunity to connect, interest, and delight your prospect. Bring your prospect into a community, connect her to potential friends. Share your story.

Lastly, strike by asking for a donation, making the payment process as painless as possible. Once your prospective donor feels a part of a larger community and feels aligned with your objectives, she will be much more likely to donate.

I could go on and on about how to use this technique. The important thing to keep in mind is that engaging with someone else, especially where you think there is conflict, is a process.

It’s not simply a matter of directly arguing or asking them something. It’s a matter of opening them up to your ideas. The PrESS technique is one such method for doing this.