"Those skilled warriors of the past won where it was easy to win. Therefore, the victory of a skilled warrior is neither 'brilliant' nor 'bravely achieved.' Thus, his battle victory is without error. Being without error, his execution will succeed, having already won against the defeated enemy."
- Sun Tzu

In our society, we tend to praise individuals who have shown "genius" in their work, who have braved great risks in striving for their achievements, who never gave up in their relentless pursuit of success.

While these attributes (brilliance, bravery, persistence) are certainly admirable, surprisingly, for Sun Tzu, they are not what truly make up a winning strategy. For him, true victory in warfare is not the result of clever tactics, brave soldiers, or relentless persistence in the face of adversity. Rather, it is the result of executing a simple, well-calculated, and well-timed strategy.

In life, the same is true. The ideal winning strategy - one that allows you to overcome challenges and brings you greater control over your life - does not require incredible brilliance, courage, or grit. It doesn't require more education or taking huge risks or getting out of your comfort zone or never giving up, even if the path forward seems impossible.

Rather, it requires asking five simple, yet critical questions:

1. If successful, will the strategy be profitable (li)?
2. Is the strategy protected (bao)?
3. Is the strategy easy (yi) to execute?
4. Can you execute the strategy quickly (su)?
5. Is the strategy surprising (qi)?

You can think of these questions as a checklist to help keep you evaluate your ideas or strategies. 

Let's look at each question in greater depth.

Question 1: If successful, will the strategy be profitable (li)?
For Sun Tzu, a winning strategy must be profitable. In other words, there must be real, substantial, and clear benefits or gains from achieving the victory - otherwise the whole affair is pointless. These gains do not need to be huge, but they should be significant - that is, it should be clear how the gain will move one forward in achieving one's larger goals or aims.

For example, let's say you are considering a new diet/fitness approach. Before trying the approach, you have to do your research and determine if the benefits are worth it. Will they lead to the results you are looking for - e.g. lower body fat, more energy, bigger and more defined muscles, etc.? It doesn't matter how effective the new approach is if it doesn't produce the results you particularly are looking for.

Question 2: Is the strategy protected (bao)?
For Sun Tzu, a winning strategy is strongly protected against risk. That is to say, if the strategy were to fail, the losses should be minimal and easily manageable. Just as the profitability should be significant, the potential cost or downside should be low.

For Sun Tzu, the best way to make a strategy protected by keeping it concealed. The winning army guards itself by keeping its situation hidden from the enemy. It travels to places the enemy does not care about and presents itself as innocuous to the enemy.

With the diet/fitness example, ask yourself: is the cost of implementing the approach low? What is the downside? If I fail in using the approach, will I be fine? 

Question 3: Is the strategy easy (yi) to execute?
For Sun Tzu, the more steps involved in carrying out the strategy, the more complicated the strategy becomes. The more complicated the strategy becomes, the greater chance for error, since there is more risk to manage. And thus, the less easy carrying out the strategy becomes. A winning strategy is uncomplicated. The number of steps are minimal and the execution is simple and clear, so as to be "without error" (bu te).

With the diet/fitness example above, you must ask yourself: is the approach simple? Or is it complicated? Is it clear how and why it works? Are there a lot of steps involved in making it work? If it's complicated, requiring a lot of steps, the less likely you will be to stick with the diet/fitness plan.

Question 4: Can you execute the strategy quickly (su)?
Being simple, a winning strategy shouldn't require a ton of effort or steps, and therefore, one should be able to move quickly and unhesitatingly to execute it. For Sun Tzu, a quick victory is infinitely more preferable to a long drawn-out one. As he tells us, "[I]n warfare one hears of 'clumsy yet swift,' but I have yet to see 'skillful yet drawn-out.' No nation has yet to benefit from a drawn-out war."

With the diet/fitness example, ask: can I start applying the approach quickly? Will it take a long time to execute? Can I start right away? The longer it takes to start implementing or executing, the greater the likelihood you won't go through with it.

Question 5: Is the strategy surprising (qi)?
For Sun Tzu, a winning strategy always goes beyond other people's experience. It surprises one's enemies, catching them off-guard. Achieving this effectively in war requires two things. First, one must conceal one's positioning and movements (See Question 2). Sun Tzu calls this being "formless" (wu xing).

Next, when the right moment arrives, the army takes simple, quick, and coordinated action at a key weak point, catching the enemy off-guard. This will upset the enemy, causing panic and chaos and ultimately defeat.

Returning to the diet/fitness example, will I be able to achieve surprising results? Will I be able to see results quickly (e.g. in the next few days or weeks, as opposed to months from now)? Will I be impressed by what I see in the mirror, or with my energy levels? Will it help carry the momentum I need to stick with it over time? The less surprising the results, the less likely you'll be to stick to the plan.
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So there we have it: a winning strategy is profitable, protected, easy, quick, and surprising. In developing a plan for your next move or life change (e.g. getting a new educational degree, acquiring a job position, jumping on a business opportunity, starting a diet and fitness plan, etc.), you must ask yourself the four questions above to make sure it has these qualities. If they don't, you have some more work to do.

​It can be tedious to remember all the methods, rules, tactics, and wisdom from Sun Tzu when you are in the middle of facing a crisis or problem. One simple question I like to ask myself when I face different scenarios is: What would a skilled warrior (shàn zhàn zhě) of life do? 

How would a skilled warrior of life respond or react to this problem? Would they respond with anger? Would they ignore it? How would they deal with it?

(An alternative question to ask, which is just as effective, is: What would Sun Tzu do?)

If I wish to be a skilled warrior of life, I need to know how would a skilled warrior act. What kind of choices would they make? 

For example, if someone says something that annoys me or makes me feel insecure, my initial reaction may be to be angry or defensive. However, is that how would a skilled warrior of life act? Or would they think through the situation, try to understand why they feel a certain way, listen to the advice, and try to move on?

Asking this question repeatedly allows me to rethink and readjust my identity. Once I understand who I aspire to be, it becomes easier to make different choices.

For Sun Tzu, emotions can be very dangerous. They can cloud one's judgment and push one to act rashly in the face of crises or challenges one may face.

On the other hand, emotions can also be powerful tools. Used correctly, they can motivate you to overcome opposition, connect you with others, and enjoy life better.

So what's the best way to manage your emotions? How do you keep your emotions from putting you in a worse position? And how do you use them to better your situation?

The following are four key lessons I've ​taken from The Art of War on controlling my emotions:

1. Emotions are informative.
2. Refrain from making decisions based on your emotions.
3. Let flow.
4. Channel your emotional energy for the right time and place.

Let's go through each lesson in greater depth.

Lesson 1: Emotions are informative.
As human beings, we are emotional creatures. Everything we experience is colored by our emotions. All of our emotions - whether positive or negative - are natural and even healthy. The problem is that we don't much understand our emotions and what they can tell us about ourselves.

There is much scientific research into the purpose of emotions, which I won't go into here. However, the most important thing to understand about emotions is that they are reactions to our sense of control over ourselves, others, or our environment. In particular, they tell you how secure or insecure you feel about whatever situation you are in.

So, anxiety, for example, comes from one's insecurity towards controlling or knowing the outcome of a situation, especially if the situation or the outcome could be negative. Anger is a natural reaction to someone or something not conforming or complying with our own standards we project onto the world.

Excitement, which is actually a form of anxiety, comes from how insecure we feel towards a desirable outcome that we feel or know is very possible, even likely. Contentment is a general feeling that things are under control, that no surprises are lurking in background.

Thus, emotions are very important because they inform us of how we are - consciously or unconsciously - feeling about a situation. For Sun Tzu, this information is incredibly important. As he tells us, "Know the other, know the self, and your victory will not be in danger." Knowing oneself - in Sun Tzu's case, knowing one's army - lets the general know where the mindset of his soldiers are. Are they scared? Are they angry? Are they anxious? Are they calm and ready? Asking these questions lets him understand if his soldiers are ready for battle, or if they need to be trained more, or if they need to move to a different ground, etc.

Likewise, for yourself, you should also ask yourself similar questions. Whenever you have a strong emotional reaction, you should ask yourself:

1. What emotion am I feeling right now?
2. What does this emotion tell me about myself and my situation?
3. Do I tend to feel this way in these types of situations?

 
In this sense, your emotions are a window into your mind. Investigating why you get upset when someone cuts you off in traffic or why you get so excited when you meet a new guy or girl helps you understand your tendencies better. You can start to see patterns in your behavior ("I always seem to feel this way in these types of situations"). This allows you to gain some distance from yourself and potentially break these patterns.

That is how you stay responsive to your situation - able to adapt.

Lesson 2: Refrain from making decisions based on your emotions.
While your emotions are natural, healthy, and informative, making decisions based on your emotions - i.e. how you're feeling - is not effective or strategic. Indeed, doing so can lead to worse and more disastrous consequences than you intended.

While emotions are good windows into your mind (if you have the discipline to try to understand them), they often do not give a clear or accurate interpretation of your situation. The person who didn't send you an invite to their party, for example, might have been trying to slight you - or they may have legitimately forgot to send you one. The girl or guy who gave you a compliment on your outfit may have been trying to flirt with you - or they were just being nice.

In addition, acting from your emotions also tends to make you look weak or vulnerable in front of others. If people know that you are controlled by your emotions, then they can figure out what to say or do to manipulate you.

In warfare, both of these consequences are dangerous. If a general makes decisions based on his emotions, rather than on clear intelligence from his spies and local guides, then he risks putting the whole army, as well as the nation, in danger. Likewise, if the enemy knows that the general is emotional, he can use that to exploit the general's weaknesses.

This is why, for Sun Tzu, you must refrain as much as possible from making decisions based on your emotions. Sun Tzu offers clear guidelines for when you should take action: "If there is no advantage, do not move. If there is nothing to gain, do not mobilize. If there is no danger, do not battle."

Whenever you are in an emotional state, you have to ask yourself: "What will I gain by taking action?" What will I gain from responding in anger? What will I gain from constantly checking my phone, waiting for some update on something?

An alternative question is: "What can I lose?" What can I lose from acting out of anger? What can I lose from giving into anxiety or excitement?

Decisions must come through calculation - from gathering intelligence, analyzing one's situation, and choosing the best course of action out of one's options. Emotions may factor into the analysis, but they shouldn't guide it.

Lesson 3: Let flow.
For Sun Tzu, emotions are not permanent states of mind. Rather, they are fluid. As Sun Tzu tells us, "Anger can return to happiness. Resentment can return to contentment." Our natural state is to be happy and content - absent any stress or overt change, that's the state we all tend to go to.

There is a paradox with this, though. If all emotions are natural and healthy, we shouldn't try to repress them or reject them. Rather we should accept and embrace them. On the other hand, if we hold on to negative emotions, like anger or anxiety or depression, we can keep ourselves from getting to a place of contentment and happiness. They can be like poison if we hold on to them for too long.

The key is to acknowledge the emotion - that is, to acknowledge how you feel, without  any judgment - and give yourself time for the emotion to dissipate. I call this technique letting flow.

First, you have to acknowledge what emotion you are feeling. Are you feeling angry? Hurt? Sad? Heartbroken? Disappointed?

Next, explore the emotion. What is it about the situation that, you feel, sparked this emotion in you? Was it that someone said or did something that bothered you? Was it that you were hoping for one result and got another? Was it that you feel you've lost something? It helps to write this down, either in a journal or in a letter to the person at whom you're upset. The key is not to judge your response, but to accept it as how you currently feel.

Next, you have to give yourself time by distracting yourself from the situation. Maybe you need to take a break. Maybe you can take a walk or run or swim. Maybe you can play a game or an instrument. Whatever it is, you have to put some distance between you and the situation.

After awhile, you can return back to the situation and see if your feelings have changed. Has the intensity of the emotion gone down? Are you still as upset as you were? Are you still as disappointed? If yes, then that's good. You'll probably be in a much better place to deal with the situation. If not, then you need more time.

The ultimate point you want to reach is the ability to take time away from the situation and come back and reflect on the situation. Ask yourself: is there a chance that I am responsible for what happened? Is there something I might have done to have caused the situation to happen?

By following this technique consistently, you are preventing your negative emotions from festering. By acknowledging, exploring, giving yourself some time, and then coming back to reflect, you are letting these emotions flow and dissipate. Just like a ripple in a pond, the pond will come back to a calm, peaceful state - but only if you let it.

Lesson 4: Channel your emotional energy for the right time and place.
For Sun Tzu, emotions are not just informative. Rather, they can be powerful forces to tip the scales of victory in your favor - if you use them at the right time and place.

A general, for example, wants his soldiers to be ready and fierce when it comes to battle. He wants them to be motivated to win. He does this by putting his soldiers in danger, where there is no escape, so that their courage outweighs their fear of death. Likewise, the general wants to use his soldiers' excitement and desire to enjoy the spoils of war as a motivating force for getting them to steal from and feed off the enemy.

In your own life, your positive emotions can assist you when taking action. Excitement can be a motivating force for preparing yourself for an opportunity - a job interview, a promotion, a new business prospect. Maintaining a positive, upbeat mood can be very helpful in displaying confidence to others.

Even using anxiety and anger can be helpful. Allowing for some anxiety pushes you to be cautious in your decision-making, and maintaining some anger, especially when acting in opposition to someone, can be helpful in clarifying in your mind who your enemy is.

The key is never to let your emotions guide you. You should only be guided by your calculations - what you've assessed, using reliable information, to be the best path forward.  Your emotions should only assist you when you're deciding to take action. In this way, they become an extra-boost that gives you an advantage in whatever endeavor you're trying to do.

The following case study discusses an incident Abraham Lincoln faced with one of his Cabinet members. It exemplifies the shrewd use of the Sun Tzu Way. (The excerpt below is from Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips):

"One famous case in point involved the presidents adept handling of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase's attempts to discredit William Seward in late 1862. Chase was jealous of Seward's influence with the president and of their close friendship. He felt that it was he who should be the chief adviser in the cabinet; in fact, in 1864 he worked behind the scenes in an attempt to wrest the Republican nomination from Lincoln. Chase had complained to influential Republican senators that Seward exerted undue influence on the president, that he was inept at handling foreign affairs, and that he was the cause of all the problems at the executive level of the government.
 
After the Confederate victory over General Burnside at Fredericksburg, Virginia, the senators were overly distraught and subsequently met in caucuses to discuss Seward's position in the cabinet. They decided to send a delegation of nine to the White House to urge Lincoln to dismiss the secretary of state and reorganize the cabinet. At their meeting, on December 18, 1862, they accused Seward of endless wrongdoing and told Lincoln that they had it on good authority that the president often failed to consult all members of his cabinet when important decisions were made. Lincoln asked them to return the following night. Until then he would consider their concerns and demands...

The next evening, he summoned his cabinet to a special session where he explained all that had happened the night before. When the senators returned to the White House for their scheduled meeting, Lincoln assembled everyone in the same room and asked that all matters of dispute be resolved before anyone left. All the participants were caught off guard. The senators did not know that the cabinet was going to be present, nor did the cabinet realize what Lincoln had secretly planned. Chase was especially distressed. If he were to support what the senators had asserted, his cabinet colleagues and the president were sure to realize that he was the catalyst to all the dissent. Chase was forced to agree that Lincoln had consulted the cabinet on every important decision, that they were generally in agreement, and that Seward acted properly and honestly in the administration of his duties as secretary of state.
 
As a result of this meeting, organized and run exclusively by Lincoln, the Republican senators and Chase were thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated. Chase was exposed as a fraud never to be trusted again, and all charges against Seward were dropped. Lincoln obtained the results he wanted while seeming to be almost naïve in his actions."
- Donald T. Phillips, Lincoln on Leadership, Chapter 9, pgs. 100-102

ANALYSIS
Lincoln's handling of this situation displays his adeptness at the art of winning without battle, a key precept of Sun Tzu's The Art of War. Let's see how he does it.

From his first conversation with the senators, he knew, from how ambitious his Secretary of Treasury was, that Chase was at the source of all this trouble. He surmised that it was Chase who was complaining to the Senators, trying to stir up discontent so that he could advance in Lincoln's cabinet.

However, Lincoln was in a dilemma. If he confronted Chase, then Chase would simply deny it. Confronting the Senators would also not work, as they too would deny Chase had any involvement. And if he simply refused the Senators' demands, he would look as if he was inflexible or incapable of taking feedback, which could have huge repercussions with gaining the Senators' much-needed support in the future, given how horribly the Civil War was going so far.

But Lincoln realized that there was one weakness in Chase's plan: Chase's anonymity. If the rest of the cabinet knew what Chase was up to, none of them would trust Chase. Chase knew that he couldn't be seen as a dissenter. And it was this forced anonymity that Lincoln could exploit.

Catching everyone off-guard by putting them in the same room and having each cabinet member speak to Seward's good character and conduct in front of the Senators, Chase was forced to agree with his fellow cabinet members in order to hide his anonymity, making himself look like a fraud in front of the Senators. At the same time, it prevented Lincoln from having to defend Seward to the Senators - rather, he let his own cabinet members do the defending for him. With Chase seen as a fraud and with unanimous support for Seward from the cabinet, the Senators had no choice but to drop their demands.

Lincoln's approach displays the five main qualities of a winning strategy (profitable, protected, easy, quick, and surprising), allowing him to achieve quan sheng (total victory) in this situation. Let's break down these qualities in detail:

1. Profitable. Lincoln had a lot to gain by letting his cabinet speak to the Republican senators. If successful, it would get them to back off and potentially have them lose trust in Chase.
2. Protected. Lincoln was well-protected with this strategy. Because he didn't have to defend himself (he let the cabinet do the defending), he could give the appearance of working with the Senators, and thereby not losing face with them.
3. Easy. Lincoln's strategy required very little work other than gathering the Senators and the cabinet members into one room.
4. Quick. Lincoln was able to execute the strategy very quickly (the next day). All it took was gathering everyone together - no real preparation was needed.
5. Surprising. By putting Chase in the same room as the senators and the cabinet members, he was able to catch Chase off-guard and use his anonymity against him, forcing him to publicly agree with his cabinet members and thereby immobilizing him.

As a result of this strategy, Lincoln was able to achieve his overall objectives (keep Seward as Secretary of State and not lose face with the Senators), while at the same time weakening Chase's ability to build on his alliance with the Senators in the future.​

"The skilled warriors of the past..."
- Sun Tzu

The Sun Tzu Way is a philosophy that has been practiced by shrewd warriors of life, across nations and cultures, for thousands of years. Its principles, though articulated most concretely in Sun Tzu's text, are timeless and universal. For this reason, periodically, I will be sharing case studies of figures throughout history who demonstrate the practical and effective use of Sun Tzu's philosophy.

In this post, we'll look at a famous encounter between Benjamin Franklin, our founding father, and a colleague of his who gave him serious trouble in Franklin's early political career.
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SKILLED WARRIOR CASE STUDY: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND ISAAC NORRIS

"He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged."
 - Ben Franklin

In 1736, the wealthy and charismatic merchant Isaac Norris received, out-of-the-blue, a polite note from a colleague of his – Benjamin Franklin.  At the time, both men served as members of the colonial legislature for Pennsylvania.

The appearance of the note must have seemed strange, since only a short time before Norris had strongly opposed Franklin’s reappointment to the position of clerk for the legislature.  Although Franklin, after a much heated debate, eventually won the reappointment, the opposition from Norris must have been unwelcome.  Norris himself was not too fond of Franklin, perhaps due to envy towards Franklin’s own popularity and achievements.

The note to Norris, however, had nothing to do with politics.  Apparently, Franklin had ascertained that Norris owned an extensive library of rare books, and that there was one book in particular, which just so happened to be a favorite of Norris’, that had caught Franklin’s interest.  He would be incredibly grateful, Franklin told Norris, if he might be able to borrow the book for a few days.

Taking the opportunity to showcase his eminence as a scholar and wealthy businessman, Norris sent the book to Franklin right away.  Within a week, Franklin returned the book, along with another note expressing his immense gratitude to Norris for the favor.

Immediately, doubt started creeping in Norris’ mind.  Franklin not only shared the same interest in rare books, but he (Franklin) acted the perfect gentleman, returning the book as promised and demonstrating humble gratitude for the favor.  How could Norris continue to hold ill-will towards a man who acted so respectably?  And what would that say about himself, who loaned Franklin the book?

At the next meeting of the legislature, Norris approached Franklin and engaged him in friendly conversation, something he had never done before.  From then on, Norris became one of Franklin’s strongest political allies, a relationship lasting until Norris’ death in 1766.

ANALYSIS
The opposition that Isaac Norris had first shown Benjamin Franklin in the colonial legislature had deeply worried Franklin.  Norris was wealthy, well-educated, and ambitious, “with talents,” Franklin tells us, “that were likely to give him, in time, great influence” over the other members of legislature.  Although Franklin was able to win the vote for reappointment, he could perceive the potential problem of having Norris as an adversary in the legislature.

In resolving this predicament, Franklin showed expert use of the Sun Tzu Way to enact his own success.  Let’s examine how.

First, Franklin examined his situation.  Franklin knew that if he became openly more antagonistic towards Norris, confronting him publicly at legislature meetings, he would only strengthen Norris’ negative feelings towards Franklin.

On the other hand, Franklin also did not wish to gain Norris’ “favor by paying any servile respect to him.”  What Franklin wanted was the ability to push forward his career unopposed and, hopefully, with Norris’ respect and support.

Articulating what he wanted to achieve, Franklin moved on to gathering some intelligence about Norris.  Observing Norris closely at legislature meetings and using insiders to accrue information, Franklin was able to glean two important facts about Norris:

1. Norris courted attention and sought to be liked and admired by everyone in the legislature.  This is most likely the reason he envied Franklin (who was very well-liked and admired) and opposed him.
2. Because of his wealth and education, Norris had accrued a large collection of rare books, of which Norris was very proud.  Having such a collection helped to promote an image of eminence in his community.

​
​Using this intelligence, Franklin was able to craft a simple plan to influence Norris indirectly. He decided he would ask if he could borrow a book (Norris’ favorite) from this special library, and then return the book and show extreme gratitude for the loan.  Such a plan had three key elements.

First, by requesting something completely irrelevant to politics, Franklin was able to lower any suspicions Norris may have had regarding Franklin trying to win political favor.

Second, by honing in on Norris’ prized library, which represented Norris’ deep rooted need for being seen as noble and preeminent in society, Franklin appealed to Norris’ vanity.  In addition, Franklin was also able to establish common interest with Norris, making Norris more open to liking Franklin since they shared apparent similarities.

Third, by requesting a favor with which Norris, due to his vanity and lowered suspicions, was almost sure to comply, Franklin was able to instill doubt in his colleague.  Norris’ opinion of Franklin would have to change, or else he wouldn’t be able to justify to himself why he had lent Franklin the book in the first place.

In this way, Norris’ opinion of Franklin changed and he was able to see Franklin as someone whom he could support, not oppose.  Using this simple, yet shrewd strategy, Franklin was able to secure Norris’ respect and support and enjoy an alliance that helped push him forward politically.

We can see here how Franklin integrates the four qualities of a winning strategy (profitable, easy, quick, and surprising), allowing him to overcome the obstacle he was facing and achieve a better position than he was in before (quan sheng). Let's look in greater detail at how he did this:

1. Profitable. Franklin's strategy would be profitable. If successful, it would help him win an ally or at least reduce Norris' opposition to him in the legislature.
2. Protected. Franklin's plan had little downside. If it failed (i.e. if Norris simply refused to lend him the book), then it would have no real cost to Franklin.
   
3. Easy. Franklin's plan was very simple to execute: ask to borrow the book and return it. There was nothing complicated about the approach.
4. Quick. In addition, Franklin's plan, being uncomplicated, could be implemented quickly.
5. Surprising. The effect on Norris was surprising, catching him off-guard and forcing Norris (subconsciously) to look at Franklin in a more positive light.

The result? Benjamin Franklin wins an important ally who is able to strengthen his positioning in the colonial legislature - a quintessential example of quan sheng (total victory) that defines Sun Tzu's ideal outcome when facing challenges.

In a previous post, I wrote about the importance of always being responsive to one's environment and others in this environment. For Sun Tzu, this is crucial because one's strategy in war highly depends on these two factors - the environment and one's enemy.

In saying this, though, it's important to understand exactly what this "responsiveness" entails. It can easily be construed as worry or waiting in hope for things to go your way. The Sun Tzu Way, at its core, is a philosophy of realism - of making decisions based on reality, on what's realistically or actually possible. It's not based on idealism - on what you think "should" be.

This is why I articulate the rule, "Be in-tune, not indifferent. Be attentive, not attached." It helps to place responsiveness between two extremes of behavior, both of which do not allow you to understand your reality.

"Be in-tune, not indifferent."
Being in-tune comes from the understanding that life often moves in cycles. These cycles encompass what Sun Tzu calls Heaven (Tian) - the cycles of life and death, of cold and hot, of day and night, of seasonal storms (thunderstorms, hurricanes, blizzards, etc.). None of these cycles are within an army's control. And yet they can greatly affect one's situation and chances for success.

The general must be in-tune with these cycles. He must pay attention to them, anticipate them, and use his knowledge and experience of them to help formulate his overall strategy. It would be disastrous not only for his army, but for the nation's security, to ignore or be indifferent to these cycles in his planning.

In life, we too also deal with cycles. Not just the physical cycles of Mother Nature, but also the cycles of human nature: generational cycles, economic cycles, political cycles, financial cycles, cultural cycles. We also have internal cycles - cycles that govern our changes in our mood, our attitude, our emotions, and our energy levels.

These cycles have a huge effect on our ability to achieve calm and security and serenity in our lives. Thus, we must become in-tune with them - attentive to them, able to anticipate their changes, and willing to use our knowledge and experience of them in our decision-making.

For example, understanding your spouse's emotional cycle helps in formulating a strategy for how you address an issue with them or communicate an idea. Understanding the business cycle of the company you work for helps in formulating a strategy for when you ask for a raise or promotion.

If we ignore them or try to be indifferent to these things, we risk inviting undue stress, frustration, and disappointment. But even more, if we are indifferent, it makes developing a realistic strategy - one with a strong probability of success - much harder and more costly than it would have been otherwise.

"Be attentive, not attached."
One potential danger of being so in-tune with things outside of our control us that we can start to rely on our expectations of these changes in cycle. Like economists who are constantly crying about a recession coming, it is very easy to "predict" that something bad (or good) is going to happen - all we need to do is wait.

But life does not operate this way. The problem with things not being in our control is that we cannot fully predict when or how changes will occur. Life is, ultimately, governed by chaos. We may be able to predict that a hurricane will probably occur next year, but we cannot say exactly when. We may be able to say that a recession will come, but we cannot predict exactly how or when or why.

This is why, for Sun Tzu, the general must constantly be attentive to his environment. He must constantly be observing changes in his environment and asking questions about its meaning. He looks at how the enemy reacts to different situations or how the trees or animals move. He even pays attention to what isn't happening. For example, if birds gather and do not take flight, then that indicates the enemy is not present. If the enemy has the opportunity to attack, but doesn't take it, this may indicate the enemy's soldiers are tired.

What's equally important is that the skilled general is not attached to any of these things. It would be disastrous for a general to be attached to his interpretation of a situation, as situations can be deceiving. The enemy could be trying to fool you, or the weather may change without a moment's notice.

Rather the general is led by his questions. He is always continually investigating. He always keeps himself protected before taking action and moves cautiously, ready to adapt or withdraw if the situation seems suspicious. He only takes action if there is a clear advantage. 

This is the attitude that we should take in life - to be attentive, not attached. Being attached to our opinions or beliefs divorces us from reality. Oftentimes we tell ourselves a story when things occur. A colleague hesitates to give their opinion on an idea we have, and we assume that they don't like it. A friend fails to respond to our text and we think they must be upset with us. Or the opposite: colleagues praise our idea, and we think we're brilliant. A new friend showers us with praise or tells us we are their best friend.

The problem with believing these things is that the reality can be deceptive. People rarely tell us exactly how they feel (indeed, they may not even know themselves how they feel). Enthusiasm can be faked (and often is). And un-enthusiasm doesn't necessarily mean dislike - sometimes people need to process and think through ideas or changes. 

Instead, we must pay attention and observe changes in our environment, question and investigate its meaning, and keep an open, but cautious stance. Instead of deciding that someone is upset with us or likes our idea, we have to ask questions: "Is it possible they had a bad day or are upset about something else?" Or "Maybe they are just being polite - I'll have to see if they really like my idea."

In short, we must be open to being wrong about our assumptions, always willing to change our position given new evidence. This is how we maintain a responsive stance to life, and is what allows us to maintain a sense of calm and peace.

"In battle, chaos is produced from order, cowardice is produced from bravery, and weakness is produced from strength. Chaos from order is a matter of calculation. Cowardice from bravery is a matter of force. Weakness from strength is a matter of positioning."
- Sun Tzu

As we see from the passage above, for Sun Tzu, achieving continual success in battle involves three critical skills, or disciplines, that every general must practice and be proficient at. These disciplines are calculation (jì), positioning (xing), and timing (jie).

In life, these disciplines can be applied the same way to the challenges you face. Because life is so often filled with daily battles, success in life depends on your mastery of these critical skills.

Let's go in depth into each of these disciplines and how they can apply to your life.

The Discipline of Calculation
For Sun Tzu, the discipline of calculation (jì) involves using spies to gather intelligence about the enemy and one's environment, assessing this intelligence by way of the five factors (The Way, Heaven, Ground, General, and Methods), and developing a fluid strategy that adapts to the enemy. Doing this allows you to understand what needs to be done in order to achieve success.

In life, calculation involves gathering information about your situation, assessing this information, and developing a practical strategy for moving forward. For Sun Tzu, success depends on one's ability to understand one's situation and turn that understanding into action.

In my own life, I use what I call the SPAR Approach to develop the discipline of calculation. This approach involves looking at your situation, categorizing it, finding the key principles that you need to focus on, and developing a plan of action which you can measure and evaluate. By practicing this approach as a feedback loop, I get better and better at making effective plans of action.

The Discipline of Positioning
The discipline of positioning (xing) involves two key features: 1) protecting the army from the dangers of defeat and 2) building one's skills, knowledge, allies, and resources. Doing these two things allows you to make success feasible.

In your own life, this same discipline applies. With every plan, you must consider the risks involved with taking action. As your plan takes into account how to deal with the risks, your plan becomes stronger since it anticipates the barriers that may try to stop it from succeeding.

In addition, you must think about the capabilities - skills, knowledge, resources, connections - you need in order to be successful.

In my own life, I cultivate the discipline of positioning by asking myself two critical questions:

1. What dangers or risks do I face?
2. What capabilities do I need to succeed?

In repeatedly asking these questions, I can develop a picture of what areas I need to focus on.

The Discipline of Timing
The discipline of timing (jie) involves understanding when to take action and when not to take action - that is, when to mobilize, when to attack, when to fight, when to surprise, and when to simply stay still or withdraw. Understanding timing and taking action when only when the time is right is what makes success extremely likely, maybe even inevitable.

In life, timing is just as critical. Knowing when to speak up and when to shut up, when to act and when to sit still, when to stand up and when to sit down - having this skill is what makes or breaks a plan or strategy. It is a knowledge that comes with experience - from making mistakes oneself, but also from observing the mistakes and foibles of others.

In my own life, to develop the discipline of timing, I actively read the successful (and unsuccessful) strategies of successful (or unsuccessful) people in history. In addition, I also search the internet for Do's and Dont's when it comes to certain ideas I have. I try to look at different sources that explain their reasoning from different perspectives. This allows me to develop a more comprehensive picture of the problem and more fully anticipate the dangers of either taking action or not taking action in a given situation.
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In short, the three disciplines mentioned above, when practiced consistently, can help you in making effective decisions and achieving a sense of security about your situation.

"I, by means of these questions, know who will win or lose."
- Sun Tzu

For Sun Tzu, achieving success in war starts with asking questions and analyzing your situation. By asking the right questions and finding the right answers through investigation, you can develop a complete understanding of your situation and decide the right course of action.

From this, the following are four simple questions, inspired by The Art of War, that I ask myself regularly whenever I am trying to achieve success in something - whether it's a project, a goal, or a long-term aspiration.

Here are the questions:

1. What are you trying to do or achieve, and why? This question helps you clarify your purpose. Sit with this one for awhile. Don't move forward unless your answer feels right to you.
2. What dangers or risks do you face? List as many dangers and risks as you possibly can. For Sun Tzu, understanding and preparing for the dangers or obstacles you may face makes you stronger and more prepared.
3. What capabilities - skills, knowledge, resources, contacts - do you need to avoid or overcome these dangers or risks and move forward? Success, for Sun Tzu, doesn't come from luck. It comes from having the skills and knowledge you need to recognize and take advantage of opportunities.
4. What little things I can either do or stop doing right now to make progress? Progress is often achieved little by little, day by day. One more contact to add to your network counts. One less unhealthy food to eat today counts. One more positive conversation with your boss counts. One less mess in your house or office counts. Don't underestimate the power of slow progress. Of course, if you can do more and get more and you can do so quickly, by all means, you should do so. But if you are having a hard time starting, don't start big. Start small. Very small. And keep doing small things.

Don't be fooled by the simplicity of these questions. Ask yourself these questions often and you'll start to see improvement.

"Anger can return to happiness. Resentment can return to content."
- Sun Tzu

If there were a list of emotions to describe how many people feel in today's world, anger would probably be near the top of the list. Everyone feels angry - angry at the government, at the opposing political party, at greedy corporations, at our neighbors, at our bosses or coworkers, at our spouses, at life in general.

Even more, we all tend to feel justified in feeling angry. We all feel justified in cursing the person who cuts us off or yelling at the "idiot" online who spouts something "ignorant" in the comments section. We all feel like the world is crazy or unjust and we're the only sane or moral ones.

For Sun Tzu, however, no emotion is more destructive to acquiring a sense of peace and security (what he calls an) than anger. In war, anger makes us act rashly, put ourselves and others at risk, and ultimately undermine what we are trying to accomplish.

But just what is anger? Why is it so dangerous? And what can we learn from The Art of War in trying to control our anger so that we can cultivate stillness and calm in our lives? The following are three lessons I've learnt from Sun Tzu on controlling my anger:

1. Understand the source of your anger. Understand what anger is and deep, emotional need it stems from inside you.
2. Shift your values. Move away from the idea that you have to take revenge on the person that causes your anger. Focus instead on what you will actually gain from (not) taking a certain action.
3. Make controlling your anger a game. Reward yourself on your ability to control your anger. View this ability as an essential skill in achieving happiness and success in life, with showing compassion for people who irritate or bother you as the ultimate sign of this skill.

​Let's view each lesson in depth.

Lesson 1: Understand the source of your anger
The first step to controlling one's anger is to understand what it is and where it comes from.

Truth is, anger is a difficult emotion to define. Everyone knows what anger looks like - yelling, cursing, insulting, violent outbursts, rage. But this is simply how anger manifests itself. Something deeper is going on.

Quite simply, anger is an emotion that occurs when something doesn't go the way we believe it should go, or want or "need" it to go. It is our emotional reaction to when someone or something violates an underlying belief we have about how the world should or needs to operate world.

All anger betrays a hidden ideal - one we are emotionally invested in and feel the world should conform to. When you get angry, for example, at someone cutting you off in traffic, your reaction betrays an underlying belief in a standard of behavior on the road where people should drive respectfully and safely, not carelessly or selfishly.

Thus, anger is usually tied to a feeling of justice. We feel justified in showing our displeasure at others (honking, giving the finger, yelling, etc.) - to make them feel discomfort or even pain at having violated our ideal.

Even deeper, though, is what a person or thing's violation of our ideal means to us, on a deep, albeit unconscious level. The ideals we hold about how the world should operate usually relate to our emotional wants and needs - whether we are conscious of this or not. Thus, someone violating our ideals demonstrates, to us, a lack of care for - or even a refusal to care for - our emotional wants and needs.

So, for example, our angry response at someone cutting us off in traffic reveals an emotional need for respect. Our angry response at an opposing political party reveals our need to be considered and recognized. Our angry response at losing a game reveals our underlying need to win, to conquer, to be seen as the best.

Thus, if you want to control your anger, the first thing to do is understand what's the source of your anger. Ask yourself:

• What are the situations that tend to get me angry? Why?
• What standard or expectation do I have that gets me angry when someone or something violates it?
• What does this standard or expectation reveal about my own emotional needs?

Write your response down and take some time to reflect and see if it rings true. For myself, I tend to get angry when I feel people question or insult my intelligence (e.g. with sarcasm). This reveals a deep emotional need to have people recognize my intelligence, how smart I am.

Going through these questions won't get rid of your anger, but it puts distance between you and your anger, giving you more power over it. 

Lesson 2: Shift your values
For Sun Tzu, anger is dangerous for two reasons:

1. Anger betrays an underlying difficulty with accepting reality. When you are angry, you are literally struggling with accepting the fact that someone cut you off or forgot to call you back or ignored you, etc. Behind every instance of anger is disbelief. Staying too long in anger only extends this difficulty with accepting things as they are, thus not allowing us to adapt to the actual reality we are facing. In war, this is very dangerous, as anger can cloud our understanding and lead us to make rash or faulty decision-making, rising lives and the security of the nation.
2. Anger leads you towards destructive behavior. Anger always tends to make us more aggressive, more violent, more vengeful, more willing to dole out insult or pain. For Sun Tzu, the general's aim is not to destroy the enemy - that takes up precious resources. Rather, the aim is to win without battle, making the nation stronger and more secure than it was before the conflict. Sometimes this requires making peace with one's enemy, reducing any tensions or animosity. Acting from anger, however, undermines this; doing it will only intensify the tension, not de-escalate it.

Given this, there are two questions we need to ask ourselves: How do I stop myself from getting angry? And if I do get angry, how do I stop myself from acting from anger?

For Sun Tzu, preventing yourself from getting angry requires shifting your values. The reason why we indulge anger, letting it boil until we react, is because we value revenge or aggression in the face of someone violating our standards or expectations. We feel justified in taking action against someone.

The problem is that taking revenge does very little to make you stronger, better, or more secure later. This is the value you need to focus on and cultivate in your daily life: making gains. As Sun Tzu tells us, "Killing the enemy is a matter of anger. Taking the enemy's advantages is a matter of profit."

For Sun Tzu, the wise general doesn't value death or destruction, but profit and security. He isn't focused on how to get the enemy back or whether the enemy's situation is worse. Rather, he focuses on whether he and his army have made or can make any gains. He asks: Are we stronger? Is our position more secure? Are we in a better position to attack and win? Do we have a greater advantage over the enemy?

Sun Tzu gives us a simple rule:

"If there is no advantage, do not move. If there is nothing to gain, do not mobilize. If there is no danger, do not battle."

The wise general never acts from anger, but only from profit - the ability to actually gain advantage or make progress.

In your own life, you must ask yourself continually: Am I getting better? Am I getting smarter? Am I more confident? Will taking this action give me greater or lesser peace or security?

The more you think from the perspective of making gains, the harder it will be to stay angry or get angry in the first place. You'll realize that getting angry will gain you nothing, even if it means hurting whoever got you upset. The enemy losing doesn't mean anything. What matters is only if you have gained something - something positive, helpful, useful.

Lesson 3: Make controlling your anger a game
Of course, there will be times when you will get angry and you will be tempted to act from your anger. In these situations, Sun Tzu suggests making a game of your situation.

For Sun Tzu, one of the best ways to gain in war is by stealing the opponent's resources. Thus, he advises a general to create a system where the first unit to capture enemy soldiers or enemy weapons will get a reward. In addition, he advises the general to instruct his soldiers to value the enemy's food as if it were worth twenty times their own food.

You too can apply the same principle to your own life. In my own life, for example, one game I play is that I give myself a point if, when I am angry or irritated because of something someone says or does, I simply am able to keep my cool and not say anything in response. If I can leave that situation without arguing or saying something sarcastic, I get one point. I give myself two points if I can even be nice to person.

The ultimate test of your skill in controlling your anger is if you can cultivate compassion for those with whom you're angry. So one game, if you want to get better at this, is, when you're feeling angry or annoyed at someone, to try to see things from the other person's perspective or situation. Ask yourself: maybe this person had a bad day, or this person was not raised the same way, or this person is not trying to be malicious but just made an honest mistake. Or maybe - just maybe - this person may actually have a point, something to be considered.

In short, understanding the source of your anger, shifting your values and focus, and playing these kinds of anger control games are useful in getting you to shift away from revenge or violence and move towards Sun Tzu's ultimate goal - strength and security (an).

"Just as water follows the ground, which determines its flow, the army responds to the enemy, who determines its victory."
- Sun Tzu

One of the most powerful, yet confusing aspects of Sun Tzu's philosophy is his prescription to take up a "formless position" when facing the enemy. It reminds one of the Zen notion of "becoming like water" and "emptying one's mind."

But the advice to be "formless" is not simply philosophical or mystical - it is meant to be practical advice for how to engage an opponent. For Sun Tzu, one's strategy for dealing with an enemy depends heavily on the enemy - on avoiding where the enemy is strong and attacking where he is weak.

Thus, being formless, for Sun Tzu, is essentially about not coming into battle with a game plan or a pre-defined strategy. It involves watching and listening to the opponent, seeing where the enemy's force is weakest or is unprepared, and then uniting one's force against those critical points.

In other words, being formless is about being responsive to the enemy - following his changes, adapting to his movements, and determining the appropriate response to his situation.

In life, the principle is just as powerful and critical to your success. Too often we are given the advice about "focusing on what you can control, not what you can't." For Sun Tzu, only the first half of that is true: we should definitely understand what we can and do control - the resources, skills, and capabilities we are able to use to push ourselves forward.

But we should never simply "ignore" or be "indifferent" to what goes on outside of our control. Our fate is tied to the system in which we live. It affects our lives, our sense of control.

Rather, we should always be responsive to things outside our control. Of course, not attached to them. Not hoping or expecting things were different (a surefire way to make yourself miserable). But we should be observant, attentive, and ready to act when the time is right.

So, for example, you may not be able to control your partner's response to bad news you need to give him, but paying attention to his moods and perspective would go a long way into determining when's the best time to give him the news as well as how to deliver it.

You may not be able to control whether the stock market is up or down, but understanding the factors that cause it to go up and down and following these factors would be helpful in determining when to buy a certain stock. As famed investor Warren Buffett tells us, the secret to investing is to "be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful." When people are fearful, that is, when they are selling - that's when we should be buying.

You may not be able to control whether that hiring manager hires you for the job. But understanding the newest move his competitor has just done to undermine the company's position would be very useful in determining what you say in that interview.  

No decision or response you make can ever guarantee a certain outcome. But neither should that be the goal. By continually being responsive to the changing moods, cycles, and situations of the people and environment around you, you are strengthening your ability to increase your effectiveness, adapt to change, and ultimately come out on top.