The Three Disciplines of the Sun Tzu Way

"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.