5.4

"There are no more than five [musical] notes, but all the variations of the five notes cannot  successfully be heard. There are no more than five colors, but all the variations of the five colors cannot successfully be seen. There are no more than five flavors, but all the variations of the five flavors cannot successfully be tasted. With battle force, there are only 'proper surprises', but all the variations of proper surprises cannot be successfully exhausted. Proper surprises give birth to each other as if in an endless circle. Who can exhaust them?"
- Sun Tzu

Through analogy, Sun Tzu  is telling us a very important point about warfare: to achieve total victory, the army must be creative. Just as a composer uses the notes on a musical scale to develop endless musical compositions and arrangements, the general can use endless variations of strategic surprises to engage and defeat the enemy.

Using strategic surprises depends on understanding the enemy's psychology - understanding what the enemy sees as normal and what goes beyond their comprehension or expectation. Because every enemy is different, what the enemy sees as normal may change. This is why the tactic of 'proper surprising' can never get used up.

In your own life, you must adapt to the psychology of the obstacles or enemies you face. You must understand what your enemy sees as normal and what is beyond their anticipation or comprehension. Understanding these two key pieces of information allows you to develop a strategy that engages and surprises them, allowing you to build momentum.