"Victorious warriors are like stored water released into a thousand jen deep gorge. This is positioning."
- Sun Tzu

This last line provides a powerful simile that runs throughout Sun Tzu's work - the simile of rushing water. An army that is in a strong position to win is like dammed up water that is just waiting to be released. Thus, it occupies a position that allows it momentum, which is the topic of the next chapter in the text.

This is the kind of position you want to be in. You want to be in a position where you can jump on opportunities very quickly and where you have an overwhelming number of advantages on your side. Deep concealment and preparation are necessary to achieving this. 

"Therefore, the winning army is like using yi to weigh against zhu. A defeated army is like using zhu to weigh against yi."
- Sun Tzu

The terms yi and zhu here refer to measurements of weight. Yi outweighs zhu probably by a factor of hundred or so. Thus, for Sun Tzu, a winning army is not simply one that defeats its enemy, but one that has attained an overwhelming number of advantages over the enemy. Therefore, its victory is secure.

On the other hand, a defeated army isn't simply one that loses to its enemy, but is one that has an overwhelming number of disadvantages, or advantages against it. Even if it is able to win a battle here or there, it doesn't have the resources to stay in the game and keep fighting.

For Sun Tzu, the game is not defeating the enemy, but total victory. To achieve total victory, to have one's gains kept intact, one must accumulate a large number of advantages. This is done through constant positioning and repositioning.

In your own life, you must aim not simply to succeed - to win that argument, to get that promotion, to start making money off your business - but to secure that success. Do you have the means to keep your success up? Is your future outlook positive? Can you continue your success for years to come?

You must constantly prepare for contingencies, for changes in your situation, and adapt. Accumulate as many advantages as possible to make your victories secure.  

"[For positioning,] the military method is:

1. Measure
2. Quantify
3. Count
4. Weigh
5. Win

Ground allows for measuring. Measuring allows for quantifying. Quantifying allows for counting. Counting allows for weighing. Weighing allows for winning."
- Sun Tzu

Going back to his mathematical approach to warfare, Sun Tzu here details a set of steps the general can use to determine the best position given the situation. We'll break each of these steps down.

It starts with the Ground. If you recall Book 1, the Ground reflects the quality of your options. Sun Tzu himself defines the Ground by specific qualities: high and low, open and narrow, near and far, difficult and easy, and deadly and nourishing. It is the general's role to measure the quality of his options - that is, he must determine their qualities.

For example, a general may have two different options in a situation (Ground). He can take the low, open ground that is near, but difficult and deadly. Or he can take the high, narrow ground that is far, but easy and nourishing.

From here, the general must quantify his measurements. He must determine how high or low, how near or far, how difficult or easy, how deadly and nourishing his option is. 

Next, the general must count each of the advantages. In general, these are the rules for positioning: The higher, narrower, nearer, easier, and more nourishing the ground, the better it is. The lower, more open, farther, more difficult, and more deadly the ground, the worse it is. Thus, counting here means "rating." Adding up the advantages and disadvantages, the general has a good sense of the overall quality or "rating" of the ground.

Next, the general must weigh, or compare, his options. The option with the higher rating is the better option. It is by comparing and choosing the option that the general wins.

This same method can be applied to your own life. You too will be faced with multiple options when it comes to achieving your endeavor. You can calculate your options using the qualities of the Ground.

The first quality is elevation, which is related to how much visibility you'll have. The "higher" the option, the greater your ability to see and know the different players. The lower the option, the less you know. A promotion, for example, where you have greater visibility of how the departments work together affords you advantages in knowing how the work environment works.

The second quality is openness, which is related to how competitive the option or environment is. The more open it is, the greater potential for competition. A job posting, for example, that only requires 1 year of experience in a certain field is going to be way more competitive than a job posting that requires 10 years of experience. Thus, the first job opportunity is going to be more open than the second one.

The third quality is distance, which relates to how much time it'll take to achieve the option. The smaller the distance, the better the option. So an investment that takes 1 year to recoup its investment is better than an investment that takes 5 years to recoup.

The fourth quality is difficulty, which relates to the amount of effort you must put in. An option that is more difficult requires more effort. Thus, an easier option is better than a more difficult one. For example, building a house from scratch is going to require more effort and take up more time than simply buying a new house.

The last quality is health, which refers to how beneficial or hurtful the option will be for you in the short or long term. Obviously, the more healthy an option is, the better it is for you. Addictions - such as drugs, alcohol, gambling - would be a clear example of an unhealthy option, but there are more subtle ones. Getting into a relationship with someone who is exciting, but unstable, can be unhealthy in the long run. Getting a job in a workplace that is high paying, but toxic, can also be detrimental to your mental and emotional health.

In evaluating your options, measure and rate each option before making a decision. Don't rush into decision-making - calculate your options. Then choose the option with the best rating. By consistently using this method, you'll make better and better choices, putting you closer and closer to the path you want to be on. 

"A skilled military operation cultivates the Tao, yet preserves the Methods. Thus, one can become master of victory and defeat."
- Sun Tzu

If you recall from the first book, the Tao refers to the higher, shared purpose that the ruler communicates with everyone. The general and officers must constantly cultivate the Tao - communicating the mission and purpose with soldiers. This keeps the soldiers focused and motivated.

At the same time, the general must stay strong to the methods. These include what we've looked at so far: calculating your and the enemy's strengths using the five factors, using deception in attack and defense, stealing the enemy's resources, using the formulas for engaging the enemy with respect to size difference, and so on. These principles do not change, so it is important the general holds fast to them.

For Sun Tzu, it is by cultivating the Tao and keeping to these principles that the army will be in a position to influence the outcome.

In your own life, you must follow the same idea. You must understand your purpose, your philosophy, your values. You must know what you are trying to achieve and why.

In addition, you must keep to the principles you've learned so far: calculating your chances of success using the five factors; using other people's resources whenever possible; concealing your intentions and taking action when you have the element of surprise; building up your position by learning new skills, adding new knowledge, and forming new relationships.

It is by understanding your purpose and by following these principles that you'll be in a position to determine your future. 

"Therefore, the winning army first wins, and later seeks to do battle. The defeated army first battles, and later seeks to win."
- Sun Tzu

This is perhaps one of Sun Tzu's most famous lines in The Art of War, as well as his most important. This line serves as a summary of Sun Tzu's philosophy on positioning: the army must first secure its victory, and then confront the enemy - not the other way around. This is the most economical way to achieve victory.

In your own life, you must seek to secure the conditions for success before actually competing. Ask yourself:

• What position do I want to achieve?
• What needs to be the case in order for me to get that position?
• What obstacles will I have to overcome?
• What will it take to get into that position?

Remember: you are not looking to compete, you are looking to win. Make sure you are in a strong position to quickly and easily take advantage of opportunities that come your way.

Focus on building your position first, and then on dealing with competitors.    

"In this way, the skilled warrior stands on undefeated ground, and does not miss the enemy's defeat."
- Sun Tzu

For Sun Tzu, the goal of the general is twofold. First, he must set his army into a position where it cannot be defeated. This requires concealment. Second, he must set the army in a position where it can attack, and defeat, the enemy.

Getting into this position requires intense calculation. The general must understand the enemy's positioning - its weaknesses and strengths - and occupy a position that allows his army to be protected while at the same time allows his army to commit a crushing blow to the enemy.

Likewise, you must try to occupy the same positions in your life. Occupy a position where you have a strong advantage, where you cannot easily be defeated or deterred. Then focus your attention on what opportunities are available that you can quickly jump on and dramatically improve your positioning.

Never put yourself in a position where winning itself is not easy. If achieving a success requires too much work, then you should back off - this shows that you are not prepared. The hard work you do should go into your preparation, your positioning, your self-development. All of this hard work should be concealed from others; they should not know that you are ready to take over once the opportunity arises.

"Thus, his battle victory is without error. Being without error, his execution will succeed, having already won against the defeated [enemy]."
- Sun Tzu

We spoke in the last passage how the general wins where winning is easy. By this, Sun Tzu doesn't simply mean that anyone can choose easy victories. The ability to win an easy victory requires obtaining a position that sets the army up to take advantage of these "easy" opportunities. Obtaining such a position requires an incredible amount of insight and calculation into the enemy's position.

Thus, while the victory may have been easy to achieve, the process of entering a position that allows one to win so easily is incredibly difficult. It requires keeping one's position concealed, assessing the enemy's position, and removing any difficulties that may prevent one from achieving victory. So while the victory itself may not look "brilliant" or "brave," the process of achieving it certainly was.

This is the approach you must take in your own life. Don't leave success to chance. Planning should trump execution. Great planning leads to effortless execution; poor planning leads to exhausting execution with huge uncertainty as to whether it will succeed. 

It is in the planning process where you "already win." This means foreseeing potential issues and coming up with ways to avoid them. It means focusing on gaining and leveraging advantages to improve your position and not focusing on that impressive or valiant win. 

"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.'"
- Sun Tzu

For Sun Tzu, the best victories are economical, meaning they are very simple, requiring the least amount of effort to achieve. They look neither brilliant nor brave. Without brilliance means they are not elaborate or impressive, which often requires using more resources than necessary. Without brave achievement means they do not indicate great risk or danger to the army - they are well-calculated.

This is the kind of success you must aim for. The idea is not simply to have others call you brilliant or courageous. This only draws attention to you and your plans. Others, seeing these qualities, may become envious and thwart your future efforts. Rather, the goal is to achieve success in as simple and unassuming a way as possible.

Remember: people should never see how ​you achieved success. They should only see the results. And even then, they should not be too impressed by it. What you are always aiming for is a position of concealment, where other people do not know what you are fully capable of.

"Seeing a victory that does not exceed the state of people's knowledge - that is not the best skill. Winning a battle such that All-Under-Heaven says that it is skillful - that is not the best skill. For lifting an autumn hair does not reveal great strength. Seeing the sun and moon does not reveal a clear eye. Hearing a thunderclap does not reveal a clever ear."
- Sun Tzu

For Sun Tzu, total victory requires the use of deception, which itself requires going beyond what other people can perceive or know. Deception necessarily involves concealment - concealment of one's positioning, of one's capability and likelihood of winning.

For Sun Tzu, a general must be able to see the hidden path to victory, one that not only surprises the enemy, but is simple enough that when it is revealed, others does not attribute it to cleverness, but luck.

This is also the goal you should be striving to achieve. Your success in any endeavor should be characterized by surprise in how swift it was achieved, but also in how simple it was.

Part of concealment is not simply covering over your plans and intentions, but hiding your knowledge and skills. People should never know just how clever and strategic you are - they must only see simple moves and decisions. 

"Those skilled in defense conceal themselves in the nine grounds below. Those skilled in attack move to the nine heavens above. Thus, they are able to protect themselves and achieve total victory."
- Sun Tzu

Using metaphor (the nine grounds below, the nine heavens above), Sun Tzu here describes his strategy for implementing an effective attack and defense, based on his principle of deception.

For Sun Tzu, deception requires two skills: concealment, or the ability to hide one's situation and positioning from the enemy, and surprise, or the ability to attack the enemy when he least expects it and where he is unprepared.

Concealment is used for defense: if the enemy doesn't know an army's situation or positioning, he doesn't know where to attack. Surprise is used for attack: if the enemy caught unprepared, he will quickly rush to defend where he is being attack, leaving openings in other areas and giving you control over the dynamic of the battle.

Concealment and surprise, though distinct, are not separate concepts. Surprising the enemy is only possible if he does not know an army's positioning. Likewise, concealing one's army can last only if an army is able to keep the enemy distracted with wondering when and where the next attack will be. Concealment and surprise feed into each other in a powerful cycle, allowing for a simultaneous attack and defense.

Sun Tzu tells us it is by following these principles that one can achieve total victory. If you recall from earlier passages, total victory refers to a victory where the enemy is dominated and all the gains from the victory are intact. This is the most economical victory one can achieve.

The concealment-surprise strategy helps one to achieve total victory because it is not focused on the size or strength of one's force, but on the psychology of the enemy. The most economical way to defeat an opponent is not by destroying him physically, but mentally, undermining his motivation to fight.

This strategy is just as important for you as it is for an army in Sun Tzu's time. You must make a concerted effort to conceal your intentions and plans. You should always operate in cloak of darkness so that others are not aware of what you are trying to achieve.

Likewise, you should always strive to take action quickly and unexpectedly when you decide to make a move. Always take the line of least expectation.

Being concealed and striking unexpectedly will give you the momentum to overcome any resistance and achieve victory.