“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
Considering that we are still in the middle of celebrations for Lunar New Year, I thought it might be appropriate to choose one of the most prominent Chinese philosophers and strategists for this week’s Sunday Snippet. Sun Tzu is probably best known as a military general, having authored an incredibly influential book called The Art of War
. It’s a book on military strategy, but its impact expands into other areas as well.
In the quote above, we are reminded that life is filled with momentum. Taking advantage of one opportunity opens up the doors to other opportunities. When you get on stage as a standup comic, you have the chance to get your own sitcom. When you get your sitcom, you may be able to host a talk show or get a book deal. Opening one door opens many others. You have more opportunities as you seize more opportunities.
Life is all about perspective too. When you take an opportunity, you may be able to gain a new vantage point from this new position. Sun Tzu continues on the concept of perspective by saying:
“Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.”
There’s one thing to be an elitist when you are actually are superior to your colleagues and competitors in some way. It’s another thing altogether when you are actually superior, but take on a more humble stance. Allow your enemies to drop their guard and take advantage of the situation.
Remember that perception is everything. Impossible is nothing.
Sun Tzu is my favorite author, after Michael Kwan. Both of these are basic strategies that are mentioned more than once in different parts of the Art of War.
By taking opportunities, you do get more choices, learn more, become stronger. But, you need to also choose opportunities wisely as Sun Tzu also espouses. It’s one thing to “go for it”, another to “go for it with an understanding of the opportunity.”
“Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.” that is probably one of the best pieces of advice that one can take away from The Art of War to use everyday in all dealings with people. You see the true person when you feign ignorance. This is something you can always use to your advantage to see what people really know, what they are willing to share and what cards they are really holding.
One tangent of this idea is to pick a stance on something then defend it like a pit bull. Be stubborn, don’t bend and defend your point to the extremes. This will always show you what an opponent has, strength, weaknesses, and will to argue their point.