Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds.

(Albert Einstein)

Approach

How you approach things is a major theme in taoism and tai chi.

Here are some tips:

1. Perspective
   
   Consider different angles, standpoints and bias when exploring any subject.
   Be open to radical alternatives that may initially be off-putting.
   Increase the ways in which you can approach the subject.
   Tony Buzan's mind mapping is great for brainstorming ideas.
    

2. Desire
   
   Your passion must be a powerful force driving your actions.
   Without a burning need to explore and progress, you will falter.
   If you have no love for the task at hand, it will be a chore.
    

3. Faith
   
   Trust yourself.
   Even though you may well be incorrect and lead yourself astray, it is necessary to have confidence in your own actions from the onset.
    

4. Commitment
   
   Without commitment, your passion, faith and ideas will not lead anywhere.
   It is easy to give up before you have really started.
   Almost everyone who starts tai chi quits before they have even the slightest grasp of it.
    

5. Planning
   
   Be methodical, but not rigid.
   Have an idea of what you want but allow for the unexpected.
   When learning tai chi, leave the syllabus to your teacher and plan your own practice carefully.
    

6. Persistence
   
   Endurance is related to patience.
   An impatient person cannot keep their mind on the subject and loses interest.
   Persistence requires a calm demeanour.
    

7. Positive attitude
   
   Optimism is necessary.
   If you require other people to bolster your resolve, you are not keen enough to begin with.
   A positive attitude is not prey to mood.
    

8. Influences
   
   Be open to influence.
   Let new experiences and examples take you off in different directions.
   Expose yourself to fresh sources of information.
    

9. Flexibility
   
   Adapt, change, move and flow.
   Remaining fixed and brittle will never lead to development.
   No matter how sure you are, allow some doubt.
    

10. Energy
    
    If your energy is weak - physically, mentally and sexually - you will have difficulty.
    Tai chi boosts your energy and prepares you for the ardour of learning.
    
    
     

11. Senses
    
    We explore the world through our senses.
    Open your nervous system to sensation, and avoid becoming thought-bound.
     

12. Honesty
    
    Be honest with yourself and as honest as you can be with other people.
    If you can see that something does not work, admit the reality and adapt.
    You cannot make progress if you become caught in deceit.
     

13. Learn from mistakes
    
    Failure is inevitable.
    You are always going to encounter obstacles and set-backs.
    If you do not assess them and figure out what went wrong, you will make them again.
     

14. Visualisation
    
    Picturing possibilities is important.
    Let your imagination dream without limitation.
    See it in your head or make drawings and diagrams.
     

15. Deconstruction
    
    If you can dismantle a subject and rebuild it, you have a better understanding of the relationship between the parts.
    Ask yourself why things are necessary and how they operate.
    Asking questions is critical, but be wary - your questions are built upon certain assumptions.
     

16. Combination
    
    Do not be limited by what is considered appropriate or acceptable; the known is also the past.
    Make unusual and incongruent combinations and see what occurs.
     

17. Connection
    
    Labelling and naming has the disadvantage of making reality seem fragmented.
    Taoism encourages you to see connections between apparently unrelated subjects.
    Take inspiration from different subject areas; the underlying patterns may well be the same.
    Yin and yang are not polar values, but actually facets of the same diagram.
     

18. Intuitive
    
    Not everything is logical or rational or can be proven.
    You may have a sense of something but not be capable of expressing it.
    This is fine; zen koan work on this very same principle.
    Words have severe limitations.
     

19. Assumption
    
    People claim that animals are not intelligent because they do not communicate in a manner that we comprehend.
    Do not make the mistake of assuming that our inability to understand them means that they are not communicating, or that they lack intelligence.
    Perhaps our inability to understand reflects a lack on our part, not theirs?
    Assumptions guarantee a false beginning.
     

20. Chance
    
    If you start with a plan or goal in mind, be prepared to let-go of this as you proceed.
    Your intended inquiry may well go astray and you find yourself learning things you had not sought, or formerly considered relevant and necessary.

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Page created 21 November 2000