Verse 68

A good soldier is not violent.
A good fighter is not angry.
A good winner does not contend.
A good leader follows the will of the people.

This is known as the virtue of not competing.
This is known as making use of the abilities of others.
This is known as being united with heaven as it was in ancient times.

[For Personal Development]

• Winning does not mean someone has to lose. Win-win is the only true victory.
• When you focus on conquering others instead of bettering yourself, the best result you will get is a defeated enemy.
• Collaboration is more powerful than competition. Working for a common goal creates synergy.

[For Coaching]

• A strong coach has edge, but does not have to use the edge.
• Partner with our clients to achieve the results they want, not the result we want them to have.
• Invite the client to adopt an abundance mentality so they can genuinely share in the successes of others which can support them in their own growth.

Verse 21

The greatest virtue is to follow the Tao and the Tao alone.

The Tao is elusive and intangible.
Although formless and intangible,
it gives rise to form.
Although vague and elusive,
it gives rise to shapes.
Although dark and obscure,
it is the spirit, the essence,
the life breath of all things.

Throughout the ages, its name has been preserved
in order to recall the beginning of all things.
How do I know the ways of all things at the beginning?
I look inside myself and see what is within me.

[For Personal Development]

• Trust yourself. Trust your intuition. Trust that your thoughts turned into action with purpose will manifest what you desire.
• The path to enlightenment leads inside. You already have the seeds of your greatness inside you.
• Don’t get attached to outcomes, stay connected to the Tao.

[For Coaching]

• As coaches we center ourselves in a self-aware, less reactive state of mind, so we can be open and connect to clients.
• The coach’s job is to bring out the best of what is already inside the client, for them to find their own answers.
• The key to get unstuck is not about addressing various situations and symptoms. It is about identifying the source, the underneath truth.

Verse 74

When the people do not fear death,
of what use is it to threaten them with death?
If the people were always afraid of death,
and if those who did wrong would always be arrested and put to death, who would do wrong?

There is always a Lord of Execution whose duty it is to kill.
If you try to fill that function it is like trying to hew wood
in place of a master carpenter.
You will probably cut your own hands.

[For Personal Development]

• It is not the death itself that’s threatening; it is our perception of death that makes it threatening.
• What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens.
• If we realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
• Be present. Leave the control of future to the master- the universe.
• Playing God, leaves blood on your hands.

[For Coaching]

• Coaching = "who" + follow-through
• The art of reframing is to maintain the conflict in all its richness but to help people look at it in a more open-minded and hopeful way.
• Invite the client to let go of their limiting beliefs.
• The client is accountable for his/her own growth and development. A coach cannot handle it for them.