Verse 20

Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles.
Is there a difference between yes and no?
Is there a difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear? What nonsense!

Other people are contented, enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox.
In spring some go to the park, and climb the terrace,
But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am.

Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.
Others have more than they need, but I alone have nothing.

I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused.
Others are clear and bright,
But I alone am dim and weak.
Others are sharp and clever,
But I alone am dull and stupid.
Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea,
Without direction, like the restless wind.

Everyone else is busy,
But I alone am aimless and depressed.
I am different.
I am nourished by the great mother.

[For Personal Development]

• You must find your own way. Others' approval doesn’t determine your self-worth. Should’s and have-to’s are not leading to true fulfillment.
• To be in harmony with the universe requires awareness not thought.
• Projection is not reality; it is your own attitudes, feelings, or suppositions to others.
• Dare to be different; be bold; take risks.

[For Coaching]

• As coaches, we learn, unlearn, and relearn. We let go of our beliefs, answers, and solutions, so we can be truly open, listen and learn from our clients.
• To be present for the client, we must clear our minds of our own lives.
• Awareness is the precursor to choice: we support our clients to make new choices that follow their hearts desires.
• It is perfectly normal to feel uncomfortable when stepping into a whole new space with an expanded awareness.
• Strong coaching presence is demonstrated by open to not knowing and takes risks, for the maximum benefit of clients.

Verse 35

She who is centered in the Tao
can go where she wishes, without danger.
She perceives the universal harmony,
even amid great pain,
because she has found peace in her heart.

Music or the smell of good cooking
may make people stop and enjoy.
But words that point to the Tao
seem monotonous and without flavor.
When you look for it, there is nothing to see.
When you listen for it, there is nothing to hear.
When you use it, it is inexhaustible.

[For Personal Development]

• The universe is friendly. Things happen for us, not to us. Our job is not about bending the universe but to accept it.
• Feeling and dealing with the pain is the only way to remove it and move on.
• Pleasure is a temporary experience. Fulfillment is the true happiness which lives longer in us.
• Pure water is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, but it fulfills our thirst.

[For Coaching]

• Coaches hold a safe place the client to explore their passion and face their fears.
• Reframing helps the client to see things differently and subsequently come to different conclusions, or feelings about the event or experience.
• Great coaching is effortless. The harder we (i.e. the client and the coach) push, the slower the client progress.
  

Verse 41

When a superior man hears of the Tao,
he immediately begins to embody it.
When an average man hears of the Tao,
he half believes it, half doubts it.
When a foolish man hears of the Tao,
he laughs out loud.If he didn't laugh, it wouldn't be the Tao.

Thus it is said:
The path into the light seems dark,
the path forward seems to go back,
the direct path seems long,
true power seems weak,
true purity seems tarnished,
true steadfastness seems changeable,
true clarity seems obscure,
the greatest seem unsophisticated,
the greatest love seems indifferent,
the greatest wisdom seems childish.

The Tao is nowhere to be found.
Yet it nourishes and completes all things.

[For Personal Development]

• How can a finch understand the ambitions of a swan! (Chinese proverb)
• Visionary leaders are often ahead of their time; their ideas are so revolutionary that people laugh at them.
• Paradox is the true essence of life.
• To evolve we must step into the darkness of the unknown.
  
• Have a dream so big so you cannot achieve it until you can grow into a person who can.

[For Coaching]Hold the client to a higher standard than they might hold themselves.

• Coaches go deep with the client and look beyond the surface, to see the truth underneath.
• Be curious and stay curious- the client has his/her own reason, even if it does not seem to be apparent at a first glance.
• The power of coaching lies in getting our own agenda out of the way so that the client can grow.
• The cleaner and simpler the questions, the greater the opportunity for the client to express themselves.