The Story

When East meets West… when Lao Tzu wrote down the 81 verses of the Tao Te Ching 2,500 years ago in ancient China, he may not have realised the impact its philosophy would have millenniums later in the West and the newly-emerging profession of life-coaching.

When Julia from Taiwan met Nick from England on a coaching course, they didn’t realise at first that they had a common interest in the work of Lao Tzu. This joint interest soon became a course project. As we explored a few verses of the Tao, we began to see how Lao Tzu’s teachings could be related to personal development and coaching principles.

On this blog we intend to continue this work by exploring one verse of the Tao Te Ching each week. We invite you to join us on our journey and add your own thoughts to deepen our learning. How do you interpret Lao Tzu’s message? And how does it speak to you as a coach?

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Verse 59

In governing people and serving nature,
nothing surpasses thrift and moderation.

Restraint begins with giving up one's own ideas.
This depends on virtue gathered in the past.
If there is a good store of virtue, then nothing is impossible.
If nothing is impossible, then there are no limits.
If a man knows no limits, he is fit to lead.

This is the way to be deeply rooted and firmly planted in the Tao,
the secret of long life and lasting vision.

[For Personal Development]
  • Leaders share a vision going behind the current limitations, to inspire others to follow and to make seemingly impossible possible.
  • Be aware and accept our own limits. One cannot fill a full cup.
  • Awareness is the precursor to choice.
[For Coaching]
  • Building a strong, deep personal foundation empowers clients to reach for the stars.
  • Let go of our own agenda to support clients’ growth and discovery.
  • Be open to not knowing.
  • Ask questions that create new awareness for the clients and open new possibilities for them.
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