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 13, 2010

Verse 9

Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.

[For Personal Development]
  • Enough is enough.
  • Stop chasing perfection.
  • Seeking approval from others is like running on the hamster wheel- endless chasing of non-enoughness. The only person you need the approval from is yourself.
[For Coaching]
  • Growth occurs faster when there is space.
  • High Self-Esteem is learning to accept ourselves first instead of seeking approval from others.
  • Knowing where to draw the line and set clear boundary.
  • Taken too far, strengths can become weaknesses. Balance is the key.
Posted by at