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?

Monday, July 5, 2010

Verse 13

Success is as dangerous as failure.
Hope is as hollow as fear.

What does it mean that success is a dangerous as failure?
Whether you go up the ladder or down it,
you position is shaky.
When you stand with your two feet on the ground,
you will always keep your balance.

What does it mean that hope is as hollow as fear?
Hope and fear are both phantoms
that arise from thinking of the self.
When we don't see the self as self,
what do we have to fear?

See the world as your self.
Have faith in the way things are.
Love the world as your self;
then you can care for all things.

[For Personal Development]
  • Often we learn the most valuable lessons at the most difficult time of our lives. When we hit rock bottom, the only place to go is up.
  • Hope and fear are the construct of ego.
  • Self-love precedes the love of others.
  • It’s our internal reflection that determines our world, not the external events.
[For Coaching]
  • Trust our clients. They are brilliant, resourceful and whole.
  • It’s all about the clients, not about us. Only when we are able to put personal performance aside, we are able to be fully present with the client.
  • Build a super reserve in every area. Scarcity-based worrying is a leading cause of fear [28 laws of attraction- Thomas Leonard].
  • Stay connected to ourselves so we can truly connect with our clients.