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?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Verse 81

True words aren't beautiful;
beautiful words aren't true.
Good men do not argue;
those who argue are not good.
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
those who need to prove their point aren't wise.

The Master has no possessions.
The more he does for others,
the happier he is.
The more he gives to others,
the wealthier he is.

The Tao nourishes by not forcing.
By not dominating, the Master leads.

[For Personal Development]
  • Be your authentic self- be your own kind of beautiful.
  • Let go of resistance. Return to your true nature: no arguments, no should's, no have-to's.
  • The truth is simple.
  • Keeping up with the Joneses does not make you happy. Less is more.
  • The universe operates through dynamic exchange. In our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives (“The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success” by Deepak Chopra)
[For Coaching]
  • A coach speaks the truth on the client’s behalf. True words may not be beautiful, but that’s what the client is hiring a coach for.
  • A message may or may not land well with the client. Detach from the outcome and the client will “get it” when he/she is ready.
  • Be fully present with the client. Forcing in the coach’s agenda is not a sustainable way to move the client forward.
  • Who we are as coaches challenges our coaches and leads them to greater awareness.