Practice Tao Daily
Self Improvement Advice on Effectiveness
Practice Tao daily, and you will experience amazing power within that you are yet to realize and tap.
Tao as a way of life can be traced back to not less than 5,000 years old. The word ‘Tao’ means 'The Way' in Chinese. Although what it exactly means cannot be clearly explained, it opens our eyes to how the universe functions, nature behaves, and we unleash our potential.
To benefit from Tao, the first thing that you should do is to be aware of your self -- the self that is not the center but an integral part of the world, however tiny it is.
Be absolutely honest and ask the self: Who are you? Why are you here at this point of time and at this part of the universe? What are you good at, what you are not, and are you doing the right things?
In other words, be aware of 'the way' you truly are.
Then, use the same honesty to understand the world around you.
Understand how nature works, rather than what you want it to work.
If you want your loved ones to love you, understand how love works and then work the way it is meant to be, rather blaming your loved one for not giving the attention you desire. If you want to lose weight, understand how your can tap the power of nature to stay healthy, rather than sitting in the couch with potato chips, hoping you would lose weight in time to come.
Allow love to come to you, rather than seeking it to happen. Allow the right weight to become a reality, rather than just hoping that it would happen.
With that, you are on your way to live the infinity Tao directs.
“As in the nature of things,
there is a time for being ahead
and a time for being behind;
a time for ease and a time for strain;
a time to be hard
and a time to be soft;
a time to grow in strength
and a time to decay.
The Sage therefore
avoid excess, extravagance and extremes.”Tao Te Ching 29
Peak Performance
If you want to understand how Tao works, watch the peak performers in action.
With or without them knowing, peak performers are the exponents of Tao.
They enjoy the state of being.
They surrender totally to their faith in nature and allow nature to bring out the best in them.
They are at ease yet vigilant, so that they can change and constantly staying in one with all the relevant elements to ensure conditions for the peak performance is ever present.
They set themselves free, removing all hindrance in their mind, so that their body can move at will.
They manifest the beauty of Tao.
For those preferring the philosophical approach, read the following:
Dissecting a Bull - a Fable by Chuang Tzu
Peak Performer in You
We usually learn with an intention to perform.We learn swimming because we want to swim. We learn arithmetic because we want to count. We learn a language because we want to write and speak in it.
Whatever field that you are in, if ultimately you'd want to perform what you learn, then look at how the peak players in your field of learning perform. This will give you ideas on how you can approach your learning more effectively.
Good news! In addition to going from one peak performer to another to analyze how each of them achieve their feats, understanding Tao shortens your learning curve. This is because, knowingly or unknowingly, all peak performers are exponents of Tao.
You will see that all peak performers, from those in the sports, the arts to business, behave in the following manner during their performance:
1. Peak performers Practice Tao Daily!
The performance is a revelation of soul, rather than skills.Even if she is a scientist, an engineer, a CEO, the moment when she performs, she's an artist. She is no longer herself, but part of a context.
What she does exemplifies what Lao Tsu described as wuwei, or non-doing. “The Tao never strives, yet nothing is left undone. If leaders were able to adhere to it, the world would of its own accord be transformed,” says Lao Tsu.
Strangely, the moment she is contrived, the performance suffers. Her magic disappears, so goes the splendor.
2. Peak performers stay detached
The peak performer focuses on doing what make her excel, not only what she likes. The top sprinter knows what he should wear, how he should move, and how exactly to control his breath; the precision a mediocre runner would not be bothered with. He follows his regimen faithfully, whether he likes it or not. He always remember to do as the infinity tao directs.
“The Sage stays behind, and thus he is found ahead, He stays detached, and thus is preserved, Is he not selfless? This is how he serves his self interest.” (7)
3. Peak performer is sharp
The peak performer is sharp. She cuts away superfluity, and gives only the absolutely essential. She is confident, sleek and to the point. She is like Lao Tzu says, “Continue eliminating until you come to action without striving. Action without striving, nothing remains undone.”
No wonder you always find that peak performances to be always riveting and yet too ‘short’.
The reason is simple, the performers do as the infinity tao directs.
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