Six Questions for Strategizing

• Can you achieve your objective without destroying it? (Read Chapter 3 of Sun Tzu's The Art of War)
  "Generally in war the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this." --- Sun Tzu
• Do you recall that "intentional and unintentional changes, illusions and deceptions" are part of the strategy game?
  "All warfare is based on deception." --- Sun Tzu
  "Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril." --- Sun Tzu
  
• Do you have the experience and patience to secure the foreknowledge on the opponent before developing the strategy? (Read Chapter 13 of Sun Tzu's The Art of War on the topic of foreknowledge)
• Do you have the experience to proceed quickly toward your objective?
• Do you have the patience and control to find the absolute weakness of the opposition before shaping their will and intent?
  "Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered; those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before they fight, while the ignorant fight to win." --- Zhuge Liang
• Do you have the character-based leadership to lead by example? Better yet, do you remember Sun Tzu's principles of leadership?
  "The five qualities of a strategic leader are wisdom, sincerity, humanity, courage, and strictness." --- Sun Tzu

Playing the "Transitions" Game

• Do you know the importance of avoiding the trends and embracing changes?
• Do you remember how to change the micro process without losing your focus of the target?
• Do you remember whenever you are in the "state of calmness" that ideas will appear?
  And that any mental walls you had encountered are temporary?
• Do you remember to be on guard for time thieves who will steal your time?
  (Any waste of time can prevent you from succeeding in your goals.)
• Are you always prepared for situations of varying degrees of risk?
  "Study requires calm; talent requires study. Without study there is no way to expand talent; without calm there is no way to accomplish study." Zhuge Liang
• Do you remember the importance of achieving long-term balance in all of your endeavors?
• Do you understand how to integrate the strategic concepts and tactical principles of Sun Tzu to the different scenarios in your professional and social life?
• Do you remember that being in an emotional state of chaos is the beginning state of most downfalls? And can you stay calm, civil, and in control under pressure?
  "Detach from emotions and desires; get rid of any fixations." Zhuge Liang
• Do you remember the various drawbacks in your pursuits and how these relate to all parts of the [life strategy] game that you are involved in?
• Do you remember that it is important to read the classics at least once a year? And do you read books that contain timeless wisdom and are concise in content?
• Do you remember that the true strategist prevails by possessing the capability to implement a strategy around his strategic understanding of the events, trends, and human conditions? (This attribute is the dividing line between the professional and the amateur strategists.)
  "To overcome the intelligent by intelligence, however, is a matter of opportunity. There are three avenues of opportunity: events, trends, and conditions." --- Zhuge Liang

Teams and Alliances

• Do you remember the importance of friendships and alliances and the distinction between those two qualities?
  "Opportunistic relationship can hardly be kept constant. The acquaintance of honorable people, even at a distance, does not add flowers in times of warmth and does not change its leaves in times of cold: it continues unfading through the four seasons, becoming increasingly stable as it passes through ease and danger." --- Zhuge Liang
• Do you have a good team working with you?
  "Good generals select intelligent officers, thoughtful advisors, and brave subordinates. They oversee their troops like a fierce tiger with wings." --- Zhuge Liang
• Do you have a private circle of friends who emphasize the way of strategy every day?

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