Does life feel at times like you’re riding a bucking bronco, where it tosses you up and down and side to side? Maybe there’s a better way to life.
The brilliant Chinese scholar, Lao Tzu, wrote a classic book, The Book of the Way and of Virtue, in the 6th century BC.
His masterpiece influenced Taoism, Buddhism and other philosophical and religious beliefs throughout the world.
Today’s insane business and social world has left many philosophically untethered, creating feelings of distress about modern life.
The master believed life requires grounding and balance. Here are 10 rules from Lao on maintaining balance that continue to ring true.
10 ways to calm your life down
- Must you value what others value?
- Life is not just about making money but compassion, simplicity and equality
- Trying too hard lacks stability and leads to bad decisions
- Leadership is not about winning
- True self-interest teaches selflessness
- Creativity comes from being open to a wide range of thought
- Gain power by service and cooperation
- The gentle overcomes the hard like water eroding the stone
- Trying to make people happy lays the groundwork for misery
- Being rather than doing
Adopting these philosophical tenets into your life may show you that life doesn’t have to be like riding a wild horse.
John McGory is the author of Seeking Balance: The ultimate guide to English-speaking excellence for the shy, foreign, or frustrated