I have been working sporadically on my “Challenges of Success” project as we settle back in the United States. Since I have had some moments to think about what I want to write between doing a thousand other things, I have come to realize that the road to success is not always obvious, even to those who have achieved it. Many have shared valuable insights as to how they did it, but scrupulously following the paths they outlined, unfortunately, holds no guarantee for those who come after. There is an illogical counter-intuitive element that is often overlooked. To illustrate that aspect, I quote from one of my favorite authors, Lao-tzu, and a book I carry with me almost always: the Tao Te Ching*:
Verse 36
If you want to shrink something,
you must first allow it to expand.
If you want to get rid of something,
you must first allow it to flourish.
If you want to take something,
you must first allow it to be given.
This is called the subtle perception
of the way things are.
The soft overcomes the hard.
The slow overcomes the fast.
Let your workings remain a mystery.
Just show people the results.
*This is taken from the Stephen Mitchell Pocket Edition, which I particularly like. Loosely translated, the title means the Book of the Way and of How it Manifests or, more succinctly, the Book of the Way.