greatest wisdom book

Chapter 104 Strategy Part 4
Take detours as straight, retreat only to move forward

The prophet's straightforward plan wins, and this is the method of military struggle.

Life is like a circle, and walking forward and backward can achieve the same effect.Therefore, at the right time, learning to "retire" is not yielding or being weak, but a very pragmatic wisdom that can adapt to change.Retiring can change the status quo and save the day.Retiring is a tactic and a strategy.

"Sun Tzu's Art of War" advocates detours and retreats at the right time, waits for the opportunity, and turns passivity into initiative, that is, "the prophet with a straightforward plan wins."This method of "taking detours to be straight" is not only applicable to war, but also to life.

People will inevitably have various contradictions and conflicts in their social interactions. In this case, if they cannot tolerate each other, the contradictions will be intensified, the conflicts will escalate, and the antagonism between the two parties will be aggravated.Even if one party uses power or force to overwhelm the other party, it can only lead to a situation where the pressure does not give in, or the face does not give in.The clever way is to be self-restraining and forbearance, three points of comity, and let the facts prove it.Timely and moderate concessions are a common way to deal with problems. It is not a sign of cowardice, but a form of self-cultivation.

There was a dispute between a young man and his friend, and they broke up unhappy. The friendship between the two was difficult to restore because of their exaggerated words in anger.He later said: "I wish this had never happened. If I had been a little bit more alert, aware of how sensitive he was on the subject, I would have said softly, 'It's okay if we don't agree.'" Unhappiness can be avoided. I have lost many years of friendship for the sake of a moment of happiness, and I really regret it."

In life, there is no need to be competitive everywhere, to be tit-for-tat all the time, and to be tough with others everywhere. Only by understanding the principle of "taking a step back" and "playing hard to get" can we make wise concessions at the right time.

A computer doctor who studied in the United States wants to find a satisfactory job after returning to China.He has a prestigious doctorate title, so of course the job hunting standards cannot be low.As a result, he hit a wall again and again, and no company hired him.After much deliberation, he decided to put away all his degree certificates and apply for a job with a "minimum status".

Soon, he was hired by a company as a programmer.It was flak to him, but he was serious about it, not sloppy at all.Soon, the boss found that he could see the errors in the program, which was not comparable to ordinary program input personnel.Only then did he show his bachelor's certificate, and the boss changed him to a position commensurate with a college graduate.

After a while, the boss found that he often put forward some unique and valuable suggestions, which were far better than ordinary college students. At this time, he showed his master's certificate, and the boss promoted him after seeing it.

After a while, the boss felt that he was still different from others, so he took out his doctoral certificate.At this time, the boss had a comprehensive understanding of his level and reused him without hesitation.

The Doctor's last position was his original ideal.Going forward in a straight line failed, but I took a step back and moved forward in a curve, and finally got my wish.

Taking retreat as advance, from low to high, is not only an art of being a human being, but also a strategy of survival and competition.The doctor's method is clever. He puts down his figure first, and then looks for opportunities to fully display his talents, making others look at him with admiration time and time again.If people think you are great at the very beginning and have high hopes for you, but your subsequent performance disappoints people again and again, and people will look down on you more and more as a result.This contrast effect deserves everyone's attention.The higher other people's expectations of you, the easier it is to see your mediocrity and discover your mistakes; on the contrary, if others don't have high expectations of you, your achievements will be more easily discovered and even surprising.

As the saying goes: take a step back and see the sea and the sky.The retreat mentioned here is another way of advancing.Temporarily retreat and bend down, recharge your batteries, and wait for the opportunity. This way of retreating and advancing will be faster, better, more effective, and more powerful, while bending over will enhance the explosive power and momentum in the future, making people feel good about you. With admiration.There is a saying: "Put the green seedlings in the field with your hands, and you can see the sky in the water when you bow your head. The way is the way when the heart is pure, and the backward is the forward."

(End of this chapter)