Have you made headway on your New Year’s resolutions, or have they faded from view already?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, said the Daoist master Lao Zi, but in today’s distraction-filled world, just setting that journey in motion, let alone seeing it through to the end, can be a task of Herculean proportions.
Presented below are several simple lessons from ancient China that will help you reach your aspirations this year.
1. Learn From Your Peers
“When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them.”
This line, spoken by Confucius, comes from “Analects,” a famous collection of conversations between the teacher and his disciples. Confucius was first and foremost a great learner. Though born to a poor family, at 15 he had devoted himself to the pursuit of knowledge.
Try observing the successes and failings of others, and applying the lessons they learned (or should have learned) to your own endeavors.
2. Think About Your Legacy
How can you honor those who came before you? By contributing something worthwhile to those who will come after.
Confucius said, “Establishing oneself, practicing The Way, spreading the fame of one’s name to posterity, so that one’s parents become renowned—that is the accomplishment of filial piety.”
Though Confucius’s disciple Zeng Shen compiled an 18-part treatise on filial piety, from which the above quote originates, the principle of establishing oneself is a theme throughout the whole work.
