How to Gather Intelligence with a Minimum Budget

Chapter 13 of Sunzi's The Art of War  is about understanding the importance of gathering and exploiting intelligence

To gain that "extraordinary" intelligence advantage, the successful strategists always understood who were their relevant sources and what motivated them.  Some times,  the influential tactics of utilizing money, ideas and compromise do not guarantee a that one could secure the right intelligence. 

The criteria of a situation usually determines whether the projected solution could be quite simple.

Assess, Position and Influence
Rita Williams, the former great TV reporter at KTVU, have always secured her information with the right amount of finesse.  ...  She instinctively assessed her Big Tangible Picture by understanding the mindset of her targeted sources.  

Once Ms. Williams positioned herself with the proper moves and the right implement, the influencing of her targeted resources became easy.

Through her annual practice of baking a very special rum cake, Ms. Williams secured the path of least resistance for acquiring the right information for her stories.

Comments From the Compass Desk
Technology-driven intelligence could only go so far.  Human Intelligence operations work as long as one has already pinpointed the connections that leads to the exact target.  

Every strategic situation is different. The chosen tactical approach is always depended on the circumstances that are behind it.

Securing the intelligence and assessing it properly is one arcane skill.  Building a tangible plan that is based on the intelligence is also an exotic skill . Implementing the plan properly is another arcane skill.  

We do know that there are not many people who have any one of those three given skills.  ... Humorously, there are many people who can describe the requirements of each skills.  

If you ever have a question on how to profile an objective, send us a note.

Other Unique Rules of Strategy

"The order is everything. ... The sequence is everything. ... The timing is everything.   ..." 
- An Anonymous Weiqi (Go) player

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To properly compete, the successful strategist always know what strategic and tactical rules work should be in play.

Following is an abridged listing of strategic rules from Roger Stone, a famous GOP political consultant:

"Unless you can fake sincerity, you'll get nowhere in this business." (one of Stone's favorites)[2]

"Politics with me isn't theater. It's performance art. Sometimes, for its own sake."[2]

"Don't order fish at a steakhouse,"[2]

"White shirt + tan face = confidence,"[2]

"Undertakers and chauffeurs are the only people who should be allowed by law to wear black suits."[2]

"Hit it from every angle. Open multiple fronts on your enemy. He must be confused, and feel besieged on every side."[2]

"Always praise 'em before you hit 'em."[2]

"Be bold. The more you tell, the more you sell." (attributed to advertising guru David Ogilvy)[2]

"Losers don't legislate." (from Richard Nixon)[2]

"Admit nothing, deny everything, launch counterattack." ("Often called the Three Corollaries", Stone says of this rule.)[2]

"Nobody ever built a statue to a committee."[2]

"Avoid obviousness."[2]

"Never do anything till you're ready to do it."[2]

"Look good = feel good."[2]

"Always keep the advantage."[2]

"Never complain, never explain."[41]

"Lay low, play dumb, keep moving."[42]

"Always mount your protest or picket sign on a good solid piece of wood. Comes in handy as a bat if some union goons wanna scuffle." (#37, coined February 2011 in response to the 2011 Wisconsin budget protests)[43]

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Stone


Comments From the Compass Desk
The operability of any of these rules is depended on the criteria of the given situation. If the implementers could correctly assess their current situation without any inertia, then their chances of utilizing the right rules increase.   

The process of assessment is  as simple as breathing. You do breathe.  Do you?

Fwiw, triumphing over the situation is a different game.

How to Solve a Complex Problem

(Content updated) 

There are different takes on the following fictitious story. Read and enjoy. 

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Golden Rocket Science Inc was famous for building high quality, bargain basement rockets. Their current rocket project was a hybrid of many different rocket designs.  Using a non-scaleable Agile approach, their engineers built the rocket and discovered that it was inoperable. Regardless of their lack of a Big Tangible Picture, they has to solve this problem.  The engineers walked through the design for many days and were not able to determine the root cause of the problem.

The CEO pressed the chief engineer on why the rocket must be fixed in the next 36 hrs. 

For a moment, the chief engineer panicked and was lost on what was going to be his next move.    Suddenly a light bulb went on in his mind,  he dashed to his Rolodex, found the business card of Mr. Marshal, the "The Ace of all Rocket Consultants" and contacted him for immediate help.

Mr. Marshal instantaneously replied by telling him that he will be there later today. His note included a request on how he wanted the project documentation to be organized. 

One hour before sunset, Mr. Marshal arrived at the front door of Golden Rocket Science and was greeted by the chief engineer. The chief engineer briefed him on the urgency of the situation and took him immediately to  the rocket testing room. The consultant went to the drawing table and viewed many pages of blue prints. Then he went to the "alpha" workstation and quickly read  through the many e-documents.   

Marshal then spent the next many hours, slowly encircling around the opened rocket, analyzing the system and the devices inside the rocket, while sipping a bottle of apple juice.  

He retrieved an audio recorder from his right jacket pocket and started to record his observations.

His energy began to wane at 2100 hours. Marshal took 10 to 12 minutes to brew a pitcher of hot Dragon Well green tea. 

Before the assessment began, he started to attached single or multiple paged documents on a wall-sized white board for the purpose of seeing the entire "Compass View" of the rocket.

Side note
The Compass View is an idealistic schema of understanding  how everything connects in terms of the order, the cycles and the sequences.

At midnight, Marshal looked at the white board again and the entire schematic of the rocket was displayed in front of him and began a mental walk-through from the base of the rocket to the ignition portion of the rocket and then to the various trigger points while attentively focusing on understanding the grand connectivity of the principal system components by pinpointing its individual cycles, its individual coverages and the various conditions. The understanding of the grand configuration behind the rocket began to seeped into his mind. 

It was 3:33 am, he started to sip another cup of tea and  began to reflect on the grand connectivity behind the Big Tangible Picture of the rocket.

Marshal began to tinker with the rocket's hardware by using his unique "assess, test, divide and re-assess" approach. After a long session of trial and err, he methodically isolated the problem to a few points.

At high noon, the "consultant of the consultants"  withdrew a red sharpie pen from his left shirt pocket and made several "cross-hairs" markings on the vertical section of the rocket base and a few more cross- hair markings on a specific blueprint.   He then wrote a few long paragraphs that described the exact location of the problem and the reasoning behind it. 

At 1230 hr, Marshal e-mailed a message to the chief engineer that the problem was solved. The chief engineer entered into the test room at 13:00 hr, immediately noticed that the consultant was gone, and immediately saw the red markings on the rocket and the marked blueprint that was taped on top of the first red markings.

He immediately contacted his engineers. They dashed to the test room, read the note, and made the proper adjustments to the problematic rocket. At the end of that working day, the rocket was operable.

The next day, Mr. Marshal e-mailed an invoice of $80,000 to the chief engineer while sitting in his fishing boat.  The chief engineer immediately responded with a question about the price of $80,000. Mr. Marshal answered with the following specifics: $12,000 for the markings and $68,000 for his experience of making the right cross-hair markings in less than 21 hrs.

The chief engineer understood the value of Mr. Marshal and sent him his desired payment. There was now peace in the rocket company and that everyone was now happy.

--- The End ---

Comments From The Compass Desk
Mr. Marshal started by studying the rocket in terms of these four phases: the objective, the approach, the executable means and the modes that supported the means. Then he applied those four phases to the following stages: the design stage, the construction stage, the testing stage and the reviewing stage.

During the assessment process, he slowly understood the connective results (the configuration, the cycle and the coverage) from subsystem to subsystem while be mindful of the macro tangible picture of how the grand system works. 

That is one approach to viewing a complex system.

Gone Fishing! (A View From Chapter One of Six Secret Teachings)

Almost all asian and western strategists are familiarized with the Sunzi principles of strategy.  In China, the elite strategists frequently spent their time, utilizing the concepts and the principles from Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings and Wuzi in their various endeavors.  

The Jiang Tai Gong's essay is focused on knowing the fundamentals of the Big Tangible Picture and viewing the grand events in terms of situations while the writing of Wuzi's emphasized on the operational means that connect the modes to one's approach.

In a future post, we will talk about the implicit meaning behind both essays. 

Some portions of the Jiang Tai Gong's material has been extended in the Li Quan's book.  

The following story focuses on a different type of fishing.

The Jiang Tai Gong's Story
King Wen intended to go hunting. So the Historical Records Scribe performed a divination. The Scribe reported:" While hunting on the north bank of Wei River, you will get a great catch. It is not a dragon, nor a tiger or a bear. According to the signs divined, you will find someone of the caliber of duke or marquis, a teacher bestow to you by Heaven. If employ him, you will flourish and your later generations will benefit as well.

King Wen asked:" Do the signs really signify this?" The Scribe replied:" My ancestor, when performing divination for Sage Emperor Shun obtained a comparable indications. And Emperor Shun then found Yao Tao to assist him."

King Wen then observed a vegetarian diet for three days to purify himself, then mounted onto his hunting chariot. Driving his hunting horses, he went to the northern bank of Wei River. There he saw Tai Gong sitting on the grass fishing. King Wen went forward and greeted him courteously and then asked: "Do you take pleasure in fishing?"

Tai Gong said: "Man of true worth takes pleasure in realizing his ambitions; the common man takes pleasure in doing his best for his affairs. My fishing is very much like it."

King Wen inquired further," What do you mean it is like it?"

Tai Gong mentioned:" Fishing is like attracting talents, there are three authorities to consider. Authority to bestow salary, authority to decide life and death, authority to appoint offices. All who fish, will always wish to catch something. Its nature is deep and from it, much greater principles can be discerned from it."

"Flourishing and florid, for many generations, the Shang Dynasty has gathered so much wealth but in the end they will be scattered. Silent and still, the Zhou Dynasty's future will be bright, so bright it can shine in all directions. Subtle and mysterious, that is how the Sage attract the hearts of the people through his virtues.. Wondrous and joyful, the plans of the Sage through which everyone seeks and gets what they want, while he establish measures that will achieve their hearts and trusts."

King Wen asked:"How shall we establish the measures so that all under Heaven will give their allegiance?"

Tai Gong said:"All under Heaven is not the domain of one person, but the domain for all those under Heaven. Anyone who shares profit with all the people under Heaven will gain the kingdom. Anyone who monopolize the profits will lose the kingdom. Heaven has its four seasons and the Earth, its resources. Being capable of sharing these with populace is truly benevolent. Whoever has true benevolence, all under Heaven will pledge allegiance to him. Sparing the people from death, eliminating hardships, relieving misfortunes, saving people from dangers, these are virtues. Whoever has true virtues, all under Heaven will pledge allegiance to him. Sharing weals and woes, likes and dislikes with the populace, that is righteousness. Where there is righteousness, people will go. In general, people hate death and take pleasure in life. They welcome virtues and chase profits. The ability to help people gain profits is the Way. Whoever walks the Way, all under Heaven will pledge allegiance to him."

King Wen bowed and said:"True wisdom. Do I dare not accept Heaven's edict and mandate." He invited Tai Gong to the chariot and returned with him, establishing him as his teacher.

- Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings 1

Comments From the Compass Desk
In life, the successful fishermen (or strategists) regularly decided on what bodies of water to fish from and what type of fishes that they wanted to catch.  He or she knows the risk benefits and the risk consequences of their strategic choices before making the next move.  It all begins by knowing the configuration of one's Big Tangible Picture (BTP).


* This post was updated on 04.23.2013

A "Pragmatic" (Strategic) View of Daoism

/// It is always a challenge for many people to apply the Daoist thought to the gritty realities of daily life, not in lofty philosophical discussions. 

This two-part article was originally published in April 2004  and Sept 2004, by one of our many associates.  After eight plus years, he has updated portions of it and asked us to published it.

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Playing with the Dao:

A "Pragmatic" Strategic View

The Dao gave birth to One. The One gave birth to Two. The Two gave birth to Three. The Three gave birth to all of creation. All things carry Yin yet embrace Yang. They blend their life breaths in order to produce harmony.
People despise being orphaned, widowed, and poor. But the noble ones take these as their titles. In losing, much is gained, and in gaining, much is lost.
What others teach I too will teach:   "The strong and violent will not die a natural death."   --- Chapter 42 of Laozi's Dao De Jing (also known as the Tao Te Ching)

We are currently living under a challenging macro scenario of rapid urgency, where uncertainties have become a regular commonality. Some of these uncertainties are driven by many global-sized, technologically driven velocities of change that unnerve the masses to ask the question "What are we going to do now?"

Someone recently asked me the following set of questions: "Since our world has gotten more chaotic than what we dreamed or believed in, what can we do about it? Can a person stay ahead of the curve of shifts and changes by understanding the Dao? Is there anything in the Dao that allows us to understand our world of uncertainty?"

After a moment of self-reflection on these questions, I realized that this person wanted a pragmatic "what-to-do" answer to our global setting of life-altering shifts and changes. Before those questions could be answered, we must first define the meaning of the Dao.

What is the Dao?

The word "Dao" (also written as "Tao") means road, path, or way (a way to follow, a way of thought, a method, or a principle). The Dao is seen as the everlasting principle at the origin of the universe. It permeates and transcends all beings; it is at the origin of all transformations. This belief system, originating in ancient China, is considered to the foremost, indigenous philosophical thought of China and is called Daoism. Fundamentally, the name Daoism refers to one central universal principle: "Everything in the universe is connected to the motion of continuous change."

This essayist re-interprets that same principle as "… an elegant, universal framework that loosely connects numerous components to a total flow of macro and micro cycles of continuous change." Everything about Daoism is connected to this perspective.

"The universe and I exist together and all things and I are one."   
--- Zhuang Zi's (translated by Lin Yutang)

Each component can possess a total force of positive or negative polarity. The Chinese referred to these forces as Yin and Yang. By viewing the internals of those components, an interplaying balance of opposite polarities that create and display the macro force can be seen.

Within this common setting, there's always a multiple of Yin and Yang forces evolving from a state of balance to a state of imbalance, then returning to its original state. Some of these actions have been explained with mathematics, numbers, and patterns. Nevertheless, it is always dynamic and continuous.

Pragmatic Definition of Yin and Yang forces

Yin:   Soft, dark, contract, zero, lightness (weight), extraordinary, earth, no, loss, water

Yang:   Hard, light, expand, one, heaviness (weight), normal, heaven, yes, gain, fire

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A Daoist Viewpoint on Change

The impact of any Yin and Yang force is change. The Daoist's perspective on change emphasizes that time is cyclical—not linear or dynamic and never static. Change occurs continuously—not between events—and present events are determined by other present events, not by past events. To meet your objective, it is important to prevail in as many incrementally based contests as possible.

To view a change in term of Sunzi's strategic principles, this essayist recommends that you should perceive it in terms of patterns, strategic advantage(s), adaptability, and leverage(s).

"Thus, one able to gain victory by modifying his tactics in accordance with the enemy situation may be said to be divine. … Of the five elements, none is always predominant; of the four seasons, none lasts forever; of the days, some are long and some are short, and the moon waxes and wanes. …" --- Sunzi's Art of War (AoW), Chapter 6 (Griffith interpretation)

INTRODUCTION TO READING THE YIN AND YANG FORCES

Reading, recognizing, and understanding the force of shifts and changes occurs when you learn how to stay still.

"In battle, there are only the normal and extraordinary forces, but their combinations are limitless; none can comprehend them all. … For these two forces are mutually reproductive; their interaction as endless as that of interlocked rings. Who can determine where one ends and the other begins. …"   --- Sunzi AoW, Chapter 5 (Griffith interpretation)

Stillness

To understand the Dao, internal stillness is the first requirement. The first step of attaining this particular state is the "focused" act of emptying one's thoughts while maintaining no physical movement. This state of total "nothingness" is another important factor behind the essence of Daoism.

"Detach from emotions and desires; get rid of any fixations."   
--- Zhuge Liang

The focus of being still is to find the internal state of tranquility within your being.

"In motion be like water. At rest like a mirror. Respond like an echo.
Be subtle as though non-existent. Be still as though pure."   
--- Zhuangzi

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Results from the Practice of Stillness

Life can be an incoming flow of random shift and changes when you are not familiar with the patterns. Proper practice of internal stillness allows you to understand the interlinking patterns of Yin and Yang forces while disbelieving in the attribute of chance.

"The stillness in stillness is not the true stillness; only when there is stillness in motion does the universal rhythm manifest."   
--- Old Daoist text

Once the basic state of stillness is attained, the next step is to focus your internal attention on recognizable things like time, climate, and terrain, then continue by noticing its order and how it corresponds to the large scheme of things—all while maintaining your eye on the target. This key step of focusing on the current moment is the basis of mastering the Daoist principle of "familiar."

"Never worry about yesterday or concern oneself with tomorrow. You have to stay in the moment. By focusing on today, that is how we get to tomorrow."   
--- A paraphrase from John Wooden, former UCLA coach

This "performance" state of internal stillness can attenuate the chaos of your surroundings into a transparent state of clarity. Old Daoist texts describe this transformation with the analogy of "muddy water settling down and becoming "clear and pristine."

"One should clean out a room in one's home and place only a tea table and a chair in the room with some boiled water and fragrant tea. Afterwards, sit solitarily and allow one's spirit to become tranquil, light, and natural."   
--- Li Ri Hua, a Ming Dynasty scholar

Through this constant practice of internal stillness, the novice strategist (of the Dao) slowly learns to appreciate the attribute of self-patience and delayed gratification, while subconsciously focusing on accomplishing your objective regardless of the internal and external pressure (from your surroundings that derives from the shifts and changes).

"The Master said, 'Even the world, its states, and its clans can be pacified; even ranks and emoluments can be declined, and even flashing blades can be trodden underfoot, but focusing on the familiar affairs of the day (zhongyong)—this is no easy matter."   
--- Zhongyong, Section 9

You can also advance to the mindset of prioritizing that understanding the state of how the world is is more significant than the act of determining what and why the world is.

"Be peaceful, easygoing, upright, and calm; then the measures you impose will be accommodating. If you are good at managing but are not calm, then empty your heart and even your mind, and wait for unease to fall away. This helps master rank."   
--- Guigu Zi (Master of the Ghost Valley)

# Results from "Understanding the How"

Understanding how the world operates and its cyclical phase enhances your view of the large picture. This comprehension assists you in determining the "competitive advantage" within the situation, allowing you to focus on what to adopt and how to adjust to the current situation.

Proper understanding of the how allows the pragmatic strategist of the Dao to proactively view the Big Tangible Picture unemotionally while the practice of the what focuses the amateur strategist to be more tactically reactive. After a series of practice and perfecting, the budding strategist of the Dao learns to observe and understand how the micro-cycle of one event can fit into the large picture [the Greater Dao]. This action is the first step of "aligning with the Dao."

"What comes from the internal practice of stillness is the practice of field and focus. ... All this 'stuff' is happening all around me and I am the lens that brings it into perspective at this point in time and this location."   --- R. Matz (The Alpha Chef of Cook Ding's Kitchen and Xingyiquan player)

This proper practice allows you to become effective at whatever your focus is.

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How to Read the Forces

"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

Through the state of stillness, you could develop the ability to read the forces of Yin and Yang. When observing a specific force, focus only on the current moment of reading and recognizing the attributes of forces and its affect on the current settings. Is the force opposing? Is the force positioned in a scenario of confronting? Is the force fluid and constantly changing? Is the force a "head-on" scenario? Or is the force a macro combination of the four forces mentioned above?

"Therefore I say, know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril."   
--- Sunzi

When encountering any combination of those mentioned forces, the pragmatic strategist-Daoist decides on one of the following four strategic options:

• Positioning in one's locale and countering with the opposite polarity of the oncoming force
• Positioning in one's locale and yielding until the force is overextended
• Countering the directness of the oncoming force with indirectness
• Countering the "continuous change of opposing force" by following its direction

As a strategic rule, it is not a good idea to always counter a direct force with a direct force.

"For they end and recommence; cyclical, as are the movements of the sun and moon. They die away and are reborn; recurrent, as are the passing seasons. … "   
--- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW, Chapter 5 (Griffith's interpretation)

By studying the following attributes of a force: direction, intensity, rhythm, balance and its origin, you might understand how it fits into the greater scheme of things.

"In dwelling, be close to the land; in meditation, go deep in the heart; in dealing with others, be gentle and kind; in speech, be true; in ruling, be just'; in business, be competent; in action, watch the timing."   
--- Dao De Jing, Chapter 8

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Understanding the Dao

To understand the basic interaction of the Dao, reading and recognizing the "Yin and Yang" forces becomes the immediate priority. The first step is mastering the action of stillness.

"To overcome the intelligent by intelligence, however, is a matter of opportunity. There are three avenues of opportunity: events, trends, and conditions."   --- Zhuge Liang

The Dao is about continuous change and that there is no approach to completely control the Dao. You can only read, recognize, and synchronize with it for a chosen seasonal cycle. Through a constant and conscious interplay with the Dao, you learn how to achieve the "right feel for the right time at the right place" while determining the critical path for completing that venture.

Comprehending the process regarding the settings that are around you and their relationship to the macro picture is what counts. The acceptance of these macro principles of the Dao will allow you to operate and complete your venture with maximum efficiency regardless of the influence(s) around you.

When you can focus on the current affairs of the moment, only then can you concentrate on what matters most.

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."   
--- F. Scott Fitzgerald

When dealing with scenarios of uncertainty, the pragmatic strategist of the Dao focuses only on the cyclical analysis and recognition while comprehending how things operate and not what the results of the thing. Through cyclical recognition, you understand the importance of the timing and the momentum within various shifts and changes.

THE  HEURISTIC PRINCIPLES OF THE DAO

The following is a partial listing of the heuristic principles for aligning with the Dao:

• The Dao is a macro space consisting of numerous loosely connected components: Strategy is the Dao. Boxing (martial arts) is the Dao. Everything is the Dao
• The "Seasonal" Cycle: During good times, you must be conservative, totally focused, and not expand beyond your means. Good and bad times can never last forever.   /// Things always come in cycles. Understanding and following the significant macro cycle properly allows you to master the attribute of momentum and timing for that macro scenario
• "Focus on the Familiar" #1: Proper establishment of internal stillness allows you to pay attention to the familiar
• "Focus on the Familiar" #2: "Focus solely on how the world works as opposed to what is the world about before executing any strategic move"
• The Integration of Yin and Yang: The forces of Yin and Yang complement each other. For every Yang-driven scenario, there's a Yin-driven scenario hidden behind it and vice-versa
• Opposite Polarity: You should always effortlessly counter an opposing force with a force of opposite polarity (either directly or indirectly)
• Existing with the Dao: Logic is a tool that justifies your existence
• Playing with the Dao #1: Playing with the Dao allows you to align with it for a particular season that gives you a momentary advantage. Concurrently, also focus on securing the maximum results that would give you the best position for the next cycle
• Playing with the Dao #2: Dissolving, deflecting, and absorbing the forces of Yin and Yang is the trademark of someone who comprehend the approach for playing with the Dao. That action derives from your approach of adopting, adjusting, and aligning with the Dao. Those who do not align with the Dao pay the conclusive price of failure. In the long run, the forces of the Dao always prevail over the abilities of animals, machines, and man
• Playing with the Dao #3: Always regard the macro (and micro) cause-and-effect process within each continuous cycle
• Aligning with the Dao #1: There is a great difference between knowing the Dao and aligning with the Dao

GRAND RESULTS

"Before the engagement, one who determines in the ancestral temple that he will be victorious has found that the majority of factors are in his favor. Before the engagement one who determines in the ancestral temple that he will not be victorious has found few factors are in his favor. If one who finds that the majority of factors favor him will be victorious, while one who has found few factors favor him will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in his favor? Observing it from this perspective, victory and defeat will be apparent. " 

 --- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW, Chapter 1 (Sawyer's interpretation)

Through the practice of mindful stillness and the understanding of the Dao, you gradually learn and understand the importance of constant self-improvement and living our lives intelligently with a great degree of significance. The maintaining of this self-optimizing state while wandering at ease is always a lifetime challenge for those who wish to align themselves with the Dao.

"Your experience is never the same as the next person." --- A paraphrased quote from Sun Lu Tang (Sun's Internal Martial Art System Founder)

The experience of each person is always different from the practice of stillness. The only commonalities are the focus on the familiar and the practice of aligning with the Dao.

"In every landscape, the point of astonishment is the meeting of the sky and the earth." --- Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Transcendental Sage of Concord

THOUGHTS FROM A PRAGMATIC STRATEGIST

"When people of great wisdom hear the Truth, they diligently practice it. When people of moderate wisdom hear the Truth, they practice it now and then. When people of lesser wisdom hear the Truth, they laugh at it. If there were no laughter, there would be no Truth."   --- Laozi

The Dao concepts mentioned above are a summation of my given answer to the questioner. After a long exchange of questions and answers, that person began to understand the importance of focusing on the familiar and how the world operates.

As a reminder, this essay only touches on a small component of what the Dao is.

After years of playing with the Dao, this pragmatic essayist learned that this philosophical mindset and practice is also efficient in determining the large picture while staying focused  on the target regardless of one's current scenario. There's no genuine set of strategic and tactical rules for playing with the Dao-just the heuristic principles of recognizing scenarios and its cycles that determine the strategy and tactics of your endeavor. 

"In the field of observation, fortune favors the prepared."   ---Louis Pasteur

Direct alignment with the Dao allows you to effectively complete any endeavors with the minimum effort. From a personal experience, it can be described as "water cascading down a mountainside taking the path of least resistance."

"It is the business of a general (or a strategist) to be serene and inscrutable, impartial, and self-controlled."   
--- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW (Griffith interpretation)

Accomplishing this feat consistently is another story. If learning how to play the Dao were any simpler or difficult, it would not be the Dao.

To thrive in the current world of uncertain shifts and changes, the consummate strategists of the Dao pragmatically create their own opportunity first through their understanding of how the world operates instead of searching and waiting for a certain scenario to occur.

"He who has mastered this method knows the way of heaven and earth, has the support of the populace, and is fully aware of the opposing situation. … When he needs to determine his battle array, he knows how to prepare the formations. He combats when there is assurance of victory. He stops fighting when there isn't. … For one who has really mastered the method, his opposition can do nothing to escape their defeat."   
--- An updated paraphrase from Sun Bin (famous strategist from the Warring States era and the great grandson of Sunzi)

Regardless of your settings and your pursuits, always align with the Dao

Source: http://www.jadedragon.com/tao_heal/meh4045.html

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Comments from the Compass Desk
To gain this state of stillness, our friends at Cook Ding's Kitchen recommended the practice of Yi Quan instead of yoga. The benefits is in its emphasis on an incremental balance of static and active motion exercises.  

To properly assess the Dao of one's strategic situation, one must understand the "Five Critical Strategic Factors" that are embedded within it.  ... You do know how to do that!?  Do you?

Learning the philosophy of Daoism is easy. Comprehending the psychology and the physics behind the Dao is the challenge.  ... It is not in your copy of the Art of War.

Without stirring abroad
One can know the whole world;
Without looking out the window
One can see the way of heaven.
The further one goes
The less one knows.
Therefore the sage knows without having to stir,
Identifies without having to see,
Accomplishes without having to act.

DDJ , 47 


By seeing the connectivity of their grand setting, the successful strategist stays focused on his endeavors. 

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