I just finished reading my first book of the year, "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. It was on my book list for a long time and finally, I bought one when I saw it last week at the House of Prose (a second-hand book shop in DXB and my favorite bookstore!). It is a short book but took me a week to finish because I am a slow reader and my week was pretty busy.
This book is about Sun Tzu's approach to war. It was the most influential book in East Asia about 2,000 years ago as those who studied and applied it became successful in warfare. However, it is still being studied today because its principles can be applied to sports and business.
Here are the 3 lessons I learned (and remember) from this book:
"All warfare is based on deception."
He talked about deception many times in the book. He believes that in order for them to do what you want them to do, you should mask your strength with weakness."A victorious army wins its victories before seeking battle."
He strongly believed that preparation is key to victory. It's not always the strong who wins rather the one who is most prepared and who utilizes best its skills."He who knows the art of the direct and the indirect approach will be victorious."
He said that an effective leader must be able to change tactics right away if necessary.
I consider life to be an ongoing battle for me. And so, as I read this book, I couldn't help but think how I can apply its strategies. First of all, it would be difficult for me to deceive people that I am strong when in fact, I'm at the lowest point in my life right now. I guess it only works if you're in a competition and not competing with yourself. I guess I can prepare for whatever the future holds for me. I can keep learning new skills and maybe somehow utilize them to my advantage. Most importantly, I need to know myself better and in that way, I will know what to prioritize in life and not be lost again.