Analyzing Art of War, by Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese military strategist is definitely one of the greatest philosophers of all time.
I recently read his book the “Art of War”, and here are my takeaways from it.
Sun Tzu has an influence on almost every military on this planet. Sun Tzu’s book, “The Art of War”is still being implemented to this day, from a book thousands of years old! Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, military strategist, writer and philosopher who lived in China in the 5th century. Sun Tzu’s book, The Art of War, is a book that revolutionized how people think, because of the way he used strategy to complete his goals. The book, the Art of War, is used by many U.S military officers for presentations, because of the military strategy in the book. The book talks about how officers should lead their soldiers. For example, the book says how officers should wake their soldiers earlier, to perform more tasks.
Don’t just do something for the sake of doing something — make sure it helps you
The way I see this is to do things that will benefit you in the long term, and to not do things that will benefit you in the short-term. For example, should I be doing something that wont benefit me at all or should I be doing something that will actually benefit me? Sun Tzu only did things that actually helped him in the long term. For example, in every battle, Sun Tzu made sure his every move was an advantage to his army, and analyzed whether it would benefit him. So how does this apply to me or anyone else? Well, one of my dreams is to impact the world before I’m 35. In order to do this, I know from now, that I have to be doing things that will benefit me in the long-term. Should I be playing video games, or should I be learning about a new cutting-edge technology that will impact the world?
Break big goals into smaller ones
Sun Tzu led hundreds of thousands of men to battle very often. Now how did he ever get to the point where he directed so many men? Well, he grouped up a thousand men and saw them as the same. This meant he would only need to direct a couple groups, not a hundred thousand individual soldiers. This can be applied to anything. For example, let’s say Bob wants to become a billionaire. That big goal looks terrifying. How can Bob ever become a billionaire? Well, Bob can break down his goal to the point where his big goal becomes a daily goal. This means that Bob can set daily goals in order to achieve his goal of being a billionaire. This way, you will actually receive results in what you’re trying to achieve, and that big goal isn’t that terrifying anymore.
Wake up Early
Sun Tzu said in his book, “Now a soldier’s spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is only on returning to camp.” What Sun Tzu is trying to say here is that when you wake up early, you are more productive, and you complete more tasks when you wake up early. This is something I’ve been doing for a couple of weeks now. I’ve been waking up at 5:00 am, and I’ve been able to do so much work. It’s basically a head start to the day! I wake up at 5, do a quick workout, and start doing my work. It’s so productive!
Plan ahead
Sun Tzu said, “Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.” What Sun Tzu is trying to say here is to plan ahead and analyze everything before reacting or making a move. In the real world, most people react before thinking or analyzing their next move. Coming from experience, planning as you go almost always ends terribly. Planning ahead means that you can predict what will happen, and you can react or make a move that makes sense and can benefit you.
Sun Tzu was an amazing philosopher, and his work will be remembered for centuries. His lessons are not only applicable to war, but to also daily life.
Key takeaways:
- Do things that will benefit your future
- By breaking big goals into smaller ones, you are less intimidated by the bigger goals
- Waking up early will make you more productive
- Planning ahead will benefit you enormously
