In nearly every workshop Master Jou taught, he mentioned three Taoist rules of success that helped him build an incredible life, despite surviving a brutal war and experiencing the resulting deaths of family and friends. He lost everything he had in his homeland China in World War II. He had to reinvent his life when he fled to Taiwan. There, he blossomed again, but became seriously ill. Starting tai chi saved his life and continued to make him strong. His dedication to tai chi was rewarded with a peaceful mind and a body that rivaled the vigor of men in their 20s. While others continued to age as their bodies subsequently deteriorated, Master Jou’s students remained astonished to see him improve each year.

Here is his “secret” mental recipe:

1) Know yourself.

Not superficially, but deeply. This requires intense introspection and possibly painful honesty (painful for the ego mind, of course). Know your strengths and weaknesses. Know your good sides and bad sides. What motivates you? What distracts you? How can you use this to “trick” yourself into positive actions and outcomes? Do you know what you are doing? Do you even know “who” you are? Learn about all its wonderful and disgusting components. Celebrate what works for you and moderate and train the parts of you that are holding you back.

2) Do your best, but don’t overdo it.

When you want to progress in an area of ​​your life, you have to do your best. Allowing yourself to get distracted and slack off will only waste your life energy (“qi”). Anything worth doing is worth doing well. And even when you’re relaxing, getting a massage, or on vacation, do your best to truly be one with him. To soak in and appreciate it. Being in the present. But avoid extremes. If you do the best you can, there is no blame. So even if your growth isn’t where you want it to be right now, don’t beat yourself up. Don’t overdo it. Especially in tai chi: while doing nothing is wasteful, you know what? It is also exaggeration. And sometimes you can’t tell until you’ve been at it for a while.

If you have pain the next day, first “know yourself.” Did you get out of the structure? Did you do the techniques incorrectly? And then… cut it down a bit next time. Forget what your classmates are doing – if you need a break during class, take it! But again, be careful not to let a break turn into relaxation or a loss of energy. Often the line between yin and yang (extreme) is very fine. The greatest gift you can give yourself is the experience and training that will allow you to illuminate that delicate balance between yin and yang. It is the cornerstone of wisdom in the ancient eastern arts.

3) Each time, make a little progress.

Note that Master Jou wisely declared “small” progress. You don’t have to worry about being successful every time. That’s too much pressure. Just ask yourself, “What can I do now, or today, to evolve a little more?” This mindset draws incredible energy into your life. Eliminate boredom and all forms of stagnation. Eliminate obstacles. Shine the rays of hope, health, and happiness into your world. It is a mindset that leads to attracting and manifesting glorious conditions in your physical and mental experience.

I would also like to add, to these three maxims, approach them with an appreciative mindset. I watched my teacher do this in everything he did, although he kept very quiet about it. However, if you listened carefully, you would often talk to him about what he held dear. Even if someone or something did wrong, I would still try to find the good memories or the lesson that can be learned from the situation. So he just let it go.

This is the type of words spoken by the wise. At first sight, these three maxims seem too simple. Only the wise can realize its depth. And if he applies them seriously, he will be guaranteed remarkable results. Just give it a try and you will see for yourself.