The Simple Key to Mastering Your World & Increase Your Power According to GuiGuZi

•Finding the door way or the switch of agything, and of anyone, and then mastering the key to open or close the door is the simple principle to master yourself and get things done through others.

According to Ancient Sage GuiGuZi, who was the teacher of prime ministers and generals during the China Warring Period, there is only one simple universal way (dao) of mastering life. That is the way of "open and close". In whatever, you must first find this doorway and then obtain the key to open and close this door. Once you hold this key, or in modern terms, the switch, then you can turn anything or anyone on or off according to your wish. The world, or at least your world, is under your control.
At first, I thought he was exaggerating a bit. However, consider the devil, who surely knows people's weaknesses and tendencies, and he is able to easily tempt people to sin .... getting them to sin by their own will!

Now, back to us, how do we apply such wisdom in our life?

Firstly, let's find out our own switches.

• What things will get our nerves and cause us to do impulsive things?
• What are our greed that are easy for people to lure us?
• Know how we can be manipulated?
• How much do you know about the switches in others?
• Can you help them manage such switches instead of passing control to others and even to the devil?

Back to your business, what are the critical choke points ?

• What keep you awake at night?
• How can you manage those switches and door-ways so that you are not the mercy of anyone or even the external factors such as weather, bird flu, SARS etc.

Open-Close is more than Yin-Yang

Most people confuse GuiGuZi open-close as Yin-Yang. Yes, open-close is a subset of the yin-yang concept. But it has much deeper meaning, as pointed out above.

• Firstly, it is about finding the switches or door-ways of any systems... the root causes, the key resources, etc. How to find the switches is in The Universal Principle of “Open & Close” to Mastering the World - GuiGuZi's Wisdom#3 C1 捭阖

• Secondly, it is about how to control the door-ways, to open or to close it.

One more thing

You must know how to open or close it properly. Three key words are introduced by GuiGuZi. 周 complete 密 tight 微 fine details/precision.

• If we open it, to start a business, to show ourselves or our services, it must be complete ... ie no defects nor blemishes.
• If we want to close it, it must be tight, i.e. no leakages (e.g. security of information). 

• How can we know? It is all in the fine details. In fact, it is in the small things that we expose ourselves. It is in the little things about others that we can detect the true intentions.

Such are the powerful teachings of Gui Gu Zi. Do you want to know more?

For more, see The Original Spin Doctor - Gui Gu Zi on Open & Close
and even more ... Sun Zi and Other Strategists

Lim Liat (c) 16 April 2015