Daily Wisdom Notes

A Vision Must Change the Way We Walk In the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms , Liu Bei learned about the wisdom and ability of Zhuge Liang before the two men had begun working together. Liu Bei could not know with certainty that Zhuge Liang would agree to help him. He had no promise of success. Yet he could imagine how a wise strategist might strengthen his cause, so he travelled to Zhuge Liang’s rural home to seek his counsel. He did not meet him on the first visit. He returned and was disappointed again. On his third visit, he finally met Zhuge Liang, listened to his plan, and gained the adviser who would become central to his efforts. What interests me is not only Liu Bei’s persistence. It is the picture he carried before the partnership existed. He saw a possibility clearly enough to organize his actions around it. This raises a practical question: What makes an inner vision useful rather than merely pleasant to imagine? The Future Often Appears Twice Many things are c...