Confucius was striking some stone chimes in Wei. A man carrying a basket passed in front of the gate of the house where he was staying and said: “Whoever is playing music like that seems to have something else on his mind!” A little while later, he added: “What a tiresome racket! If no one understands what you are trying to say, keep it to yourself!”
When the water is deep, wade through it with your clothes on;
When the water is shallow, hold up the hem of your gown.”
Confucius said: “He certainly doesn’t mince his words! I don’t have any response to that!”
子擊磬於衛。有荷蕢而過孔氏之門者，曰：「有心哉，擊磬乎！」既而曰：「鄙哉，硜硜乎！莫己知也，斯已而已矣！『深則厲，淺則揭。』」子曰：「果哉！末之難矣！」

The more you obsess about a problem, the more you risk losing sight of a solution. Instead of worrying about how you’re going to come up with enough money to fund the construction of a multi-million-dollar bridge to cross the river, set your mind free to explore other alternatives. Or better still talk to other people to find out their perspectives. When it comes to generating creative ideas, two or more heads are far more effective than one – not to mention a lot more fun to work with than banging your own head against the wall. Continue reading Leadership Lessons from Confucius: striking some stone chimes →