“The Clearer the goal, the greater the rewards” is an old Taoist maxim that is extremely valuable yet simple advice.
Everything we do is laden with purpose. Even when we watch a television program, we are doing so with the goal of learning, relaxing, decompressing from a work day, and more. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget the reason behind our activities, and the texture of our lives then can seem listless and without a guiding principle. When we lose track of that purpose, we need to revisit and articulate those goals again.
In T’ai Chi Chuan and Qigong (Chi Kung), we focus upon the mind and its “Yi” or intention as a guiding force to our overall health and well-being. “Yi” or Intentional Energy gives focus to our practice and movements—why we are doing what we are doing. Such focus upon our intentions also applies to our lives as well with our short and long-term goals.
The great secret to finding rewards in all that we do whether that is T’ai Chi Chuan, Qigong, Work, Cooking, or anything else for that matter, is having a clarity of purpose that gives shape to these activities and provides a sense of integrated aim to the texture of our day to day lives.
To make the most of whatever it is you do, discover and articulate the purpose behind the activity. The path and the potential rewards become clearer with the goals clearly defined.
This is one of the great secrets of T’ai Chi Chuan and Qigong training, and it is one of the most simple yet basic things to do to create a life rich with purpose.