Speaker, Trainer, Author

Introduction

I began learning T’ai Chi in April of 1991 and it wasn’t long before I thought of writing this book. Between then and now I’ve written three other books. So why did I wait so long to start? I couldn’t see how you could benefit, learn the life lessons of T’ai Chi, from just reading a book. I thought you would have to practice T’ai Chi to benefit from T’ai Chi. A conversation with a friend changed my mind.
My friend and his wife had separated after many years of marriage. Fortunately, they got back together and are now doing fine. One day we were having coffee and he told me that something I had said to him when they were apart changed his mind. I had quoted a line from the Don Henley song, "New York Minute." It says, "You find somebody to love in this world, you better hang on tooth and nail." My friend said those words stuck in his mind and made him realize how rare and precious a true, long lasting relationship is. He did whatever he had to do "and they lived happily ever after."
Recently, I sat down to write a speech about words; the power of words. As I pondered the concept, it came to me that these simple bits of ink on paper, these thoughts formed into sound, have tremendous power to change. I will begin the speech with that old line your mother used to comfort you, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." It sounds good, but it is one of the most untrue things ever said. This is the truth: "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but your hurtful words can incinerate my soul." Words have the power to heal, hurt, elevate or destroy. Why, then, can’t you learn the ancient teachings of T’ai Chi and apply them to your life from this book? Why, indeed?
Frankly, part of my hesitation is that I have been afraid this work might sound like a fortune cookie, or something from the script of the old Kung Fu TV show. "Ah, Gwasshoppa The way of the monkey is to play the fool. While you laugh at his antics, he bites you from behind." I will do my best to avoid both, but I suppose if you approach this work with a cynical attitude that’s what you’ll hear.
Yet, I come back to the power of words. I had lunch with a good friend today and we discussed how words we have read or heard have changed us. We came up with many examples. When I find good quote I share them via e-mail. My friend remembered several of his favorites. We each remembered times in our lives when someone has said something or we’ve read something and we slap ourselves on the head and say, "Wow, I get it. I never thought of it that way before!" After that, our thinking and outlook has changed forever.
What we’re doing, of course, is sharing thoughts and ideas. Sometimes we may find we’ve never heard a particular idea expressed in that precise way, with these words, and suddenly it makes sense. You can almost see the light bulb above your head and you say, "of course!" Sometimes we may even feel foolish that we didn’t see it before.
One of my favorite quotes is from Buckminster Fuller. He said, "Either we’re alone in the universe or we aren’t. Either way, the thought is staggering." When I read that and thought about it I immediately understood. And it is staggering, almost literally so.
Richard Nixon said, "You aren’t finished when you’re defeated. You’re finished when you quit." Until I read that, I hadn’t truly realized, on a deep and fundamental level, that I have a choice about it. Later, I was listening to a tape by speaker Jim Rohn who said, "In life there’s no three strike rule. Just keep swingin’ till you hit one over the fence." What’s interesting is that I’d listened to the tapes before, but didn’t hear that line. It wasn’t until I "got" the Nixon quote that I "heard" what Jim Rohn said. So that’s the other reason I’m writing this book: repetition. I think you’ll find some new concepts in these pages, but you’ll also find a confirmation of your current beliefs and understanding. I find it’s a powerful confirmation of my beliefs when I find similar or identical ideas in other cultures and other times. To me, that says this is something that is True. True with a capital T. Here is something upon which I can build.
T’ai Chi is a thing we learn, but it is not an end onto itself. The T’ai Chi form is a teaching tool. It is a very powerful teaching tool and I think it’s a very good thing to take classes and practice the T’ai Chi form, but it is not the only way to learn.
This book is what I have learned from T’ai Chi. I teach T’ai Chi for the purpose of building a better, more meaningful life. Others teach specifically for the healing aspects of T’ai Chi. Some teach it as a martial art. If they were to write a book about T’ai Chi it would certainly be different and it would convey their understanding, although, make no mistake, the basic concepts of T’ai Chi are the same. How you apply those concepts can be quite different.