Carefulness is not only a style of being a person and doing things, but also an indispensable strategy for achieving things.

Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, said: "Big is born from small, and more is born from less." We should start from the easy place to deal with problems, and start from the subtle places to realize our wishes. The difficult things in the world must start from the simple place; The great things in the world must start with the small parts. Do things before they happen;

In administering state affairs, it is necessary to prepare for disasters before they occur. Hugging trees grow in tiny sprouts; A nine-story platform built on each pile of dirt; A journey of thousands of miles starts from the first step. Those who do something will incur failure, and those who are persistent will suffer. Therefore, a saint with the Tao is always not greedy for great contributions, so that he can accomplish great things. ”

He also said, "Do something with an attitude of inaction, and deal with things in a way that doesn't cause trouble." ”

From the past to the present, successful people and great strategists have not overlooked the great role of the strategy of careful care in achieving their careers.

Guiguzi said: "I want to be thoughtful, but I also want to be meticulous, but the reality of thoughtfulness lies in prudence." He also said, "If you see the subtleties, you will know the kind."

Tian Xuanzi said: "The sage knows the opportunity, but the fool does not see the opportunity; The saint uses the machine, but the fool does not use the machine. Just like the benefits and losses of things, just like the obvious, everyone in the world can see it, so that we can seize the opportunity to do it, so that we can subdue the opportunity and succeed in things, which is not inferior to the sages and philosophers! The practice of the sages and philosophers lies in being able to see and know things, in being able to seek in the invisible, and in being able to achieve in the untraceable. Therefore, those who are good at using opportunities are always prophets like gods. This is the meaning of the "machine principle", and its importance in the cause has long been proven by practice.

Figures in history who have failed to become leaders have ignored this important point. Jiang Taigong once said to King Wen of Zhou: "The trickling water is not blocked, and there is a possibility of becoming a river in the future." If the fire of the star is not extinguished, it will burn into a raging fire. If the obstacles on both sides of the tree are not removed, how can they be cut down with an axe? Guan Zhong said: "Precautions are before disasters occur." These are all the principles and instructions of the ancient sages on the principle of accomplishment, the establishment of a career, the governance of the country and the rule of the world.

King Wen of Zhou was often cautious, King Cheng "respected" every night, and Confucius was often cautious and fearful. Zhuge Liang's life's career is to act cautiously.

Zhuge Liang's carefulness in the relationship between Shu and Wu showed great patience that is difficult for ordinary people to have, because the three founding leaders of Shu can be said to have died in the battle for Shu and Wu. And it was mainly the state of Wu that coveted the territory and first destroyed the Shu-Wu alliance. However, Shu and Wu are both weak countries, and the four-year-long struggle has caused heavy losses on both sides, and Shu has suffered even greater losses.

If you can't bear it and continue to act rashly like Zhang Fei and Liu Bei, Shu will be more likely to be annexed by Wei. After the peace of Shu and Wu was realized, the Shu State, which covered an area of less than one-tenth of the Wei State and had a great difference in military strength, actually carried out the Northern Expedition from 225 to 234 A.D. "Six out of Qishan", and achieved many tactical victories, captured Anding, Tianshui, Nan'an, Wudu, Yinping County, and finally pushed the battlefield to Wuzhangyuan on the south bank of Weishui in the territory of Wei, and held the Wei army here for more than 100 days, and then withdrew because Zhuge Liang died of illness. This kind of Northern Expedition, called reunification, was actually based on offense and defense, striving for the strategic initiative. Instead of sitting and waiting to be killed, it is better to rise up and attack it. As long as the peace of Shu is maintained, it can be called a victory.

No matter how big or small, no matter how big or small, it is all about the opportunity to be cautious and careful, and we must not take the element of carefulness lightly when dealing with problems, but should include it in the scope of strategic application. In this way, being attentive will help you achieve greater success.