To Start Again
When an approach to overcoming an adversary fails, immediately abandon it and adopt a new strategy while maintaining the flow of action, requiring prior practice of variations to enable seamless change.
THE IDEA
To Start Again
In practice one should consider the possibility of being unable to beat the enemy with whatever means you have been using. This can and does happen. Starting again means to come to an impasse in your efforts to kill the enemy but then immediately abandoning your approach by taking another strategy, refreshing your spirit, and starting again. When you have to change your spirit while in combat, you must do so without stopping the flow of battle. In order to enable yourself to change your approach, you must constantly practice all sorts of variations on the same attack. In this way, you will be able to change in the middle of a fight.
When to use it
In negotiations, preparing alternative proposals so that rejection of one does not end the discussion.
In software development, assessing another implementation when the current approach reaches a dead end.
In sports, when a particular play is countered, call an audible or adjust formation instantly to keep the opposition off balance.
In personal productivity, if a planned schedule is disrupted, switch to a different task or method instead of abandoning the entire day.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Failed Marketing Campaign
A company finds that an ad campaign is not generating leads. It investigates the response and tries a prepared alternative aimed at another audience segment. The analogy concerns having another approach available when the first fails.
Chess Attack Blocked
A chess player's planned attack is neutralized by the opponent. Rather than forcing the same attack, the player instantly shifts to a defensive strategy, repositioning pieces to create a counterattack while maintaining the flow of the game.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a situation where you persisted with a failing approach. How could applying 'To Start Again' have improved the outcome?
What variations on your current strategies have you practiced that would allow you to switch approaches mid-action?
In what areas of your life (work, relationships, hobbies) do you most often get stuck in a single method? How can you train to be more fluid?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Musashis book of five rings the definitive interpretation of Miyamoto Musashis classic book of strategy (Kaufman, SteveMiyamoto, Musashi)