How to use Yijing to overcome career bottlenecks with mindset shifts

We all hit bottlenecks in life and career. Today, we'll consult the classic Chinese text, The Yi Jing (I Ching), or Book of Changes, to guide you through these stages, showing you what to avoid and what mindset shifts are essential for moving forward.

Written by Meiling 
The Founder of Teaware Space 

The Six Stages of Development

The lines are read from the bottom up, representing a progression in time or situation:

Line 1: The Hidden Seed (Hidden Dragon)

• Position: Bottom (lowest place).

• Theme: Incipience and Potential. The energy is present but still hidden, like a seed underground.

• Guidance (Stepping Back): Do not act. It is the time for self-cultivation, introspection, and quiet preparation. Acting prematurely will dissipate the energy before it has taken root.

This describes the early years of your journey—a period defined by learning, absorbing skills, and hidden potential. You possess the talent, but the path is often rocky: you may face financial loss, endure toxic colleagues, or watch others claim credit for your hard work. You might feel like a ""nobody,"" and even family members might question your direction. This stage can last for years, but it's crucial. Don't give up. Instead, keep doing, keep adjusting, and let every setback teach you until you finally find and solidify your path.

Line 2: The Emerging Force (Dragon in the Field)

• Position: Lower interior (earth/human realm).

• Theme: Appearance and Caution. The potential is now emerging into the world but is still vulnerable.

• Guidance (Stepping Forward with Caution): Cautiously proceed. Seek allies or ""the great man"" (guidance). You can begin to apply your energy, but remain modest and open to support.
  

This is the pivotal point where your talent and skills begin to merge and manifest. You start attracting favorable job offers and solid business partnerships, and everything seems to be going smoothly. However, this is no time to rush or become complacent—it's the stage of greatest risk.

To avoid getting stuck here, you must actively shed two dangerous mindsets:

1. Give up your Pride: Success can breed a resistance to new ideas.

2. Give up your Narcissistic/Big Ego: Belief in your own infallibility leads to isolation.

The solution is to stay low-key and cultivate humility. Find a good mentor or respected elder, actively seek their counsel, and learn from their experience. Guard your words and prioritize steady, deliberate progress over speed. At this delicate phase, it is easy to ruin everything with a single wrong move fueled by arrogance.

 

Line 3: The Active Struggle (Active all day, beset with cares)

• Position: Dividing line between the lower and upper Trigrams.

• Theme: Ambiguity and Risk. You are highly active and fully engaged, but you are caught between the inner (lower) and outer (upper) worlds, creating stress and danger.

• Guidance (Stepping Back and Forward): Be vigilant and persevere. Be active, but recognize the danger of overextending or getting stuck in conflict. If possible, consolidate gains and secure your position.

This is your stage of established success, placing you at or above the managerial level. You are visible, impactful, and your reputation is on the line, demanding daily caution and reflection. The disciplined routine of checking for pride or careless words is no longer a choice—it's essential for survival. You constantly remind yourself of the measured, step-by-step journey that brought you here.

Despite this success, this is often the point where you feel stuck, having hit the ceiling of your current role.

The best solution is continuous learning. This isn't about getting a new title; it's about self-preparation for the next transition. Pursuing an MBA, self-studying new skills, or deep mentorship broadens your capacity to lead and prepares you to leverage your power for a greater collective purpose, rather than just maintaining the status quo.

Line 4: The Transition (In the middle of the crowd)

• Position: Lowest line of the upper Trigram (heaven/social realm).

• Theme: Relocation and Testing. The situation is transitioning from the personal to the public sphere, often requiring association with those in power.

• Guidance (Stepping Forward or Back, Alone): Evaluate your alliances. You must often act or retreat alone, guided by your higher principles, even if it means departing from the current group.

You've reached a point of mastery—you are very well prepared, possessing both the deep knowledge and the extensive experience. The future now rests entirely on a strategic choice:

1. Climb to the Climax (The King): Accept the highest available position and wield your influence.

2. Step Back and Temperately Retreat (The Wise Sage): Consciously decline ascension for a period of rest and further, deeper learning.

There is no single ""right"" answer. Your decision must be based on a judicious assessment of the timing, environment, and specific situation.

The common and most dangerous mistake at this stage is the belief that you are ""the chosen one""—a certainty that feeds the ego and fuels unchecked desires.

A major risk comes from office policy and politics. Remember this simple rule: Do not engage in office policy wars. There is no ultimate winner, only survivors. Your primary focus must be to protect yourself and your wisdom from corrosive conflict, ensuring your ability to endure for the next grand endeavor.

For example, early in my career, I achieved a significant company win. Faced with the choice to climb the ladder or quit, and observing corrosive office politics emerge, I opted for a strategic withdrawal to protect my energy and mental health. This decision allowed me to dedicate time to self-cultivation—studying for the GMAT, taking management courses, and deep-diving into history and literature. By looking back, I will never regret the choice I made, especially after I read YiJing.

Line 5: The Climax (The Ruler/The King)

• Position: Upper center (place of power and authority).

• Theme: Success and Manifestation. The efforts have paid off, and you are in a position of maximum influence and authority. This is the time for action that benefits all.

• Guidance (Stepping Forward): Act with noble resolve. Your actions are highly visible and impactful. Lead with sincerity, and the path is clear.

This is the most successful yet most dangerous stage. When you are at the absolute peak, it's easy to forget your original intentions and become blinded by the belief that you are the best. Allowing your ego to prevent you from listening to outside advice puts you on a crash course toward the Arrogant Dragon Stage—a position of great power that is too high to sustain.

The key to enduring this stage is establishing an unfiltered feedback loop:

• Seek Truth-Tellers: Find someone who can tell you the harsh truth about your current situation, regardless of their social status. Their value is in their perspective, not their position.

• Maintain Perspective: Remember the beginning—when you had to see and rely on people, not just data.

• Pass the Power: True leadership now means collecting opinions, passing power to competent successors, and demonstrating trust in your team. Your work is to sustain the whole, not dominate it.

 

Line 6: The Extreme (The Arrogant Dragon/Head of the Hexagram)

• Position: Top (highest place).

• Theme: Overextension and Decline. The process has reached its natural limit; the energy is exhausted, and the situation is about to turn into its opposite.

• Guidance (Stepping Back/Withdrawal): Withdraw and reflect. Further action is arrogant and will lead to misfortune or regret. True wisdom lies in retirement, detachment, and preparing for the next cycle.

The term ""Extreme"" signifies being ""too much""—too successful, too confident, and too arrogant to see a way to step back. The immediate priority is to decelerate and turn your focus inward on learning and reflection.

At this heightened stage, your perspective is the most dangerous variable:

• Avoid looking at the people above you. Continuing to chase higher external status will only fuel the ego and cause you to lose sight of your true self and intentions.

• Instead, look at the people below you. Observing those you mentor and lead provides the necessary humility and practical perspective. This practice will teach you to stop rushing and ground you in genuine purpose, preventing self-loss.

By passing power and leading with sincerity (as opposed to demanding dominance), people will be genuinely willing to follow you. This is the only way to safeguard your reputation, temper the ""Arrogant Dragon,"" and open yourself up to the possibility of a successful new cycle.

Life's path is rarely linear; it's okay to feel isolated, slow, stuck, or lost. Remember that these feelings are temporary—don't give up on yourself, and prioritize your physical and mental well-being.

Always keep these 6 stages in mind, don't repeat the mistakes you've made in the past, you will eventually find happiness and peace:

1.  The Hidden Seed （Learning stage, be patience）

2. The Emerging Force ( Talent and skills begin to merge and manifest: Give up pride and manage ego)

3. The Active Struggle (This is often the point where you feel stuck, the key is to keep working hard, improve yourself, and be cautious)

4. The Transition (You choose to step forward or with step back to learning phase)

5. The Climax (The most successful and dangerous stage, At the peak, there is no road left to climb. See mentor and seek for opinions, keep modest)

6. The Extreme ( The extreme stage —too successful, too confident, and too arrogant to see a way to step back. Look at the people bellow you, see their sufferings, and to avoid being too greedy)

You can take this period of time to:

Master the Art of Deceleration: Intentionally slow down your pace—eat slowly, walk slowly, and speak slowly. Dedicate 15-30 minutes each day to simply sit in silence. Feel the loneliness or boredom, and observe all the thoughts passing through your mind without reacting to them. By mastering small disciplines, like spending one hour screen-free before bed, you'll gradually reclaim ownership of your life.

Embrace the Present: Forgive yourself for past mistakes; learn from them and move forward. Stop comparing your journey to others. Simply live in the moment, and in doing so, your true calling will eventually and naturally reveal itself.

Bottlenecks demand transformation. Leverage your existing skills and experience, commit to deeper inner work, and keep learning. Your breakthrough is inevitable.

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