It’s one thing to know the way. It’s an entirely other thing to DO the way, to commit to making it happen.

The Tao Te Ching teaches us this in its very name. Tao, as you probably know, means “way.” And Te translates as “virtue.” But the history of the word te includes the word for power; it implies energy behind the virtue, not just some idea of a righteous person sitting silently on a cushion. When you combine these two words, it’s basically a command to know the way and do the way.

In a recent article, Ken McLeod describes knowing the way as a matter of insight, while doing the way is a matter of strength of character. In other words, it’s a matter of heroic perseverance. Both the insight and the action are necessary in order to bring about change.

Think about it in terms of New Years resolutions. I know, I know, New Years resolutions have fallen into disfavor in recent years. Some people argue they just set us up for failure and shame, rather than actually propel us to make lasting change. And, while that’s true, I think that speaks to a poorly chosen resolution, not the act of making a resolution itself. Our problem is that we tend to overdo it on our New Years lists. Or we write down goals that belong to other people (or societal pressures) and not goals we actually feel committed to achieve.

Also, a part of us wants to believe that writing down our goal and knowing what we should do counts as change. We get a little boost when we feel committed to something and imagine the future world in which this goal is achieved. It gives us something to talk about and think about and smile about. And many times, that’s where our New Years resolutions end: in the dream phase.

But the Tao is incomplete without the Te. It’s not enough to envision our goal; we also have to do the drudgery of work that will bring that goal to fruition.

In other words, we can define heroic perseverance as follow-through.

And all of us have areas in our lives where we could use a little more follow-through.

In that spirit, I spent much of yesterday doing a chore I’ve been avoiding for months: I purged, cleaned, dusted, and reorganized all my kitchen cupboards. I even got out the vacuum and sucked up all the little spices and coffee granules on the shelves. A few hours later, I had collected three boxes of giveaways, thrown away expired items, and rearranged things to be much roomier and more convenient than before.

If heroic perseverance prevents procrastination and encourages action, then cleaning cabinets and washing our car and going to the DMV should all count. Right?

So, consider making a list of the tasks you are avoiding and choosing a couple to complete. You may find that it stirs up the kind of persevering energy that will feed into other, deeper endeavors. (This was certainly true for me. I produced more yesterday than I normally get done in a week!)

If you’re the type to make New Years resolutions, spend some time really asking yourself what you want to achieve this year, within your own soul. Be clear about what your goal is, and what it will require. Commit to the way, and the work of the way. Because the Tao is nothing without the Te.

This post is part of the Paramita Project. You can find all my posts on heroic perseverance here.