{"id":248,"date":"2026-10-20T07:21:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T22:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/?p=248"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T03:31:15","slug":"the-power-of-words-laozi-a-long-journey-begins-where-you-stand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/?p=248","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Words | Laozi: A Long Journey Begins Where You Stand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Words for today<\/h2>\n

\u5343\u91cc\u4e4b\u884c\u3001\u59cb\u65bc\u8db3\u4e0b\u3002<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cA journey of a thousand li begins beneath your feet.\u201d \u2014 Dao De Jing, Chapter 64, traditionally attributed to Laozi. Translation for this article. The original uses li, a Chinese unit of distance.<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/h2>\n

Sometimes you know what you want to do, yet beginning feels difficult.<\/p>\n

You want to study, organize your home, or try something new at work. Then you think about everything the goal requires\u2014and find yourself carrying the weight of the entire journey before taking a step.<\/p>\n

This passage invites us to bring our attention back to where we stand.<\/p>\n

If your goal is to read a book, today\u2019s task does not have to be finishing it. Open it and read a paragraph. If you want a tidier home, begin with one object on your desk. If you need to prepare a proposal, write down one question it must answer.<\/p>\n

A small beginning may seem insignificant. Yet touching the task can reveal something that thinking alone cannot: what you understand, what you need, and what might come next.<\/p>\n

There is no need to turn this into another demand to be productive every day.<\/p>\n

Your starting point changes. Some days you have energy; other days you need rest. Preparing your tools, asking for help, or choosing a sensible time to begin may be the right step for you.<\/p>\n

Someone else\u2019s pace does not have to determine yours.<\/p>\n

Today, instead of asking, \u201cHow will I accomplish all of this?\u201d try asking, \u201cWhat small part can I touch?\u201d<\/p>\n

Leave a note. Read a page. Gather one thing you need. Make it easier for tomorrow\u2019s version of you to continue.<\/p>\n

A distant hope becomes connected to daily life through something close enough to do now.<\/p>\n

\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u7248\u3092\u8aad\u3080<\/a><\/p>\n

Source<\/h2>\n

Chinese Text Project: Dao De Jing, Chapter 64<\/a>. The reflection above is original commentary, separate from the quotation.<\/p>\n

Disclosure: This article includes affiliate links.<\/p>

A little inspiration for everyday living<\/h3>

A few words can offer a fresh perspective. Sometimes, a thoughtful everyday item can bring a small moment of joy, too.<\/p>

In my Rakuten ROOM, I share everyday essentials we might put off buying for ourselves but would be happy to receive as gifts. Feel free to take a look! (*^^*)<\/p>

Explore my Rakuten ROOM (Japanese)<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
\n

Shopping from outside Japan? Rakuten Global Express offers international forwarding from Japan. Please check supported destinations, shipping fees, and item restrictions before using the service.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Learn about Rakuten Global Express<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Pre-publication checklist \u2014 editorial notes; remove before publishing<\/h2>\n

Check existing articles for duplicate figures and quotations. Verify and apply the three common tags and the English series tag. Suggested tags: Laozi \/ First Steps \/ Courage \/ en-power-of-words. Verify the English mood-category destination before adding a link; do not link to a Japanese-only collection as an English collection. Confirm that Japanese post 247 and this English post are published together, and add the reciprocal English link to post 247 after this post has an ID. No publication date is set. Intended slot: Day 1, 01:27 JST, subject to the owner’s review and existing schedule.<\/p>\n

Featured image not created or assigned. Art direction: a misty mountain path at dawn, a softly lit stepping stone in the foreground, blue-green and ivory colors. Image quotation: \u201cA journey of a thousand li begins beneath your feet.\u201d Small text: \u201cThe Power of Words \u00b7 Laozi \u00b7 Article translation\u201d. Verify spelling, rights, and mobile readability. Review the complete article and remove editorial notes before the owner decides whether to publish or schedule.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Words for today \u5343\u91cc\u4e4b\u884c\u3001\u59cb\u65bc\u8db3\u4e0b\u3002 \u201cA journey of a thousand li begins beneath your feet.\u201d \u2014 Dao De Jing, Chapter 64, t … <\/p>\n

“The Power of Words | Laozi: A Long Journey Begins Where You Stand” \u306e<\/span>\u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[22],"tags":[27,34,37,33,35,48],"class_list":["post-248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-words","tag-en-mood-take-a-step","tag-en-quotes","tag-en-taking-the-first-step","tag-en-power-of-words","tag-en-notable-figures","tag-laozi"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/file_00000000e5cc8209a7d9c3070266980d.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=248"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":278,"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions\/278"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/127mhk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}