“Keep you friends close, and your enemies closer.”

One of the quotes that has always stuck in mind. Supposedly Sun Tzu said it first in his book The Art of War but that claim is subject to numerous debates.

My interpretation of it is … you should always keep an eye on your enemies so that you can anticipate their every move and not be sprung by surprise. *Enemies* could be someone you are competing with, a rival - within a personal, academic or business scenario.

Enemy is at times a harsh word for a rival. I picture an enemy on the battle ground getting ready to call on his troops against mine. However, in the literal sense, rivals or competitors are often than not on the other side looking towards you.

Does the saying make sense? I think it does. I believe everyone has so called *enemies* regardless of how polite or nice you are. There is always that one person that is going to be envious, jealous of you and more than happy to see you fail. [1] Schadenfreude … a German word which means “Happiness at the misfortune of others” or “People taking pleasure in your pain”. It’s just human nature and a fact of life.

Someone once told me years ago that the more successful you are (whether it is in life or in business), the more *enemies* you are going to have. I guess that is a trade off of success. Success being a defined goal that changes from person to person.

The question is, can you be successful without enemies?

Not sure, I’m not there yet but I highly doubt it. The challenge in life would probably be to balance that success with the enemies (or obstacles) you are going to face. One of the keys to the betterment of life and being a more complete person.