Alex Shalman.comPractical Personal Development

“Mental bearing (calmness), not skill, is the sign of a matured samurai. A Samurai therefore should neither be pompous nor arrogant.”
~Tsukahara Bokuden

Editors note: This is a guest post by Shamelle Perera of The Enhance Life.

The closest portrayal I got of a samurai was when I first watched the movie, The Last Samurai. The movie intrigued me to find out more about the history of a Samurai.

While much of the writing about the samurai has focused mainly on bloodletting, there is a lot that can be learned from the ancient spirit of the Samurai.

So what do I mean from “The Modern day Samurai”? Wearing armor and using a sword is not enough to make someone into a Samurai. The Modern day Samurai, is somebody who does that extra something. Somebody who does what is necessary, and they do it when perhaps the odds are against them and others are fearful. They come in all walks of life, with a range of qualities. They have the courage to do what is necessary, when it is necessary.

This post is my way of connecting the dots of the strict warrior code, the honor system of the ancient Samurai, to The Modern day Samurai.

1. Train hard and master the skills

The samurai is a well-trained, highly skilled warrior. They train very hard for years with a focused mindset. In the same vein, you must fashion yourself properly in your chosen field. Preparation is a key ingredient in your quest for achieving your deeply cherished goals. It will take a lot of hard work, sacrifice and patience.

2. Give your 101%

The way of the Samurai demands that you stay fully committed and determined to undergo the arduous journey that will lead to success.

You will have to rise to challenges and not quit. You have to plan to go the extra mile and make personal sacrifices. You absolutely have to give all your mind, heart and soul.

3. Have an unstoppable Attitude

You need to have determination and the will to carry on. There will always be people who will try to steer you away from what you want. It may be an “enemy” or a close friend or family member (with good intentions) that feels it would be better, if you focused your attention in another direction. Uphold your unstoppable attitude.

4. Break free from self-created obstacles

Like the samurai, you must refuse to allow obstacles to deter you from following your dream.

The best way to get better at anything is to face the weakness we all possess. In order to be better, think clear, act appropriately, and succeed, you have to identify the areas you need to improve on and then take action to turn your weakness into strengths.

5. Maintain integrity

Before the days of a zillion lawyers and overcrowded courts, people entered into agreements with a simple handshake (I am yet to find out how it was with the Samurai). People today say all kinds of things without considering the consequences. Have you ever made a commitment to someone, and later decided it was too inconvenient or too much hassle to follow through? Have you ever said something to somebody knowing full well it would never happen?

On the other hand, honor and character stand as the Samurai’s highest attributes. They had a firm adherence to a code of moral or artistic values.

6. Learn from mistakes

Everyone has failures or mistakes from the past. The Samurai is no exception. They take the time and effort to analyze the mistake, and above all, find the right way to do it next time.

To have success, you need to learn from your past and value those difficult lessons, and not dwell on the past. Simply move forward and make better, more educated decisions from the lessons learned. As easy as it might be for me to say it, it’s something that has to be done, eventually.

7. A sword never rules

The Samurai knew that real power lies outside the sword but in the spirit; the spirit to conquer self. Nothing can ever be achieved without conquering self. It is something that has to be practiced all the time. They knew that to be able to really and truly master the sword, they had to go deeper onto their spirits to master the energy of controlling the sword.

About the Author
Shamelle blogs about personal development ; basic courtesies of living, working and growing the life, we all wish we had. Visit her site at The Enhance Life.

If you like this article please StumbleUpon it and comment below. If you would like to write an article for this site please see the contribution page.

Tweet This Post