Ryan Holiday in his book “The obstacle is the way” mentions one of the greatest samurai warriors that ever lived, Miyamoto Musashi, to be the type of the person who was able to fight against multiple opponents, even without a sword.
If you start to think about it, it seems almost impossible. This and other samurais have not achieved this kind of capability of handling difficult situations within a single night, but it represents a consequence of a lot of training sessions, both physically and mentally. They are warriors, and they are aware that each day they wake up can be the last day of their lives, because a new battle or war can appear, and only the people who are trained have higher chances of surviving.
There are many lessons that we can learn from their discipline and lifestyle, but this article is only going to focus on productivity related ones that I believe we can all benefit from.
How can samurais teach us to be more productive?
There are maybe more patterns that have appeared during the samurai life, but I will mention two that I consider as pivotal ones that can be implemented in modern times and that can improve our productivity.
Thinking about the worst things that can happen. Usually I find myself delaying the beginning of preparation for an exam because I think that I have sufficient time in my budget and that some lessons are not going to be part of the exam. However, I regret all the time about these type of overly ambitious expectations.
Samurais weren’t like that. They started strict training sessions in an early age and worked hard, as fighting was part of their identity and wanted to be prepared for the worst scenarios that can appear. However, try to take this approach only when you think it will empower you to take action, because it can have the opposite effect and prevent you from beginning the task at hand.
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” – Mark Twain
Being calm. When you see movies about samurais, you see a lot of them shouting and that gives you the idea that they were always angry. However, usually the opposite is true.
Shiba Yoshimasa (1349-1410):
For warriors in particular, if you calm your own mind and discern the inner minds of others, that may be called the foremost art of war. [Training the Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook]
Suzuki Shosan (1579-1655):
When you manage to overcome your own mind, you overcome myriad concerns, rise above all things, and are free. When you are overcome by your own mind, you are burdened by myriad concerns, subordinate to things, unable to rise above. “Mind your mind; guard it resolutely. Since it is the mind that confuses the mind, don’t let your mind give in to your mind.” [Training the Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook]
Kaibara Ekken (1630-1714):
A noble man controls frivolity with gravity, awaits action in a state of calm. It is important for the spirit to be whole, the mood steady, and the mind unmoving. [Training the Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook]
Adachi Masahiro (1780-1800):
The imperturbable mind is the secret of warfare. [Training the Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook]
And, of course, the man probably considered the greatest samurai of them all, Miyamoto Musashi:
Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. [The Book of Five Rings]
Their shouting isn’t because they are angry, but because they tried to frighten the opponent. Moreover, nobody can deny the value of being calm: when you are calm, you are free from the emotional baggage that can hold you back from the rational thinking and decision making. That is why you always find it too easy to give advice to others. When you think about the worst things that can happen, you are doing prior preparations of keeping yourself under control and managing your emotions.
In conclusion, as I said, there might be other things that samurai warriors could teach us, but I wanted to take these two insights and share them with you, as I am also trying to implement them in my life. Remember, you will not gain a lot of benefit from these lessons if you do not start practicing them.
