Many writers these days publish their earnings to inspire others of what’s possible. That gives you the impression that you are also able to do that in the first article that you write.
You write the first draft and hit publish. You expect a week or two and see that you barely have any readers for your article. Then, you try it a second time and expect that this time, it will be different.
You spend a lot more time polishing the format, adding headers and great pictures. Then, this article also turns out to capture the attention of very few readers.
Then you think of quitting.
Before you fall into that trap, let us check a little bit of history.
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 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.
Think about the worst things that can happen.
When you start to write, you probably expect to have your articles read by hundreds of thousands, and only get devastated afterward when that doesn’t happen.
Samurais weren’t like that. They started strict training sessions at 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. They were warriors in the end. A new fight or a new war could start at any moment, and when that happens, it is too late to go and master a swift with the sword.
Many top Medium writers have already confessed that they do not expect to have millions of readers in their articles. Of course, it would be ideal, but it is usually not the case.
Nicolas Cole in a recent interview mentions that he sometimes spent many hours in an article, only to have a few hundred views. On the other hand, a few articles that he quickly wrote in less than an hour went out viral.
Expect that the worst thing can happen. Expect that no one is going to read your work.
However, try to take this approach only when you think it will empower you to take action. Do not let it 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
Stay 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 were 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 rational thinking and decision making. That is why you always find it too easy to give advice to others.
Ayodeji Awosika uses meditation in the morning to keep his head clean and calm which helps him write.
When you think about the worst things that can happen and stay calm, 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.
