The Hagakure: The Book of The Samurai records Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s views on bushido and the warrior code of the samurai. It was written in the early 18th century and explains many principles of the Samurai warrior. Many of these same principles can be used in business, sports, trading, and investing to achieve a warrior mindset and overcome your ego and emotions along with your adversaries.
Bushido Code
The Bushido was a code of conduct for the Samurai consisting of 8 core principles.
- Righteousness
- Heroic Courage
- Benevolence & Compassion
- Respect
- Integrity
- Honor
- Duty & Loyalty
- Self-Control
Let’s apply these same principles to success in trading and investing.
Trading Like a Samurai
Doing the right thing: If you have your own system, method, and process with an edge over the competition then if you follow it you should be free of guilt and regret. Knowing you are doing the right thing is a powerful psychological tactic that frees your energy and creates single-mindedness and focus of action.
Confidence in yourself and your strategy: You can take immediate action to follow your strategy when you have faith in yourself and your process. Faith in action leads to less stress when facing unknown future events.
Positive self-talk: We must be a friend to ourself with internal self-talk. Our own inner dialogue and thoughts should be positive and like that of a friend and coach not an enemy.
Self-respect: We must appreciate our past successes and have confidence in our path and future goals. We should never talk negatively about ourself to others. Right action and effort create self-respect, laziness and wrong action hurts it.
Know yourself: Be whole and undivided in who you are and what you believe. Ensure your actions match your words and beliefs.
Honor: Samurai were warriors with a sense of self-worth and lived by the highest code of behavior and conduct. To abide by the principle of honor, we must acknowledge your moral responsibilities for taking actions consistent with or systems and beliefs.
Doing the work consistently: We choose the method we will focus our work and effort on at the beginning of our journey. Then our path consists of executing loyally to our goals.
Managing emotions, desires, and ego: The ability to use your mind and your principles to override feelings, wants, and arrogance is true power. A true samurai first defeats their self before facing any external enemy.