What is the Samurai life?   

A life of extreme discipline, sacrifice, and mastery of the art that you devote your life to – that’s the life of a Samurai.

But how is this relevant today? In a life as fast-paced as ours, replicating the exact lifestyle of a Samurai is impossible. However, the core principles used by these Samurai are something that are and will be relevant through millennia.

They metaphorically faced the same enemies we do every day. Although we live in far more peaceful times today with the decrease in wars and bloodshed, the daily life of a Samurai consisted of battling the ever-present temptations of the mind.

A Samurai lives by certain principles. These principles form the ‘Samurai Code’ they live by. Which begs the question, what are these ‘Samurai Principles’?

Some of them that remain constant no matter what era we live in are discipline, loyalty, compassion, respect, courage, integrity, honor, and justice.

The Eight Sacred Principles of the Modern Warrior

Discipline: Your Inner Drill Sergeant

Most needed but least practiced today. Samurai were known to be extremely disciplined; their skill was said to be built through consistent practice. Discipline isn’t just about forcing yourself to do things; it is about creating a structure around your habits such that doing tasks is almost automatic.

Your system is designed to work most days; for the days it seems impossible, pull out your weapons of grit and willpower. Remember, it is about training your mind to embrace the challenge.

Modern Day Application:

• You know that moment when your phone begs you to check social media during work? Channel your inner samurai, be a warrior, and resist. Treat your focus time like a samurai treated their training ground – sacred and non-negotiable. Though your weapon might be a laptop, and your battlefield might be a spreadsheet.
• Set up a morning routine and stick to it religiously. Even when your bed feels like it’s made of clouds and your pillow whispers sweet nothings in your ear. The samurai didn’t have snooze buttons, nor do you (mentally delete it).

Loyalty: Standing Firm in the Age of Swipes

In a world where people ghost faster than actual ghosts, loyalty might seem as outdated as a Nokia 3310. This principle isn’t about blind following – it is about being true to your commitments, your people, your values, and most importantly, yourself.

The daily life of a Samurai entails being true to himself, and knowing who he is. In today’s day and age, it is far too easy to go down the path of least resistance and choose to be flaky, unreliable, and a person whom nobody can trust. Instead, choose to be loyal, be a warrior.

“Those who stand for nothing fall for everything” – Alexander Hamilton 

When it comes to your craft, stay ‘insanely’ committed to it to the point where indulging in distractions feels like an unforgivable sin. Stay true and committed to the people who have been there for you; having fewer people you can completely trust is better than having too many you can trust a little. 

Modern Day Application:

• When your friend’s startup looks about as promising as a chocolate teapot, but you promised to help. You show up, you contribute, and you believe in them. Even if their idea is “Uber for plants” (actually, wait, that might work).
• Sticking to the practice of learning a skill of your choice even when you feel like an absolute buffoon (No offense to buffoons).

Compassion: The Heart of a Warrior

Plot twist: Samurai weren’t just about slicing and dicing. They understood that true strength lies in showing kindness. Control over emotions or being able to introspect in the middle of a high-emotional situation is a skill stronger than any physical feat. Emotional intelligence often gets overlooked because as visual beings, it is always what we see that we judge to be the way it is, or as some would say, we ‘judge a book by its cover’.

Everyone goes through a similar cycle in their daily life. To realize that they are what you once were, and you might in the future be what they once were, opens you up to a higher level of awakening and feeling one with the universe, including people around you.

A physical prowess will only go so far as to give you an edge in life, but to make the best use of this advantage and to be a warrior such as the Samurai of old, it is essential to develop mental prowess (such as high emotional intelligence) that gives you the ability to make the right decision under a high-stress situation.

To be compassionate with the person who needs it and strict when required is the greatest challenge to overcome for a Samurai.

Modern Day Application:

• When the new intern messes up the coffee order for the third time, instead of sighing dramatically, take time to teach them. Remember, you once thought the espresso button made regular coffee.
• Notice a colleague struggling with anxiety before a presentation? Share your own experiences and strategies. Warriors support their comrades, even in battles with inner demons.

Respect: A Samurai’s breath

Samurai lived on respect as they did on fresh air; that was the importance they placed on respect.

Fun fact: If a Samurai faced defeat in battle, they would be ‘disgraced’ in themselves to a point that they’d take their own life.

Now I’m not asking you to do something that drastic if your phone stops working, but the point is to have respect high up on your list of values. This begins from respecting people around you (including the ones you hate), to respecting your own things. Your laptop might not be a katana, but it deserves the same respect (and regular cleaning).

Respect goes deeper than dropping 🙏 emojis on social media. It’s about recognizing the inherent dignity in everything and everyone – even that printer that jams every time you have a deadline.

The daily life of a Samurai accentuated respecting nature and everything around them, from as real as people to as abstract as their craft.

Modern Day Application:

• Listen to opposing viewpoints in meetings without immediately planning your rebuttal. Yes, even when Chad from marketing has another “revolutionary” idea.
• Treat your workspace, tools, and resources with care just as a samurai would their weapons.

Courage: Beyond the Comfort Zone

Courage isn’t about being fearless – it’s about realizing that you’re scared but showing up anyway. Modern warriors face fears like public speaking, starting businesses, and telling the barber they didn’t do a good job.

Sure, it is easier to go down the route of not taking initiative, being laid back, cowardly. But that’s not what we’re here for.

Let’s not fool ourselves thinking that we’re going to live forever. Having a sense of urgency and being courageous enough to stand for what you believe in is in itself the most courageous thing you can do.

We’ve been brainwashed to think that the ‘chill’ life is ideal and we look forward to a time where we’re sitting on a beach sipping margaritas; to me, that’s purposeless. To clarify, taking breaks are a great use of time but to have a ‘dead-end dream’ of living a life of perpetual ‘chill’ is to wreck the main purpose you’re here for.

Modern Day Application:

• Speaking up in meetings when something isn’t right, even though your heart’s doing the cha-cha and your palms are sweating enough to solve a small country’s water crisis.
• Taking that leap into a new career or starting your own business. Your samurai ancestors faced armies; you can face a change in your LinkedIn status.

Integrity: Who Are You When No One’s Watching

Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one’s around to judge your actions.

Staying true to yourself, whether it is a task you’re doing that benefits you or somebody else. It is essential to know the hidden truth that even though there’s nobody watching, you’re watching yourself, and whether you choose to do the task right or not builds an identity of you in your own mind.

Let’s understand it this way: You are assigned task ‘A’ and you decide to flake on it, procrastinate, and eventually come up with lackluster last-moment work. So, guess what’s going to happen the next time you are in a similar situation and have a task assigned?

Since you got away the last time, you’d probably do it again and again, riding the lucky train not realizing that you’d be inching into an endless cycle of self-sabotage. Besides, luck does not last forever and the task done better will always outshine the task that’s not, and to mention the stress that comes with completing a task last moment is a battle of its own.

Although these mini-actions seem insignificant when you look at our lives from a macro perspective, over time they accumulate to become who you are. As James Clear (Author of Atomic Habits) says, “Every action you do is you casting a vote for the person you want to become, and whichever habit you vote for the most, is the one that sticks.”

Modern Day Application:

• Finding a wallet and returning it intact, even though that extra cash could’ve bought you the fancy coffee beans you’ve been eyeing.
• Admitting to mistakes at work, even when you could probably blame it on the system being down. “The server crashed” is the modern equivalent of “my dog ate my homework.”

Honor: Your Personal Brand Before Personal Branding Was Cool

Think of honor as your internal Yelp rating – it’s not about what’s trending on Twitter, it’s about what you stand for when the chips are down. For the Samurai, honor wasn’t just about avoiding shame; it was about living in a way that would make their ancestors proud and their descendants inspired.

In today’s world of carefully curated Instagram feeds and polished LinkedIn profiles, true honor feels like a rare commodity. It’s not about perfectionism – it’s about authenticity and consistency between your values and actions. Think of it as being the same person whether you’re in a board meeting or buying coffee.

Modern Day Application:

• Standing by your work, even when it means acknowledging its flaws. In a world of “fake it till you make it,” being honest about your limitations is the new superpower.
• Defending absent team members when others criticize them behind their backs. Easy? No. Honorable? Absolutely.
• Giving credit to competitors when they genuinely innovate, even if it hurts your ego more than that time you tried hot yoga.
• Keeping promises to yourself with the same seriousness as promises to others. That 6 AM workout you committed to? Your honor is watching.

Justice: Beyond Superhero Movies

Justice in the modern world isn’t just about right and wrong – it’s about creating positive change in your sphere of influence. While Samurai carried swords, your weapons are your voice, your choices, and your actions. Justice today means standing up for what’s right, even when there’s no hashtag trending about it.

Think of justice as your internal compass in a world full of GPS devices. It’s about making fair decisions, supporting equitable practices, and helping create a workplace and community where merit trumps politics.

Modern Day Application:

• Speaking up in meetings when someone’s idea is being steamrolled, even if that person is your workplace rival.
• Ensuring fair compensation and recognition for your team members, even if it means a smaller slice of the budget pie for your own projects.
• Take responsibility when things go wrong under your watch, rather than playing corporate hot potato with blame.

The Way of the Modern Warrior

Being a modern samurai isn’t about perfection – it’s about continuous improvement. You won’t nail every principle every day (and if you do, seriously, write a book), but it’s about getting back up when you stumble.

Your battlefield might be a corporate office, a startup garage, or a home office. Your weapons might be words, code, or creativity. But the principles that guided the samurai can still lead you to victory today.

Remember: Every time you choose principle over convenience, discipline over comfort, or courage over fear, you’re walking the path of the warrior. Just maybe leave the sword at home – HR has enough to deal with.

Start your journey with one principle, master it, then move to the next. Before you know it, you’ll be a modern warrior, navigating life’s challenges with the wisdom of the ancients and the wit of the present.

And who knows? Maybe one day, they’ll write stories about the legendary warrior who conquered their inbox and mastered the art of work-life balance. Now that’s a tale worth telling.