Have you ever noticed that every once in a while something small will happen in your life that will tie all of the disparate threads of your life together and show you that they are all part of the same rope? For me, the epiphany came while practicing karate with my daughter. Many of you may not know this, but my daughter and I are both black belts in kenpo...the way of the fist. My ah-ha moment came while talking about how we were practicing and why. Without quoting her directly, and without rehashing the whole conversation, my daughter Madison told me that it wasn't enough that she was a black belt. She had already achieved that and now she wanted to be a "good" black belt. In effect she was saying that while she had earned the designation, she knew she had areas of her art that needed work and she was determined to improve them. The statement rang of honesty, honor, and respect, three of the main tenets of the Bushido code.

That night while lying in bed, I thought about the Bushido code and how my daughter was living it, even though she didn't know it. It made me stop and think about my own life as well, and that yes, I too had been following Bushido for a very long time without even realizing it! It shocked me to my core to realize that many of the decisions that I had made in my life up until now had been made following the tenets of a centuries old warrior code. A code I didn't even know existed up until a couple of years ago!

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Bushido, literally means "the way of the warrior". Oddly enough, although the concept is centuries old, a "code" was never officially written down until 1965. In fact, back in the day, "Bushido" wasn't even known as Bushido. In general it was a way of life typefied by the samurai. All samurai followed these unwritten rules to live by, as they were taught by the "feudal lord" that they worked for. Many historians agree that there are seven main canons to Bushido. These are:
Gi ...  Rectitude - decency, correctness, integrity.
Yu ... Courage - guts, nerve, bravery, audacity.
Jin ... Benevolence - kindness, compassion, generousity.
Rei ... Respect - esteem, reverence, value.
Makoto ... Honesty - truthfulness, sincerity, candor.
Meiyo ... Honor - reputation, respect admiration.
Chugi ... Loyalty - faithfulness, trustworthiness, reliability.
For many, it's easy to see how these traits would be important for an analyst to haveCourage to give ones opinion, even when the opinion isn't popular. Honor to always do one's best, not just do enough to get by. Honesty to quickly admit when they are wrong, and take steps rto rectify the situation. Loyalty so that all clients know that the picks given to them are the best that can be provided...not just the leftovers after larger clients have cherry-picked the best ideas or the latest garbage the investment bankers want them to push.

Rectitude, Benevolence, and Respect all go together in my opinion.Without rectitude, I would find it hard for a person to be benevolent. Only by having rectitude and showing benevolence does someone truly gain respect.Some believe that being successful at what you do garners you respect. Not so, in my opinion. while you may be acknowledged for your success or wealth, you will not be respected if your success is shown to come from ill-gotten gains or cheating.

All of us, at times, face difficult decisions. How we approach our decision making is what melds our character.Loyaltyhonorrespect and courage have always been a part of my make up. When I was young, it was loyalty to my family and teams ... the circle expanded to include my clients and business partners as I've aged. In 2003, I had thecourage to step out and start my own business. In effect, I made a concious decision to eat what I kill. Ten years later, I am still here...eating what I kill. I work hard to give my clients market-beating returns and data that will help them make better decisions.

Now it is your turn to show courage. Step out of your comfort zone and try my consulting services or newsletter. Call me at (609) 423-7660. I'll ask you a few questions and we'll see if my services are right for you. At a minimum, click this link and at least read about my newsletter. See if the principles I live by are right for you.

Subscribe To The Sure Shot Letter Here:
Call Me To See How I Can Cut Your Research Costs & Increase Your Fund's Return!
(609) 423-7660




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