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As a samurai you are courageous, determined, and analytical, thriving in challenging situations that others would shy away from. You work toward your goals like a war hero walks into battle, taking action and owning the confidence that you will not give up until you succeed.
Because courage and intuition are swords in your arsenal, you keep your composure even in the worst case scenario. While you are action-oriented and always pushing forward, you also spend a lot of time analyzing and strategizing. This inner reflection is what feeds your strong intuition, allowing you to react quickly in the face of conflict that might leave others paralyzed. You are a valuable asset to your team especially in high-stress situations, and they are thankful to be able to look to you for guidance.
Because there is no warrior without a war, challenges bring out the best of your strategic nature. Whether you are challenged by competitors or by difficult circumstances faced by your team as a whole, you fortify those around you and draw upon your strong intuition to quickly out-maneuver anything that tries to threaten your victory.
As a samurai, you have the mentality of an honorable warrior and you know that you have the strength to meet any challenge life throws at you with ample courage, refusing to back down. Competition engages your decisive mind to act quickly, as you know that he who strikes first wins. While victory is of high importance to you, as a samurai you also value your honor and keep to a strict moral code. You are a reliable force in your team.
You fear losing your composure, being unprepared, and dishonor. Fear is a healthy emotion that alerts us when it is time to get prepared. Fear alerts us to the fact that something needs assessing. When you live in the space of fear it can become paralyzing and confusing. The feelings of anxiety and overwhelm can present themselves as guarded and tense. The opportunity is to embrace the fear as your friend. Shift the shallow breath to a deep breath and ask yourself, “Is this fear justified?” If so, “What do you need to prepare for?” It is also an opportunity to shift your story. Are you telling the story of courage vs recklessness, confidence vs inflated ego, or dedication vs obsession?
So, before you read the shadow side, I invite you to see this as an opportunity for growth. Feedback is often not your friend, as the intensity of the samurai can often be misunderstood. Your intentions are pure, yet they can create discord in your collaboration.
When the samurai is not serving you to be your best, the confidence in your skill that lends itself to your courageous and unyielding pursuit of progress can seem like an inflated ego to those around you. In truth, one of your greatest stengths is your ability to defend and advance the common goals shared by your team, not to simply win because you enjoy winning. It is important to remember each member of the team has valuable strengths to bring to your collaborative efforts—you do not have to bear the burden alone.
You thrive in conflict, which is a rare and admirable quality that brings a lot of relief to those around you who may prefer to step away from difficult situations. When the samurai spends too much time in the battlefield mentality, however, you can find yourself constantly preparing for the next confrontation, which can make you more likely to lead with confrontation rather than choosing diplomacy. While this is unintentional, it can create friction in your relationships with your peers if you create conflict unnecessarily. Your ability to handle the tough situations is an asset, but it is important to make space for good times as well, and you deserve them.
Because you rely heavily on your finely-tuned intuition, you often lead with your heart. This is valuable especially in circumstances that demand a quick and strong response and your peers appreciate your ability to help avoid disaster. However, there are times when leading with your heart can cause you to lose your composure and give in to intense emotions like rage. Because it is necessary to maintain composure in the workplace, it is important that you find an outlet for this energy elsewhere. Allowing your inner warrior to purge what you have had to suppress helps to ensure that those emotions not build up to the point that rage bursts forth at an inappropriate time.
Life is not always easy for the samurai. You are filled with intensity and a great sense of responsibility to serve the end goals at all times, which can make it difficult for you to step away from the battlefield. This same intensity can often be misinterpreted as aggression by those around you, and it can be exhausting to constantly have to check and suppress parts of your fighting spirit, especially if you do not have a sufficient outlet elsewhere.
Samurai make good crisis managers, emergency response workers, green berets, police officers, and professional athletes.
Jon Snow in Game of Thrones
Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars
