| If you are at sea and it cuts up rough, you make for | | | | then be committed; know everything you need to |
| a safe harbor. Any port can be found in a storm. You | | | | know about it, don't be afraid and get on with it as |
| don't spend time procrastinating over whether the | | | | quickly as possible. If you've ever seen a samurai |
| harbor has shower facilities or a branch of your | | | | sword fight you'll notice they circle each other and |
| favorite restaurant chain or cheaper moorings. No, | | | | then there is a dramatic burst of activity, a flurry of |
| you just get the hell out of the storm, while there's | | | | intense violence and it's all over. One or other or |
| still space in the harbor, and are grateful it provides | | | | frequently both opponents are dead. The circling is |
| the one thing you really need - safety. | | | | not preparation - that was done over years and |
| Making money is a bit like that. Sometimes you just | | | | years of training. The circling is cussing out your |
| need to act. As long as you get some return on your | | | | opponent - taking their mind. When they go into |
| action, it's better than doing nothing. This isn't | | | | attack it is a direct, swift, no hesitation attack. And |
| complicated but you'd be amazed how many people | | | | your financial plans must have the same razor-sharp |
| overlook this and think 'I'll decide how to invest that | | | | incisiveness about them. |
| little lump sum I've saved up later - I can't decide | | | | Doing something is invariably better than doing |
| whether to buy shares or put it in a savings account.' | | | | nothing. And sometimes acting fast can be a lot |
| So they do nothing and the money sits in a current | | | | better than holding out on a possibility. Suppose you |
| account earning no interest or, worse still, gets | | | | buy and sell antiques and collectibles as a |
| frittered away by default and inflation. | | | | money-spinning hobby. If you buy a plate for $10 and |
| You don't have to think too deeply about this stuff. | | | | think you can sell it for $30, but somebody offers |
| You don't have to think too hard. You don't even | | | | you $20 within an hour, then you take the $20 and |
| have to really think at all. | | | | go and buy two more plates at $10 to sell on in the |
| The samurai lived by a simple creed - no hesitation, | | | | same way. In some industries it's called 'churn' - keep |
| no doubt, no surprise, no fear. It is simply the most | | | | things moving. Quickly weigh up the odds, consider |
| brilliant strategy for doing anything. It basically says | | | | the pros and cons and then get on with it. |
| that once you have decided on a course of action | | | | |