Zen and the Martial Arts and Trading

By Zachary, of Hedge Fund Live - Upon the suggestion of my instructor, I decided to read the book Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams to uncover the insights hidden within the text. The author breaks down his work into several brief chapters, each containing a vignette designed to illustrate an axiom of the Zen philosophy. While many of the stories took place within the sphere of the martial arts, the lessons they taught readily apply to our everyday lives and journeys.Know Your Limits: The author describes a conversation between himself and Bruce Lee in which the author reveals frustration surrounding his physical limitations. He states that he must warm up for a half-hour before he can kick above his head; a feat that can easily be performed by many of the younger students. Lee suggests that Hyams should focus on perfecting his waist height kicks stating that higher kicks are often for show and have limited practical application. Over the past several months, I have been tasked with many new responsibilities in order to keep the business moving forward. Rather than try to bite off more than I could chew, I tried to diligently learn how these tasks are performed and do my best to execute. Going forward, I intend to do battle the skills I have been honing rather than attempting advanced maneuvers before honoring them with the appropriate practice and discipline.Anger without Action: The author describes a Wing-chun workout in which one person stands still while his opponent launches powerful blows designed to come within a hair of the other's body without making actual contact. Occasionally, an accidental blow landed on Hyams causing him to tense up in anger. His master recognized this emotion and said “It's not bad when you have aggressive or hostile thoughts or feelings towards others…What is bad, however, is letting them dictate your nature…Anger doesn't demand action. When you act in anger, you lose self control.” Upon reading this....Continue reading