What comes to mind when you think of the word ninja?
Things like pop culture, Japan, weapons, ninja turtles perhaps. When my son brought this cute ninja craft home this week, I was curious as to the popularity of ninjas and if I could try ninja thinking to improve as a translator and a human.
Ninjas are known for specialising in stealth and unarmed combat during the feudal period of Japanese history. As a translator, I of course looked up the etymology of the term. I discovered that “ninja” is actually originally a Chinese word made up of Kanji characters that literally translate as “the one who endures”. In Japanese, the same two Kanji that are pronounced “nin sha” in Chinese are pronounced “shinobi no mono.” “Shinobi” refers to quietness and stealth, essential qualities in a ninja fighter.
How can ninja thinking inspire us?
So if endurance, quietness and stealth are key characteristics of a ninja, how can this inspire us in our work and/or life?
You probably know how hard it can be to persevere. Endurance is tough and too often when something seems insurmountable, we resist or fight against it.
Instead of giving in to fear, try thinking like a ninja and:
– reach out to a colleague or friend to bounce ideas off,
– keep a positivity file to remind yourself of times when you did a job that seemed scary but had a great result/positive feedback,
– be consistent, even small amounts of action, if practiced consistently over time, will lead to results (I definitely struggle with this!).