Circa 1645, famed samurai Miyamoto Musashi wrote The Book of Five Rings, a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general. Within that book, he wrote of nine principles one can practice and embody to achieve the success that comes with grace and excellence. Today, and over the next eight days, I’m going to interpret each one with the lens of a creative entrepreneur.

Today’s principle is:

Do not harbor sinister designs. Think honestly and truthfully.

This is the first rule, and this concept has been expressed in a number of ways, including:

• Honesty is the best policy.
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• Doing well by doing good

When it comes to your life and your creative business, it is always best to come from the truest, most grounded place. When your heart is clear, free and true, your creativity flows most efficiently. People are magnetized to you because of your radiant honour.

Yes, sometimes doing something “sinister” can get you a quick fix, but it always comes back to bite you in the butt.

Being honest and truthful to yourself and your clients, keeps your karma clear and the path to prosperity open.

Sometimes, however, the hardest one to be honest to is yourself. It is easy to lie to yourself and give in to negative self talk. That is your ego trying to maintain the status-quo. But if you don’t like the way things are now, you must make a change and therefore you must re-atune your ego to the new status-quo. The only way to do that is to be strong and brush aside those little devils on your shoulder.

The worst sinister designs are those we plan for ourselves, and more often than not we are not aware of them. Here are some things you can do to thwart those unwitting sinister designs:

• Read positive, life-affirming, personal growth books. Some that I have recently enjoyed include The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews, The Prospering Power of Love by Catherine Ponder, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T Harv Eker.
• Write down affirmations daily. A couple of books that might help you include The Science of Affirmations by my friend Jack Roberts and Statements of Power by my cousin Heide Hargreaves.
• Focus on gratitude and forgiveness daily. I start out each day writing down at least three things I’m grateful for and often recommend this technique to my clients. Some books that might interest you include Living in Gratitude by Angeles Arian, A Forgiveness Journal by Kristin , and my book Focus on Forgiveness.

Now Its Your Turn:
How have you harbored sinister designs and overcome them? How has honesty and truthfulness benefited your business and life? What advice do you have to help people brush aside the devils on their shoulders? Please contribute your wisdom in a comment below.