Kaizen is a famous word in the corporate world. You do not hear it often here in Singapore but it doesn’t mean it isn’t applied here. Kaizen is a Japanese word that describes “continuous improvement”. It is actually a combination of the words kai (meaning change) and zen (meaning good). This concept is familiar with the corporate world but it doesn’t mean it can only be applied there.
Kaizen can also be used in your personal life. Kaizen is slow because it only encourages “small steps” but doing it frequently or regularly. For example, if you want to get rid of your laziness for reading, you can use kaizen. Every day, spend at least five minutes of reading a book and make sure not to miss it. In the long run, you will find yourself delighted with the activity thereby increasing more minutes just to do it.
You will be surprised how a small step can have a large improvement over time. Sounds easy, right? The trick here is to be consistent and patient with the result. The results will not be immediate (knowing the pace) but it is there and it can make a difference. You should understand that kaizen is more of philosophy or state of mind.
If you feel that there is something keeping you from reaching your goals, it is time that you learn kaizen training. As mentioned earlier, it is a state of mind. That means you have the power to change everything even though it is paralyzing. Just think that everything is for your self-development. Here’s how you can apply kaizen in your life:
If you want to take care of the body
Every day you wake up knowing that your body is not healthy yet you do not take action. If you choose to practice kaizen, you have to discard excuses and tell yourself “I will do ten sit ups in the morning when I wake up” or “ten crunches every morning should do the trick”.
If you want to quit smoking
Smoking can do so much harm without you realizing it. It is time that you quit it. Tell yourself “every day I will throw one pack or one cigarette”.
If you feel depressed
Depression is serious and you should do your best to change your disposition. You can tell yourself “every day I will not think of unpleasant things” or “ at least for ten minutes I want to think of pleasant things”.
Actually, there are many things that you can do to inspire change.