The Kaizen method, the answer you are looking for
It has happened to all of us. After much thought, we have decided to change our life; We decide that we will lose a few kilos, we will get out of those debts that seem endless or we will change that lifestyle that we lead.
The first thing you do is plan and calculate what you will do to achieve it.
So you take out your diary, notebook, or notes from your cell phone and write an infallible strategy to face the challenge and improve your life.
You remember each of the characteristics of the objectives that come true: So you set measurable, achievable, specific objectives and with a certain date.
The first days everything goes well, you tell yourself that this time you will succeed, “this time it will be different …”
However, the day comes when you have a lot of work and you don’t have time to go to the gym.
An unexpected expense comes along that completely affects your finances, or just a compelling enough excuse comes up to get you out of your way towards your goals.
Unfortunately, in a matter of days that spirit of change that you had disappeared. What strategic plan do you have to obtain continuous improvement? You don’t know where it is, since that notebook was lost along with your desire for change.
The problem is that today you feel worse, because not only do you have to lose a few extra kilos, pay your debts or change your lifestyle, but you feel that you have failed in your attempt.
The “good” thing is that time heals everything, so in a matter of 6 months you are again taking out your notebook and promising yourself the same one more time …
What does the Kaizen Method invite you to when changing your life?
The first thing we must do to obtain continuous improvement is to get off that roller coaster called personal growth.
The quest to build a better version of yourself, also known as personal growth, has quite a few similarities to a roller coaster: This process is full of ups, turns, and downs. And the higher you climb, in the end, you will end up dizzy without first trying.
Why is our desire to build a better version of ourselves so complicated and almost always ends in a new failure? Here are three explanations:
1. Focusing on a very big goal overwhelms us so much that it prevents us from acting:
They have always told us that we have to have goals not big, but huge. The world of personal growth asks us not only to dominate ourselves but to conquer the entire world.
So the first thing you do is design a plan that will make you overcome 99% of mortals and will unite you with the exclusive 1% that is above the rest in financial aspects, physical condition, and the number of images around the world in your account of Instagram.
However, your goals are so big and ambitious that they end up overwhelming you so much that they prevent you from acting. What some call stress should rather be titled “fear,” since the psychological reaction is the same for both emotions.
When you have such big and ambitious goals, such as paying all your debts in a matter of months or losing many kilos, these are so complex and seem so impossible, that you end up being afraid.
Having giant goals can be inspiring, but like many inspiring and great things, they can also fill you with fear and give you a bitter taste.
The Kaizen Method is an invitation to reevaluate the way you raise and work for your goals. It is a much more realistic and conscious alternative that is based on the small steps and processes of continuous improvement.
2. We think that a magic formula will save us:
If you manage to overcome this fear and decide to act, instead of doing what we all know we should do (work hard, be constant, expect long-term results), we start looking for “tricks” or magic formulas that teach us how to be successful. much faster and with less effort.
The problem with waiting for a magic formula to save us is that we spend more time looking for it than actually doing something about it.
You spend your time looking for articles on the internet to lose weight, to be more productive, to learn how to be a millionaire, or whatever goal you have, and you search and search. The question is this:
The fact of looking for that formula makes you think that you are doing something about it for your goals when in reality you are doing absolutely nothing.
Hunting magic formulas are “mental myths” for your personal growth … you feel all the pleasure, without having concrete results.
3. You stop doing those things that help you:
Let’s assume you didn’t make the first mistakes: You didn’t focus on goals that were too big and you didn’t waste your time looking for the magic formula.
You start to work, you are constant and you begin to see results: you begin to lose weight, you begin to pay your debts and you begin to lead that lifestyle you dream of … You are being successful as you imagined.
Perhaps one of the best Napoleon phrases that apply to personal growth is the one that says that
The most dangerous moment occurs in a victory situation: Napoleon
So they start to have results, they think they are successful and they relax, so they stop doing what got them there and go back to the beginning of this article. Remember the following:
Personal growth is not a destination you arrive at. You will never complete it.
Even if you are successful, if you want to maintain it, you will have to maintain the habits that got you there in the first place. And this is what the Kaizen method and continuous improvement are all about.
How to apply the Kaizen Method in our life
This is why you just read that you must get out of that vicious circle that people call personal growth and opt for a different alternative. The Kaizen method to achieve your goals.
The Kaizen philosophy or method consists of opting for continuous improvement in small quantities.
Although the Kaizen Method was originally developed to create profitable and successful businesses, it is equally applicable to our personal lives since it represents an alternative and antidote to the effects of the roller coaster called personal growth.
What is the Kaizen method?
Instead of making radical changes in your life in a short amount of time, rather make small improvements every day that will lead to the change you want.
It might not sound like a lot to you, but every 1% upgrade you make will start to stack with one another. At first, it may seem very basic, even non-existent. However, gradually and slowly, you will begin to notice positive changes in your life.
It may take months or even years, but this continual improvement will appear once you begin to focus on improving your life by 1% every day.
Best of all, there will come a point where your 1% daily growth will represent the improvement of a whole week in the beginning.
Today you may feel that it is only 1% and that the changes are not perceived … but the invitation of the Kaizen method is to stay sensible. Someday you will reach 100% and beyond. This is what the compound effect is all about.
If you want to learn more about this, you can read the book The Composite Effect by Darren Hardy
If you still have doubts about why you should choose continuous improvement:
“When you improve a little each day, eventually great things happen. Not tomorrow, and not the next, but in time you will achieve a great victory.
Don’t look for a big or quick improvement. Look for small victories, one day at a time. This is the only way it happens – and when it happens, it will last – John Wooden
Unlike other “personal growth methodologies,” the Kaizen method breaks down these huge and even overwhelming goals into small pieces and easily achievable steps.
The small successes that you achieve with your steps, in the beginning, create a kind of momentum that encourages you to take bigger and bigger steps.
Better yet, one of the premises of the Kaizen method is that there is no magic formula that will make things better overnight. Change comes through small and continuous improvements.
Don’t waste your time looking for that “factor” that will change everything. Rather, focus on the task you are doing and remember: You already know what you have to do. Work and find simple ways to improve along the way.
How to implement continuous improvement in your life
Ask yourself the following question every day of your life: What little habit or action can I start practicing today that will improve my life?
Then start small. Very, very small:
Do you want to start an exercise habit?
Do a single push-up when you get out of bed. The next morning, add a new one, and so on. In a matter of two months, you will be doing 60 push-ups every morning. Imagine what you will achieve in a year through these healthy habits.
Do you want to start writing your blog?
Instead of writing a thousand-word article daily, start by writing a paragraph. You can even start by reading this article on how to make money online.
Then you can start writing for a single minute. The next day, add an extra minute or paragraph. In a matter of a month, you will be doing complete articles.
Do you want to start meditating? Do you want to lose weight?
To meditate, start your plan with breathing exercises for a minute. To lose weight, eliminate a sugary drink a day.
