E-couragement: Personal Kaizen
“The pleasure of success is not whether you have tough problems to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.” John Foster Dulles
Several of my clients are in the manufacturing business. A number of them have adopted Lean Manufacturing principles. One Lean tool is called Kaizen. Kaizen is a philosophy, which involves small, daily improvements designed to create sustainable positive change throughout the workplace. Recently I experienced how the Kaizen mindset can be useful when pursuing personal improvement. A significant barrier to personal growth is failure—often the result of attempting to accomplish too much too fast. Here’s an example of how I’m currently utilizing personal Kaizen to create positive change in my life.
In late 2012 my personal trainer challenged me to include more raw foods in my diet. The concept made sense and I accepted his challenge. Here’s an abbreviated account of my raw food journey since then:
- In the winter of 2012, I embarked on a seven-day raw fast. My goal was to repeat this once a quarter resulting in 28 days of raw eating a year. By day-five, everyone and everything I encountered reminded me of rotisserie chicken. Psychologically and physiologically, I could no longer take it. Outcome = fail.
- Next, during the spring of 2013, I decided to select three consecutive days per month and eat strictly raw. This seemed less overwhelming than my first attempt and equates to 36 days of raw nutrition over a year’s time. By the third month I found it difficult to locate three consecutive days which didn’t conflict with travel or client workshops. Outcome = fail.
- In late summer of this year, I made one more attempt at achieving my positive change goal. This time I selected one-day per week for a 24-hour raw fast. In the end, this provides 52 days of raw eating per year (almost doubling the number of days from attempt 1). After nine weeks I’m excited to report: Outcome = success!
Reflecting on this experience, here’s the lesson learned: Small steps towards positive change are more sustainable than “giant leaps.” Also, small repeatable steps yield greater results over time than big sweeping change, which is difficult to maintain. When it comes to setting improvement goals, personally or in the workplace—start small and keep it going. The moral from my personal Kaizen is: in the long run, less can be more.
Leave your comments: What small, regular, sustainable step will you take towards self-improvement?