Kaizen

According to www.wikihow.com, Kaizen originated in Japan. Roughly translated, the word means “good change” or change for the better. Conceptually, it is the practice of continuous improvement, personally or professionally. It’s also described as creating a practice of “small good changes” that don’t overwhelm one. It’s often used as a business management term, but it certainly can apply to one’s efforts to improve wellbeing.

At the beginning, spending more time and attention on your own wellbeing can be very overwhelming. There are so many activities, subjects and techniques you could employ to make yourself look, feel, move, think better. Instead of drinking from a firehose, try selecting one or two things you are going to incorporate and build them securely into your life. If the first few you try don’t seem like a good match for you and your life, try something else. Once you have incorporated the first couple, work on a couple more. Small, daily actions can make a huge difference in your life. When you use the Kaizen method to incrementally improve yourself, you will succeed because you will stick to those new habits. Slow, steady and consistent is always a more successful way to work on any kind of improvement you are seeking. Just go for 1% better than the day before.

As an example, if it is your goal to eat cleaner, start with one small change. Today, add just one more serving of vegetables into your diet. Next week add two more servings. The next week incorporate those two servings with a service of fruit. Instead of focusing on what you CAN’T eat, focus on what you can. Add in the good and it will eventually push out the bad.

Another example might be related to building time for meditation into your life. One good way to start is by getting an app. I use “Calm”. I can choose from music, meditations, stories, breathing exercises, and so on. Just choose something and listen to it right when you go to bed. You have now incorporated this self-care time into your schedule during a time you were just waiting to go to sleep anyway. And the benefits will be huge! Just give it 10-15 minutes a night.