Reading One Small Step Can Change Your Life by Robert Mauer

 Working as continuous improvement professional, I work diligently to enshrine the benefits of kaizen as a vital continuous improvement tool for our business unit.  Kaizen is a proven continuous improvement methi that uses small incremental changes to eventually compound into major changes.  Many businesses, especially companies like Toyota, have used kaizen effectively as they positioned themselves to be leaders in their respective domains.  

Reading Mauer, however, made me realize I am missing out a lot by not embracing kaizen in my personal life.

Mauer, through producing one striking evidence after another, convinced me that I need kaizen in my personal life.

Kaizen provides a way to tiptoe past the amygdala, the small. almond shaped part of the brain that helps detect danger.  Major changes trigger this fear center in our brain, causing resistance even pain.  Small changes fostered by a kaizen mindset, however, make it past the amygdala without triggering an alarm.

Mauer portrays the power of personal kaizen through Julie, a divorced mother of two suffering from stress and hypertension.  To Mauer, a simple but effective remedy is to schedule regular exercise routine.  However, he knew that to Julie, who felt overwhelmed by life, this advice would not work.

Instead, Mauer recommended that Julie march in front of her TV for one minute a day.  Julie did that.  She started marching in front of her TV during a commercial break.  One commercial break grew into two.  Through incremental changes, Julie eventually implemented exercise regimen that improved her health.  And it all started with a very humble one-minute march a day routine she managed to sneak past her amygdala.

As I work through the book, i keep wondering what small changes I can implement and nurture them until they compound into personal revolutions.

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