Kaizen: The Japanese secret to lasting change: small steps to big goals

 

Shirley J.               Adult Non-Fiction                        Focusing on small areas to achieve big results

Kaizen:The Japanese secret to lasting change: Small steps to Big Goals by Sarah Harvey  272 pages

This book and Kaizen itself allow the reader to do as little to work toward a goal in the beginning as possible.   The point being if you do so little you want to do more.  It is sort of enticing.  It's like tasting something delicious but only just a taste.  It creates the desire for it within you, but, you feel fine because regardless, it was only a taste afterall.  So you have this mountain of a project before you - Kaizen philosophy is, work on it for 5 minutes then walk away.  Whaaaat?   How can you not want to commit to working toward your goal when you only have to put 5 minutes worth of effort into it.  Once you begin it is kind of addicting.  It is so great - no pressure - no tramatic overload of work - you simply begin with one small step. (ie. The journey of 1,000 miles begins with that first single step.)  The reader will find themselves loving this idea and the history behind it?  The American military taught this to the CEO and his crew at Toyota after WWII when helping to rebuild the economy of Japan.   The CEO ran with it and look at Toyota today.  Many other Japanese businesses followed suit when they saw that one didn't need to eat the whole elephant at once but simply one spoonful at a time and that is how you eat an elephant or surpass everyone else in your market to become a leader and transform the industry.   This principle of baby steps to progress can be applied to anything in life whether career, home or self-improvement.  Don't workout for an hour 7 days a week.  Walk 10 steps a day the first week, then increase by 5 more steps the following week.   You will find yourself forming comfortable habits and seeing real accomplishments when there is such simple itty bitty things to do to begin taming anything you want in life.   I really enjoyed this book and learning how you don't have to chastise and belittle yourself for your lack of follow thru.   Just change the focus.  Go for small changes that add up to great accomplishments.   Fabulous!   I recommend this book to elementary school children on up to senior citizens.  It is such a wonderful concept to grasp and it pays off in big ways without extreme effort or guilt.