Kaizen is the Japanese art of doing things incrementally. The powerful technique focuses on a constant improvement to achieve your goals. Many corporates and businesses across the world have used this wonderfully effective technique to take the quality of their work notches higher. So, what is Kaizen process?
Kaizen: A continuous journey to improve yourself
Imagine you are climbing a staircase. Is it possible to directly jump to the tenth step from the second step? Unless you’re a superhero, you can’t! But when you climb one step at a time, you will eventually get there, won’t you?
That’s exactly what Kaizen stands for, doing better than what you did yesterday. And the best part is, you can apply this to anything and everything. Your thoughts included!
Here’s how Kaizen can help you improve the quality of your thoughts
Big changes come in small doses
Before negative thinking can get the better of you, start taking baby steps towards changing such thoughts. And remember that consistency is key. Simple lifestyle changes you make today will help you in the long run. So, instead of exposing your mind to news in the morning, begin your day with positive affirmations. These small doses of positive thoughts can eventually lead to your being a happy person.
Get 1% better each day:
Trying to build a positive thought pattern? Start with consciously focusing on one positive thought in the day. Do it consistently, and do it mindfully. Once you can focus on positivity, increase the number of positive thoughts or consciously feed positive thoughts to your mind. And even before you realize, positive and happy is what you will become.
Set multiple, achievable goals that lead to greater success:
There’s nothing wrong in aiming for the sky. But staying grounded in your reality is equally important if you want to reach there. So, when you decide to rid yourself of a negative thought pattern, set realistic goals to begin with. Start with consistently avoiding negative thoughts for a few days or a few weeks. When you do that, you naturally succeed in breaking the negative thought pattern.
Your goals are not the end:
Remember that happiness is not one destination. In fact, it’s a journey with multiple, smaller stops of positive thinking. When your happiness is dependent on external factors, it may not last. But when you look at it as a continuous process, you learn to cultivate a positive thought pattern. Moreover, it makes you appreciate the little things in life. Rest assured the big ones will soon fall into place.
Appreciate yourself:
The best thing about the Kaizen approach is that it insists that you take a moment and applaud yourself for being consistent. So, every time you create a positive thought, express gratitude to yourself. The warm and fuzzy feeling that such self-appreciation brings your way, can be unparalleled.
Improvement techniques like Kaizen are a boon to humanity. Especially, when you can identify the potential and power that such techniques have and implement them in your day-to-day life. So, right from your thoughts to your behaviour, you can use Kaizen to improve yourself as an individual.
Read more: Emotional well-being, technology, and you!
