One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way - Robert Maurer, Ph.D.
Small changes can bring big effects. This is the wisdom of the Kaizen Way. Kaizen is contrasted with the strategy of innovation, which in business vocabulary is "a drastic process of change" that "occurs in a very short period of time, yielding a dramatic turnaround. Innovation is fast and big and flashy; it reaches for the largest result in the smallest amount of time" (5). The key to Kaizen is that "low-key change helps the human mind circumnavigate the fear that blocks success and creativity" (17). For most people "big goals trigger big fear" (26). "Small actions trick the brain into thinking: Hey, this change is so tiny that it's no big deal. No need to get worked up. No risk of failure or unhappiness here. By outfoxing the fear response, small actions allow the brain to build up new, permanent habits" (87-88). Maurer outlines his presentation by calling us to "Ask small questions." "Think small thoughts." "Take small actions." "Solve small problems." Once we understand the power of small steps, we can then begin to wisely discern when innovation is appropriate and how to mix the two. As an admirer of "The Little Way" I am always excited when the power of small things is explained. With Mother Theresa, I believe, "To God there is nothing small." With Aesop, I believe, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” This book is a helpful introduction to the power of small things. Maurer concludes with this: "consider how the world might be different if more of us conducted our social, business, and romantic lives with the belief that small steps matter, that even the shortest contact with another person is inherently important. Kaizen offers the possibility that through small acts of kindness, and even small moments of compassion and curiosity, we can change ourselves - and, eventually, humanity" (176).