One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Mauer, PhD. Workman Publishing, New York (2014).

Consider reading this if you know what direction you want to go but can’t seem to propel yourself to get going.

The main premise:  Robert Mauer introduces readers to “Kaizen,” a Japanese concept that centers on taking small steps to accomplish large goals. He proposes that people make personal change through innovation (a drastic process or shift) or kaizen (small incremental steps); people are more successful with the latter. He suggests that fear often derails our efforts to make dramatic personal changes but that tiny goal-oriented steps do not trigger a fear response. This small step approach can be applied to endeavors such as building habits (like exercise) or catalyzing action related to business or creative ventures. A story about a single mother who needed to exercise to address hypertension and fatigue illustrates what he means by small steps. He sensed that recommending that the patient join a gym or start an exercise regimen would add to her state of overwhelm. Instead, he asked her if she could march in place for one minute a day during TV, which she immediately affirmed.  One minute led to 4 minutes, to marching during commercials, then entire shows, and ultimately, a transition to an exercise regimen at a gym. As in this case, Mauer urges us to take small, easy steps that over-ride our fear-based resistance so that we ultimately meet larger goals.

I like this book because it’s short and to the point. I liked Dr. Mauer’s ample examples of how this approach has helped people. He offers explanations regarding why this approach works based on neuroanatomy-physiology.

 This book informs our pursuit of purpose in life because living with purpose is fundamentally about acting in alignment with our goals or aspirations. Being unable to propel ourselves forward interferes with this purpose orientation and I think Dr. Mauer offers some useful ideas about how to get going.

Robert Mauer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist on the faculty of UCLA School of Medicine.

What about you? Consider sharing a recommendation and something about how it has helped you live with purpose.