One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

Kaizen Tip
These warning signs frequently pop up. Don’t ignore any of them!
Disturbing traits in a new dating partner, such as rudeness to waiters or drinking a little too much.
Every time I see
someone at the end of a relationship, I ask, “Did you have early warning signs of a problem—perhaps bad temper, indifference, or
substance abuse?” Almost every time, these people admit that, yes, they had seen evidence of this flaw by the third or fourth
date. Of course, it’s not wise to reject anyone who has the tiniest flaw (otherwise, we’d all be lonely), but you can ask yourself: 
Is
this person aware of the problem? Will he or she take responsibility for it and work to correct it? Does this small flaw
point to bigger issues that we need to discuss?
Less-than-stellar skills in a job applicant. 
When you interview an applicant who doesn’t quite meet your performance
standards but whom you’re tempted to hire out of a desperate need for 
any
warm body to fill the slot, slow down and reconsider.

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If you don’t have a surplus of other applicants from which to choose, and if the candidate is otherwise well qualified, develop a
fuller sense of his or her abilities by undergoing three or four more interviews. Be sure to bring up the shortcoming and note how
the candidate responds. The 
Harvard Business Review
has reported that it’s much more efficient to leave a position empty than
to fill it with the wrong person.
Angry or critical self-talk.
By this I mean the internal voices that say, 
Why don’t you just give up? You’re never going to be
smarter or richer or thinner
, as discussed in the chapter “Ask Small Questions.” It’s a myth that this kind of harsh self-
treatment will goad us into better performance. In reality, it stimulates the fight-or-flight response (discussed at the beginning of
this book) and stops progress in its tracks. You can quiet these voices by bringing your awareness to them—and by taking the
small steps of kaizen, which are designed to calm the stress associated with change.
Small, persistent signs of pain when exercising.
It’s perfectly normal to experience muscle fatigue and soreness during a
workout and afterward, because the body builds muscles by tearing them down. (If you begin an exercise program with small
kaizen actions, you probably won’t get much or any soreness at first.) But if you experience pain in your joints or if your breathing
becomes very labored, it’s time to cut back and maybe take a few days off. By pushing through the pain, you may create a
serious injury that derails your fitness plan. If the pain persists, or if you ever feel chest pain while working out, see a doctor.
Any resistance to the small step you have chosen.
The challenge is to make the step so small that it is effortless. If your inner
voice is harsh and angry at you for not making the change sooner, it will demand a bigger step than may be practical. Remember,
you are counting on the repetition of the small step to “program” the brain for the life changes you wish to make. Even small signs
that you are resisting the small step—that you are having to push yourself to do the step—are an indication that the step is too big,
inviting the amygdala and the harsh voice to awaken and interfere.

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